In this issue

It’s rodeo week! And this morning we were lucky enough to receive a visit from our local Warwick Show and Rodeo royals – the Queens and Princesses who promote our annual local Warwick Rodeo.  It was wonderful to see that all five of the pictured Rodeo Princesses are students at SCOTS PGC! The girls have toured local schools all week alongside Miss Rodeo Australia (also pictured above) to speak to students about what their role entails in the lead up to and during Warwick’s famous rodeo.

Congratulations girls!

Our SCOTS Experience Day is just around the corner on Monday 8 November.

The Experience Day provides an opportunity for us to welcome the new students who have enrolled to commence at the College in the 2022 school year.  It is also an opportunity for prospective students to experience the SCOTS PGC environment which may help with making an enrolment decision.

While we have a great number of students already registered to attend, we’d hate for anyone to miss out on such a great opportunity to discover just how great it is here.  If you are aware of any families with children that would like to be part of the Experience Days, please encourage them to contact Wendy Whittaker (Director of Admissions) on 07 4666 9808 or register via our website at https://scotspgc.com.au/events/experience-day/

Mr Stewart Bailey | Head of Junior Boys’ Boarding

As I sit here reflecting on another week gone by, I would like to share how proud the boys have made me with their kind and committed actions over the past couple of weeks.

On Monday afternoon, the boys were assigned a project with Mr Mascadri to clean up our BBQ area.  Without hesitation, our Junior Boys rolled up their sleeves, put on their work boots and got stuck into the work.  Not only that, they volunteered to keep working several other afternoons this week with staff members in other areas.  Thanks to Mr Mascadri for supervising the boys in this project – we all look forward to seeing the finished product in a couple of weeks!

We’ve been lucky to share the joy and excitement of celebrating several birthdays in-house this week (including mine), which was a real highlight.  It is great to be able to come together as a boarding family and celebrate these milestones.  We all particularly enjoyed the piñata, the cupcakes, and the pure anticipation and enjoyment shown by all of the boys.

Thank you, boys, for recognising these important values of sharing and celebration; and for your outstanding efforts in the BBQ area this week.  It is greatly appreciated.

Together with the other Heads of Boarding, we will be in touch with all boarding parents soon to discuss and arrange travel arrangements for the end of term.  We only have four weeks remaining for this term, which will no doubt pass us by quickly.  Don’t hesitate to get in touch and please keep an eye on our communication channels.

Our bees have been busy!

Over the last few weeks, the Year 9 Agricultural Science students have been learning all about the production of honey.  We are fortunate enough to have our own hives here in the paddock and a knowledgeable apiary expert in Mr Greg Hughes, who has visited the classroom to teach our students about the art of beekeeping.  The fruits of everyone’s labour has now been bottled and is for sale in the Front Office for $10 per container.

Get in quick before we sell out!

The College has partnered with Edstart to make it easy for you to manage school fee payments.  Edstart payment plans can fund tuition fees, boarding costs and additional charges such as levies, uniforms, co-curricular activities, as well as textbooks and amounts in arrears.

Edstart allows you to pay your school fees in weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments. You can spread your fees evenly across the school year or reduce your repayment amount by extending the cost over a longer timeframe, up to five years after graduation.

For more information, visit edstart.com.au/scotspgc.

Please note, in providing information about Edstart, we do not provide any recommendations, brokering or advice services. We do not receive referral fees, commissions or other remuneration from Edstart.  If you have any queries, please contact Edstart on 1300 139 445 or chat with their team at contact@edstart.com.au

Alternatively, you can contact our Business Manager – Andrew Millard, for a confidential discussion.

Mr Tom Bradbury | Assistant Director of Co-Curricular Activities

Darling Downs Triathlon Trials
Last weekend, Bailey Harm ventured north to Kawana to contest the Darling Downs Triathlon Trials which were incorporated into the Queensland All Schools Triathlon conducted by Triathlon Queensland. We are pleased to announce that Bailey finished 4th amongst the Darling Downs boys and was selected to attend the Queensland 13-19 years School Sport Triathlon in Hervey Bay next February. We congratulate Bailey on this selection and wish him all the best for the State Championships.

Cricket V Assumption College

Interschool Cricket returned to Briggs and Dunning Oval this week with a cross-town grudge match against Assumption College in U14 and Open Matches played in excellent conditions.

Both matches appeared to favour the bowling attack for both schools with low scores a feature of each innings.

The SCOTS Junior Team batted first and struggled to a total of 56 with Rory Farrell featuring. With a seemingly Herculian task ahead of them, the boys took to the field and went casually about their business. All bowlers contributed well and the Assumption players had little answer for the consistent line and length of the SCOTS attack. Youngster Colby Miller took two wickets in his stint with the ball in hand. George Handley, Seth Esson and Rory Farrell all contributed to an amazing fightback to dismiss the Assumption Juniors for 27, demonstrating a fantastic ‘never say die attitude’ despite adversity.

The SCOTS Seniors bowled first and with some very consistent bowling and slick fielding, managed to restrict Assumption to 93 off their 20 overs. The SCOTS XI fielded a very young side where our oldest players are from Year 10, who faced a much older Assumption attack including seven Year 12 students, eager to claim a win in their last hoorah before leaving school. The SCOTS XI took to the pitch with 94 required for victory. Jesse Bohm and Samuel Bourke opened the innings cautiously with the Assumption openers sending down some grenades that needed dispatching. They say “catches win matches” and the first catch to dismiss Jesse Bohm was an absolute screamer. The boys continued to chip away at the Assumption total but the wickets continued to tumble.

With little more than four overs to play, SCOTS required 30 off 28 with four wickets in hand and the game seemed within reach, but another quick wicket brought Ben Carey to the crease with Jack Ragh.  A quick-fire eight runs from Ben put us back in the game but the loss of his wicket saw Mack Mayall stride to the wicket for a birthday present he would rather have not received. Just a few balls in, Mack played at a rising delivery that he skyed to the awaiting fielder’s hands and he was on his way back to the pavilion. Tom Littleproud never looked comfortable and a failure to react to the call from the other end saw him run out without facing a ball.

The last man William Bryant made his way to the middle with some trepidation and after a brief chat with Jack, they continued to forge on. Jack took the reins knowing there were no more to support him. They say fortune favours the brave and Jack chanced his hand on several occasions. With a few dropped catches he grew ten-foot-tall and bulletproof, whilst being ably supported at the other end with Will Bryant running as fast as he could. A four here and a four there saw the total come within reach with ten balls to face and some eight runs required to win. With casual disregard for the attack, Jack took his stance and dispatched the next ball to the boundary followed by a two to bring them within two to win. Fittingly, Jack Ragh faced the final delivery of the innings and dispatched it to the boundary once more for a four and the win to SCOTS.

The afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the school spirit on display was truly palpable from all teams. Both games could have gone either way and Assumption are already pressing for a rematch in two weeks which is to be advised. Next week we take on St Joseph’s Stanthorpe and Warwick State High School, once again on Briggs and Dunning and we would love to see some support from the College community in what could be two enthralling matches.

Queensland All Schools Athletics Championships
This coming weekend we have several students attending the Queensland All Schools Athletics for 10-14 years athletes. We wish them all the very best and look forward to hearing of their exploits in next week’s newsletter.

SCOTS Junior Touch Competition – Term 4
This week we have a break in the competition due to the Warwick Rodeo and our Year 10 Beach Day Excursion. The competition resumes next Friday 5 November.

Basketball Expressions Of Interest

We are asking for Expressions of Interest in playing Basketball in 2022 for the College. In 2021, we were unable to field senior teams into the Toowoomba Competition and we will not be playing in that competition in 2022.

We are in negotiations with schools here on the Southern Downs to create our own competition so basketball will continue but it will offer greater flexibility for our participation. The intention is to boost the profile of the sport in our region, create opportunities for schools in our community and create a competition that allows for our teams to develop in a more appropriate environment.

We currently have six schools interested with teams nominated across four divisions including:

• Years 7-9 Girls
• Years 7-9 Boys
• Years 10-12 Girls
• Years 10-12 Boys

The competition will be held in Term 2 on either a Monday or Thursday afternoon/evening.

This format will give us the flexibility to create fewer or more teams across the divisions pending interest.

If you / your child is interested in playing Basketball in 2022, I ask you to forward your EOI to Mrs Michelle Brown by Friday 5 November so that we can start to consider how many teams we need to enter. Please indicate what year level you will be in for the 2022 Basketball season when replying to Mrs Brown.

Upcoming Events
• Speech Day and Co-Curricular Awards | Years 9-12 – 18 November
• Speech Day and Co-Curricular Awards | Prep – Year 8 – 19 November

Mr Mark Richards | Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation

Endings are the inevitable conclusion for all new beginnings.  As this old year draws to an end, we are already looking forward to when the New Year begins, full of promises, challenges and new experiences. Mitch Albom, author of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” wrote: “All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.” It’s a great way to look at endings in our lives; endings are a melting pot of good memories that are seasoned with the unfilled potential of new beginnings and what adventures they may bring. It is a gateway to a happier and more fulfilled life.

This is particularly true for our graduating Year 12s. Embedded in all the celebrations and events of the past few weeks from Valedictory to the Final Assembly, there may be a smattering of sadness. Sadness because we all take for granted the stable and predictable elements in our lives, such as school. For these students, SCOTS PGC has been the constant anchor that ensures they do not stray too far from the port, instilling the values that will guarantee they can navigate the stormy waters ahead.  This time of year keeps bringing me back to this quote:
“A ship in harbour is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd

For me, it typifies what education is about.  As educators we aim to be the lighthouse, creating a safe place for all our students so they can grow, develop and succeed. However, there will always be the inevitable moment when each ship will have to leave the comforting safety of the SCOTS PGC community and venture onto the high seas. A great adventure awaits them as they sail away from this controlled environment to one where they are far more at liberty to choose their own path. The joys of greater freedom and responsibility await and I believe that the College has prepared them well to take on this challenge and change in direction.

I am proud of all the achievements of the current Year 12s, their various successes in a wide range of quests – from the great scholarly achievements to the cultural pursuits of performance and music through to sport. They have willingly and enthusiastically accepted all the challenges presented and grasped the many leadership opportunities, both formal and informal to positively influence the student body as a whole. For that I and the teaching staff thank them.

They are about to reach a fundamental milestone in their lives. It is a rite of passage, one which might be characterised by contradictory feelings such as loss, confusion and sadness on one hand and sheer jubilation, exultation and unmitigated joy on the other. As parents you may look back over your memories of their schooling life, you might remember their first day at school, receiving school reports, watching them playing sport or performing in a musical – life is a rich tapestry threaded and stitched together by such events.

I hope the Year 12s take away to following sentiments and lessons:

• Life is no dress rehearsal, every moment is precious, take hold of it and make the most of life’s opportunities;
• You have the capacity to direct your own life; use the tools of love, compassion, humility, respect, trust and above all service of others to shape your journey; don’t settle for less than your integrity dictates;
• Be hopeful and optimistic and be willing to accept adversity as a challenge but never be afraid of seeking advice;
• Be courageous and set yourself goals, many realistic and perhaps some fanciful – you may just surprise yourself;
• Develop a sense of justice towards others: choose your battles carefully and be true to the values you hold dear;
• Admire heroes who inspire you.

If nothing else, I hope we have been able to teach all our students these values; to aim for excellence in everything we do, with great spirit and respect. So that now school is no longer providing the anchor in the Year 12’s lives, they will not lose sight of the safety of land. I look forward to hearing about their adventures in the coming years and I hope they return to tell their stories.
“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho