ELIZABETH COLLEGE

NEWSLETTER TERM 1 2014

FROM THE PRINCIPALOn the front wall of our college, our vision of fostering inspired, resourceful learners takes centre stage. What are we doing here to make this goal a reality?

• We have inspired, resourceful teachers – teachers who, through their passion for their subjects, engage their students and are concerned for their welfare both in and outside the classroom. They teach, mentor and provide feedback and advice, assisting students to do their very best. Today as I walked around the campus I saw students actively engaged in conversations, debates, completing science experiments, giving iPad feedback to teachers, spray painting car panels, making organs in electronics, painting and writing; but most importantly I saw young people relating to each other and their teachers in mature ways – ways that mean they support each other in their learning in and outside of classes.

• We have a number of new initiatives such as a pilot program in improving study skills with Elevate – a group that offers sessions led by young university students. A number of Home Groups elected to take part in the program and over a hundred students gave feedback that they felt it was something they would recommend for others. All teachers cover strategies for how to study in their particular field, but these sessions offer support for generic skills across all subjects.

• Our recent Meet the Teacher Evening had record numbers attending, so we are pleased to know we can work closely with you as parents in partnership to build successful futures for your son or daughter. Having a vibrant parent group is an important part of providing a dialogue with parents and the college. I would like to thank the group for their support of the recent Meet the Teacher Evening and organising the TQA information evening for parents and I know they have other evenings planned for the year. We welcome everyone to our meetings – the next being Thursday 15 May 5.00pm–6.00pm.

• Our Enrichment Program has all of our students involved in a variety of activities including Barista courses, obtaining motor boat and motor bike licenses, bushwalks, sporting activities, self-defence and study support to name just a few. The enrolments in each of our programs this year have been overwhelming and continue to provide us with feedback about how valuable the students find these Enrichment programs.

• The Student Leadership Group (SLG) has been very active already this year with current projects of investigating a bike shelters, extending library opening hours and publishing a sustainability magazine as well as organising Harmony Day activities, recognising Earth Hour and working on the grounds committee.

In the photos on the front cover of this term’s newsletter we have our current staff along with an archived photo of staff at Elizabeth College from the 1960’s.

In August this year we will be celebrating 15 Years of ECAAD (Elizabeth College Advanced Academic Diploma) and our Alumni. If you recognise any teachers from this photo or wish to register for the Alumni celebrations please contact Craig Carnes, craig.carnes@education.tas.gov.au.

As we move towards the end of Term 1 for this year, I’d like to recognise all the teachers here who, on a daily basis, instil a passion for learning. We know that teaching has always been an important profession.

Dr Dianne Purnell

Principal

Dr Dianne Purnell

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COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND DESIGNComputer Graphics and Design student Michael Walker’s current work using the software Mudbox. The class brief was to design and model a 3D Plastic Toy Monster.

ECAAD ACTIVITIESOur recent ECAAD Camp was held at Woodfield Lodge Dysart over two days. All students were involved in ‘get to know you’ activities, team building, trust games, life after college discussions, travel advice, astronomy, quizzes and lots of fun.

FUTSAL Elizabeth College blue team won the state futsal championships played in Hobart on Friday 21 March. The team played a hard fight in the final against Guilford Young College, with GYC winning 4:3.

Ali Paolini, Corey Moore, Noah Thorne, Alex Woodham, Tyler Harrison and Josh Dingjin

Rhea Welsh-Hussein, Anastasia Tierney and Nic Hniat

IMOGEN MOORE VISITS ECImogen Moore visited the Theatre Performance class recently to watch their first round of practical assessment and give some advice on heading into University. Currently Imogen is heading into her third year at The Victoria College of the Arts in Musical Theatre and was able to give a wonderful insight into the course, the audition process and what life in Melbourne is like.

Imogen with some of the Theatre Performance students

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ROMANY TO DANCE HER WAY TO THE USA Romany Nicholls has been selected as the only Tasmanian dancer, and one of ten from across the country, to compete in the World Championships of Performing Arts in the USA in July. This will be an opportunity for Romany to compete against top performers from 40 countries.

Romany moved from Smithton at the start of the year to study at Elizabeth College. She is involved in this year’s musical ‘Hair’ where she is featured as a dancer. Romany is keen to pursue a dancing career as a back-up dancer for film clips, movies or musicians touring. We wish her all the best of luck on her trip to the US.

MADELINE SPENCER’S PATHWAY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA IN 2014 “After realising in Year 11 that I truly did have an interest in the science field, I spent the majority of my final year at Elizabeth College focusing on science subjects that the college offered. When the time came around for us to select our subjects for university, naturally my choices were all in the science area. After my four years at university I hope to get into the hospital pharmacy profession either here in Tasmania or interstate. As the pharmacy profession is a vast, continuously growing field with advancements being made all the time, it is a great area to get into – I would highly recommend it to any college students who enjoy Chemistry and Biology.”

STUDENTS SHINE IN JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR In February many of our current and past Elizabeth College students were involved in the Hobart Summer School’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, including David Abbott, Max McLaughlin, Jeremy Pyefinch, Mel Ransley, Harris Sari, Lisa Thomas in the ensemble, Selina Cheers as Simon Zealots and Noah Casey as King Herod. In the orchestra, there was Inessa Corney, Adam Davenport-Hortle, Gavin Duhig, Will Maher, Joe Phillips, Taylor Randall and Vivian Wain. The set was expertly put together by another one of EC’s old scholars Richard Kowaluk and then there was the work of Zeb Dwyer as assistant director, Imogen Paine as assistant stage manager and Nick Paine as stage manager.

This was a colourful, imaginative rendition of a popular and demanding musical. Current EC students involved in this year’s production of Hair had the opportunity to attend this performance and came away feeling inspired by the strong individual performances, tight choreography and focused ensemble scenes. Congratulations to all the cast and crew!

Madeline receiving an award in the Tasmanian Science Talent search for her Environmental Science case study on Brown’s River, Kingston which gained an equal 1st Prize in the Science Inquiry section.

Mel Ransley and Noah Casey (photo courtesy of Red Zebra Photography)

Romany Nicholls

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INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL Our English as and Additional Language (EAL) and Language students joined together with Nina Pavic and other teachers to share food from different countries. With a range of hot dishes from Italy, China and Malaysia and some luscious cakes from around the globe, students played games and shared in celebrations of cultural diversity. Being able to speak languages other than English is becoming even more important in our multicultural world.

Laura Lovell, Francine Henderson, Madeline Burrows, Fletcher Williams and Felix Grant

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A number of groups from Elizabeth College, including Drama students, attended performances of Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Botanical Gardens. In preparation for this performance, Drama students were involved in mapping out the plot and exploring and performing monologues from the play.

Midsummer Night’s Dream was warmly received by an appreciative audience. Many of the cast included Elizabeth College Performing Arts staff (Georgie Perry, Justan Wagner) and past students (Tom Hogan, Samantha Lush, Lucy Devine, Ellen Roe and director Maeve Mhairi MacGregor). Georgie Perry’s performance of Snug, one of the Mechanicals, was warm and memorable. EC Staff and past students involved in Midsummer Night’s Dream – Lucy Devine, Justan Wagner, Samantha Lush, Tom Hogan, Ellen Roe, Maeve Mhairi MacGregor and Georgie Perry

NEW TEACHER AT EC, MARTY GOSS As a passionate environmentalist, it has been gratifying to teach subjects such as Biology, Environmental Science & Society, and Life Science which lie at the heart of my interests in science. I truly appreciate working with such a brilliant group of young adults who are keen to work hard and take responsibility in the process of learning.

Students this year have risen to the challenge of learning at a pre-tertiary level in which the standards are set high and the content is vast. Elizabeth College is an incredibly supportive environment for both staff and students in which to work and I have enjoyed engaging my students

in lots of hands on activities such as excursions around the Hobart region.

As the end of Term 1 approaches it is clear that I have certainly taken pleasure in my new challenge and look forward to working with my class throughout the remainder of the year.

Marty Goss

VISUAL ARTS Visual Art teachers have been taking many classes to see a variety of shows at MONA and around Hobart galleries this year. At MONA, photography students have seen the Roger Ballen exhibition, entitled Asylum of the Birds and Mixed Media students have enjoyed the Hubert Duprat sculpture exhibition and a selection of other works where the use of materials strongly support the communication of ideas.

Students have visited galleries at Salamanca and the Brett Gallery in North Hobart. Art Appreciation students have been to MONA and they have also been given a UTAS School of Art library introduction. All students who attended can now borrow books from this fabulous resource!

Classes are about to embark on tours of Hobart’s architectural and public art sites in order to learn even more about Art. As a part of their tours, they will attend a presentation by Miriam McGarry – an ex-Elizabeth College student who has recently been bestowed a PhD scholarship to consider the sociological effects on Tasmania of MONA.

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WORKPLACE MATHS – A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS!! This year over a hundred students have chosen to do Workplace Mathematics and the response from students and teachers has been fabulous.

The Workplace Maths curriculum is designed to be a practical hands-on course which equips students with essential mathematical skills which they can apply in real world situations. Students also benefit from brushing up on their basic numeracy skills which are essential in every workplace.

In addition to doing class work booklets which focus upon measuring, finance, tables, maps and graphs, students get the opportunity to do Mathematical Investigations with a partner outdoors in a simulated workplace environment.

We were fortunate recently to enjoy the late summer sun in the tranquil surrounds of St Andrews Park. Students were given the task of measuring the height of the many delightful Specimen trees in the park using little more than a clinometer, tape measure and Pythagoras’ theorem. Pairs of students were asked to estimate the height of the tree, draw an artist’s impression of the tree, photograph the tree and finally calculate its height with the equipment supplied.

On return to class students were tasked with calculating the height of their tree and comparing their measurements with earlier estimates. Many students were delighted with how accurately they were able to estimate and were thankful that Pythagoras was able to vindicate their guesswork.

Workplace Maths teacher and Assistant Principal Andrew Kerslake summed up the mood of the class and the course in general; “Workplace Maths is fantastic!” Kerslake enthused. “To see a student who might be low a bit low on confidence tackle some of these problems and succeed is a great boost for them and their self-esteem. I just love teaching the subject.”

Keinan Stoward and Connor Ryan working hard in St Andrews Park.

OBJECT DESIGN AT ELIZABETH COLLEGEObject Design is a design course offered by the Tasmanian School of Art UTAS). The course has been running since 2013. This is a HECS free course which gives students credits towards a tertiary qualification and also contributes to an individual’s ATAR score.

This subject is best suited to students who have an interest and/or strong capacity in design and technology studies(in areas such as textiles, metals, plastic, glass, furniture, lighting and jewellery), and are looking at possibly pursuing a pathway in this field.

The course culminates in two public exhibitions, on in Hobart and the other in the north of the state, where all the work produced by students is displayed.

The brief in 2013 was ‘Transformers” In 2013 Elizabeth College had two students who submitted projects, Simone Page and Mitch Gregory. Mitch received a High Distinction and Simone, a Distinction.

Take your next step Mitch Gregory

Simone Page’s design

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OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP The Outdoor Leadership students began their year with an overnight camp within the bush land of Kingston. The camp focused on team building activities with student-lead games at the beach and a ropes’ course at fusion’s adventure learning centre. The class also completed a long, gruelling walk from Mountain River, along Montague thumbs to Cathedral Rock. The students put in a top effort walking for six hours on a tough track, but were rewarded with outstanding views.

Mischa Nester with a backdrop of spectacular views over Kingston.

A SNAPSHOT FROM PSYCHOLOGYSchool counselor, Di Richards, recently came to speak to our Psychology class about how she would treat someone with a phobia. This was helpful because we had been talking about how phobias are triggered and how to treat them. Di explained to us that the first thing she’d look for in a patient would be their fear pattern. Her goal is to disrupt that pattern through the use of various exercises that she demonstrated.

My favourite was when she told us to imagine watching ourselves on a movie screen at a time when we felt anxiety or fear. Whilst we were imagining this, we were told to replay and rewind the movie, imagine it in black and white and make it really small. This is called dissociation and the aim is to detach the patient from reality and their fear.

Peter Lewer

SONNETS BY HUGH NICKLASON Conkers

I sat by your bed, holding your old hands,

You spoke to me, whispering of your life.

You were only holding by last few strands

Even they were fraying, sliced by death’s knife.

One week later you were gone forever

But my memories are still oh so clear.

And I can only seem to endeavour,

To try imagine, that you are still here.

The day goodbye came, the day that I wept,

I held two conkers, I passed you one down.

I stood for a while, trying to accept,

Only your spirit would now be around.

And now as days go by, weeks, even years,

You live on within us, our smiles, our tears.

The Encounter

Time does not stop, as love is never gone,

Both go on forever, hidden, but there.

Awkwardness haunted me, we sat till dawn.

The silence, the glances, the words, the stares.

Motionless, still, you gazed into my eyes,

That very moment, I will not forget.

What you said next, I know were only lies,

Not sure how to feel, do I smile or fret.

I rise, confused, as to which way is right.

I think secretly, however, I know.

It is almost time to give up this fight,

A second surrender, for good? I go.

Time does not stop, as love is present still.

This encounter remains, always it will.

Take your next step Mitch Gregory

Simone Page’s design

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256 Elizabeth Street, Hobart Tasmania Australia 7000 | (03) 6235 6555

DUX OF ELIZABETH COLLEGE 2013 GOLD MEDAL AWARD

Kathryn Ellis – Tasmanian Tertiary Entrance Score: 119.2 (ATAR 99.9)

Kathryn began her schooling at Cambridge Primary School and attended Ogilvie High for Years 7 to 10 before studying at Elizabeth College in 2012 and 2013. Although she

enjoys subjects from across the curriculum, her primary interest has always been in The Humanities, so she chose to focus on this area in Year 12; in particular studying history, philosophy, economics, legal studies and university French through UTAS’s High Achiever Program. This year she is furthering that interest by beginning an Arts/Law degree at the University of Tasmania, which she hopes will lead her to a career in politics or international relations.

Kathryn decided she wanted to study Arts/Law in Year 11 after attending UN Youth Tasmania’s State Conference; an experience which also crystallised her

interest in public speaking and debating. She was a member of the Tasmanian team at the National Schools’ Debating Championships in 2012 and 2013, representing Elizabeth College at the National Finals of UN Youth Australia’s Evatt Trophy competition in 2012. She also attended the same organisation’s National Conference in Sydney in July 2013, where she was selected as a member of the Australian delegation to The Hague International Model United Nations 2014.

Kathryn says her participation in these activities was often directly facilitated by Elizabeth College or ECAAD and this was always made possible by the flexible and supportive learning environment the college provides. She is grateful to the college and its staff, not only for the academic success she achieved, but for the support and understanding she was shown as she attempted to navigate what was a very demanding, yet fulfilling phase of her life.

More on Prize Night in our next publication.

Kathryn Ellis

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING (VET) WORK PLACEMENTSVET students in Susan Oakden’s Certificate II in Tourism class have been out on Work Placement recently; a

unique opportunity to learn real life skills and to prepare for future pathways in a range of industries.

Maddison Joseph at Salamanca Inn Evan Dobrotin and Jemma Gatehouse at Hobart Grand Chancellor

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