In this issue

From Girls’ Boarding | International Women’s Day in residence

Ms Amy Woodgate | Director of Girls’ Boarding and Head of Middle School

A few years ago, I was given a poster with the saying ‘She Believed She Could, So She Did’.  It is something that I have had on display in my office ever since and have reflected upon at different times in my career.  It is a saying that I think is so incredibly important when we speak to our girls about their future and provide them with role models and stories to inspire them.  It is the idea that you need to be able ‘to see it, to be it’ so that young women can believe in themselves, set goals and achieve all that they would like to.

I found myself reflecting upon this poster in my office last Wednesday when I was preparing to speak to the girl boarders about International Women’s Day and this year’s theme of ‘Embrace Equity’.  Over dinner that night when sitting in their Family Groups, the girls had an opportunity to read the inspirational stories of women from all over the world.  We spoke about how we can use these stories as inspiration for our own goals and also take a moment to think about the women in our lives who inspire us.

As a way of celebrating people who support and inspire us, we created a ‘Shout Out Wall’ in the Dining Hall.  That night and in the days since, the girls have had the opportunity to give a ‘shout out’ to those friends, family members and famous women who inspire them, who support them and who they are proud to have in their lives.

It was lovely to see the girls having conversations about who inspires them, and who they look up to and be amazed at some of the stories they read that night.  A number of the stories came from the series ‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’ and I highly recommend the books and their associated resources as a way of instilling confidence in and empowering our girls, with information found at https://www.rebelgirls.com/

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Ms Amanda Hall | Head of Junior School

Sound Waves

Did you know that Australian English is produced using 43 speech sounds using the 26 letters of the alphabet? This mismatch between letters and sounds means that we need to be able to recognise many different representations of the sounds we speak, hear, read and write. For children to learn how to spell and read, they must be systematically taught sound-letter relationships. For example, the words tea, bee honey, taxi and sixty all end with the same sound but the sound is represented using a different letter or letter combination in each of these words.

In Junior School this year, we have introduced the Sound Waves Spelling Resources from Prep through to Year 6, and the program is certainly making waves with teachers and students.  Covering the 43 sounds of Australian English our students are taught through focused units how to:

• articulate and identify the focus sound
• show the focus sound in writing using single letters or combinations of letters
• spell words with the focus sound
• read words with the focus sound

Sound Waves is aligned with the Australian Curriculum and is informed by current scientific evidence on how children best learn to spell and read. It may seem different to how we, as adults were taught at school, however this approach, known as synthetic phonics, is backed by research and has a proven track record in helping students achieve a higher level of success in both spelling and reading compared to other methods.

Our teachers have undergone in-depth professional development to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to explicitly teach spelling using this method and are looking forward to honing their skills and knowledge with a refresher during this year.

There are a number of ways that you, as parents, can support your child’s learning at home but here are two of the most useful strategies to support their work with the Sound Waves resources.

1. Find out what the focus sound is for the week

Each week your child will focus on one or two of the 43 sounds of Australian English known as ‘focus sounds’ or ‘focus phonemes’. Each sound has an accompanying chant and action, which you can watch on the Sound Waves Spelling YouTube site Sound Waves (synthetic phonics): Animated Chants and Actions

Look for opportunities to identify words with the focus sound. If you have more than one child across Prep to Year 6, they’ll be working on the same focus sound each week providing excellent opportunities for them to share their learning with you and each other.

2. Read, talk and listen

Spelling and reading go hand in hand. Reading stories with your child helps them learn about books, words and texts. It fosters language development and vocabulary, which contributes to the ease and efficiency of spelling and reading in the future. It can also allow them to explore different worlds and places and to hear stories from different cultures and people.

We look forward to seeing the continued growth and progress in spelling and reading throughout the year and beyond, across the Junior School.

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Save the Date | Junior School Disco

Mark it on the calendar!  Organised by our wonderful P&F,  the Junior School Disco is the perfect celebration for our families as we near the end of term.

This is the evening before the Warwick Show Holiday, so it provides an opportunity for our kids to let their hair down and dance the night away.   All details are in the invitation:

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Ms Amy Woodgate | Director of Girls’ Boarding and Head of Middle School

Middle School Leaders 2023

On Friday 3 March, our new Middle School leaders for 2023 were announced and presented with their badges by Mr Thompson at our Middle School Assembly.

The Middle School Leaders for 2023 are:

• Akayla West
• Baxter Twidale
• Daniel Kuhn
• Nathanael Amos
• Tommy Worboys
• Bethany Moore-Kirkland
• Chaylee Bruyn
• Beau Edmed
• Grace Muller
• Matilda Judd
• Bonnie Peterson

This group of Middle School leaders comprises both day and boarding students, students who have been at the College for a short time and those who have been at the College for a number of years.  These young men and women were appointed to the role following an online application and then an interview with myself and Mrs Stephenson, as well as staff recommendations.  During this process, it was thoroughly enjoyable to hear them speak so articulately about themselves, their character strengths, leadership qualities and ideas for our Middle School.

We have already had our first Leaders Meeting and they have come up with some wonderful initiatives already that they will look to implement in the Middle School over the coming weeks and months.  Each of the 11 students wholeheartedly deserves the role as a testament to their ability to embody our College values in all that they do and should be congratulated on attaining this position in the College.

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Introduction to Agriculture in the Middle School

We know that agriculture and farming are a big part of the lives of many of our students and is certainly important to this region of Queensland.  To complement the agricultural programs and courses already in place at the College, in 2023 we have launched an Introduction to Agricultural Studies course as a part of our Year 7 and 8 program.  Students will engage in the subject for one semester each year within our specialist subject rotations.

The Year 8 students, under the guidance of Mrs Robyn Kuhn, are the first students to commence in 2023 and it has already been an exciting and busy term for them.

A few highlights of what they have done thus far include:

• Harvesting honey
• Eating honey
• Preparing a bed in the model farm to plant tomatoes, zucchini and broccoli
• Planting a bed of flowers to increase insect population (especially bees)
• Installing a dripper tape watering system (still under construction)
• Constructing some shade for the giant pumpkins we are growing in the lead up to Ekka – our shade cloth is a little small though!
• Moving a mountain of mulch onto beds that will lay fallow over the winter. They will be looking at soil and composting next term so this is helping to prepare ground for sampling in Term 2.
• Collecting data on pumpkin size to track growth rate (Important to note, the Year 8 students have named our pumpkins: Pablo, Patrice and Jeffrey)

The assessment piece for the Year 8’s is a scientific poster, with a focus on bees as pollinators.  Students will choose to look at the effect of either bee pollination on yield or the effect of flowering plants on the number of bees in the garden. They have taken some data before planting and will collect some more data before, and then after the Easter holidays.

As you can see from the list above, it has been an educational and engaging start to the program that connects with the interests and experiences of many of our students and lays the foundation for their future work and study in the area of agriculture.

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Mr Richard Dobrenov | Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School

Yesterday, the College hosted the University Showcase where five Universities, TAFE, QTAC and the Defence Force all set up stands to speak to our eager Year 11 & 12 students.  It was a perfect opportunity for students to speak to the various representatives about possible career choices, and find out more about what the world might hold for them beyond the College gates.

 

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Rich Tasks in Mathematics

Mrs Rebecca Grayson | Maths Teacher

Part of learning mathematics at SCOTS PGC involves an class activities we refer to as ‘Rich tasks’. These tasks are complex and challenging mathematical problems that require students to apply critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. Last week in Mrs Grayson’s Year 9 maths classes, students were challenged with a painted cubes problem. Students worked in groups of various abilities, and all contributed to solving the problem.  As a teacher, I love seeing all students challenged by a problem, especially when everyone can work together and be part of a solution.

Giving students these opportunities to work together with rich tasks, helps develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts by applying them in real world contexts. It also allows them to think creatively and develop their own problem-solving strategies rather than simply following prescribed algorithms. This in turn promotes higher-order thinking skills and helps students become more independent learners.

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Career Profiling in Year 10

Mr Peter Pickering | Careers Adviser

Last Friday during a session in the Assembly Hall, our Year 10s received their ‘Career Profile’ from Stacey Nottle, an adviser to Career Avenues.  We’ve been working closely with Career Avenues over the last 20 odd years to provide testing services for our Year 10s, in order to help them with their future career choices and subsequent subject selection in Years 11 and 12.

This is all a part of the Year 10 SET Plan which is mandatory for Queensland students. The profile assesses four aspects of a student’s career readiness:

1. Personality,
2. Career interests,
3. Abilities,
4. Generic work skills.

The final results of the profile are the top three recommendations for the student. For instance, this could be: Environment and Primary, Health and Medical or Tourism and Sports. There are 10 possible areas in total.

Within each of these areas, the students are given a selection of 20-30 options. This is then reduced to a more manageable total of six that they are asked to investigate.

The report is very detailed and an electronic copy will be sent to all parents.

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Ms Amanda Hall | Head of Junior School

It started with a question raised by one of our curious and inquisitive Prep students, seeking to gain an understanding of his place and connection here at SCOTS PGC College. ‘Who is the boss of this place?’ was the question posed. This curiosity was met with forthcoming information and further questioning was encouraged by his teacher, who truly values child-centred learning opportunities. ‘Where does he live and can he come over to our place for a play?’ These questions took our Prep students on a learning journey that would have been virtually impossible to plan for or manufacture.

The questions were pondered, answered and explored which lead to an opportunity to explore how we write an invitation and the language we use to invite someone to play. Rich vocabulary was introduced and manipulated by the students to produce a letter, signed by every student, also demonstrating their capacity to write their own names. Our Prep class then took a wander to find out where Mr Thompson ‘lives’ and delivered their letter. They sat in his office, on the couches and the floor, experiencing where the boss of this place works.

Mr Thompson then visited the Prep precinct on Monday to continue the conversation, share in afternoon tea and have a play with our youngest students. The connections to curriculum, sense of place, real life experiences and inquiry skills were evident and explored throughout this learning journey. An excellent example of the power of child-centred learning.

Child-centred learning experiences are focused on individual needs and interests, and make allowances for the development of each individual child. This approach to learning recognises that each child brings their own unique style to learning as well as individual abilities and needs. This approach, alongside what is referred to as age-appropriate pedagogies are evident in our Early Years classrooms here at SCOTS PGC College.

When referring to the approaches as age-appropriate pedagogies, they may include but not be limited to:

• Inquiry Learning
• Event-based Approach
• Project Approach
• Explicit Instruction
• Play Based Learning
• Or a Blended Approach

When deciding on an approach, our teachers consider:

• children’s interests and capabilities
• their own interests, skills, capabilities and philosophies
• the curriculum
• evidence of children’s learning
• our unique school context

We know that considering these approaches allows our experienced and dedicated teachers to foster each individual child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Our learning environments are nurturing and engaging, promoting success and personal growth.

 

 

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 2023 Drama Production | The Taming of the Shrew

Miss Katelyn Woodbine

‘No one here knows my name, or my face, or my nose. I’ve got it, Tranio! Take off your clothes!’

Will you know who is who in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’?

Lock in the date now to see the College’s performance of Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and see if you can keep track of the characters as they change roles (and clothing)!

Performances on the 2 & 3 June 2023

There will be limited performances and seats available, so keep watching the newsletter for more information on tickets as the date nears.

Campdrafting Results

SCOTS PGC Students were active over the last few weeks out and about at several Campdrafts. Our most successful students gained the following results.

Allora (Darling Downs Polo Association):-  Toby Usher – 1st Juvenile

Boonah Campdraft:-  Toby Usher – 1st & 4th in Juvenile, Mia Bischoff – 2nd Juvenile

Millmerran Show Campdraft:-  Libby Cooper made the novice final (top 20 riders out of 130 in an open age event)

Rathdowney Campdraft – Toby Usher – 1st and 2nd, Mia Bischoff – 4th Juvenile

Equestrian Centre Services Survey

Are you interested in Equestrian events? Learn to ride? Horsemanship? Then please go to our survey and complete it to help us ascertain the needs and the opportunities we may be able to offer our school community to best serve our students.

Equestrian Survey

The more people that complete the survey the better picture we will get of the landscape in which we are operating and the better the services we can offer to the College community. Please complete by the end of Term 1 for us to form our plans moving forward.

Cattle Club Report

Mrs Marcella Mortison | Teacher in charge

Millmerran Show | 4-5 March

We took 10 students out on Saturday afternoon to Millmeran to prepare for showing on Sunday. Angela Brittain transported a further 10 students early Sunday morning.

It was great to have such a large team to compete against each other. In the Young Paraders categories, we gained the following results:

• 12 – U15 age group, Georgia Mulcahy came 1st with Natalie Mulcahy 3rd.
• 15 – U25 age group, Georgina Buchan 2nd and Dan Hughes 4th.

In the Young Judges section, we also excelled with the following results:

• 12 to U15, James Buchan 1st and Holly Nicholls 3rd.
• 15 to U25, Jessica Martell 1st

Jessica’s first place in this category was a surprise – more to herself than anyone else. She was not confident in her speaking skills, however, spoke very confidently about her choice of cattle order and respective justification.  Jessica also won the Don Anderson trophy while Georgina Buchan came second.  Georgina also won an overall prize for the best combined points for parading and judging and was presented with the Alec Patten trophy.  The two girls were also pictured in the Queensland Country Life with their trophies.

All in all, Milmerran proved to be a successful show, together with firsts and seconds for our stud Angus and Charolais animals winning overall Grand Champion British breed and Reserve Champion European Breed stud cattle.

Pittsworth Show | 10-11 March 

Last weekend, we took about 25 students with us on Friday to Pittsworth

A great afternoon with all students involved in both Junior parading and Young Judges.

In the Junior Parading, Oliver Miller placed 2nd in the U13 Parading, and we saw a clean sweep for SCOTS in the U15 Parading with Georgia Mulcahy 1st, Emily Miller 2nd and Charlee Pennell 3rd.

In the Young Judges, Isla Muggleton, William Gimm and William Buchan were all chosen to speak in the 12 to 15-year age group, with Will Buchan achieving third place. Daniel and Nicholas Hughes and Ben Carey competed in the 15 to 25-year age group, with Ben placing second. Ben Carey also won the overall Reserve Champion for most points accrued in both events.

Saturday was a very full day showing off the stud Angus and Charolais. Quite a few places as well as Overall Reserve Champion for our Angus bull and Champion Charolais Bull.

Unfortunately, the rain set in at about 1 pm with the students still showing off the Led Steers and again placing in their individual weight groups.

Thank you to Miss Harriet Curtain and Miss Angela Brittain for their support and guidance of the team over these recent shows.

We now look forward to the Warwick Show in two weeks’ time.

 

Sheep Club Report

Mrs Robyn Kuhn | Teacher in charge 

Clifton Show | 17 February 
We were met with lots of competition at the Clifton Show with students travelling from Dalby, Oakey, Toowoomba & Brisbane for the Junior and Senior judging and animal classes.

Matilda Judd placed 2nd in the junior judging with a confident speech, making her a standout in a group of 28 strong judges. Congratulations Tilly!

Our Texel’s placed in their classes but did not bring ribbons home for the Champions mixed breed groupings.

Pittsworth Show | 11 March 
Success for our Junior Judges at the Pittsworth Show! Out of a very competitive field of 77 junior judges, we were proud to see Abby Brown place 1st in the senior category and Matilda Judd and Genevieve Hunter place 1st and 2nd respectively in the junior category.

Abby’s win qualifies her for the State Finals at the Toowoomba Royal show, but won’t compete until next year. They have recently changed the qualifying date for State finals to Feb 28th.

Representative Program

Darling Downs Trial Reports 

Following the Border District Trials and Rugby League Gala Day, Declyn Wren made it through to the U15 Darling Downs Rugby League final trial but was unable to contest this due to concussion recovery. We are very proud of Declyn’s effort and disappointed for him in this instance.

Sam James and Javar Andreae attended the Darling Downs U15 AFL Trials but were unsuccessful in gaining selection to the DD Team. The boys enjoyed their experience, and I am sure they will head back again next year.

Darcy Noller and Myles Burgess gave it their all at the Darling Downs Golf Trials, but it wasn’t enough to make the cut to attend the State Championships. Keep chipping away lads and next year might be your chance.

The recent Darling Downs Girls Rugby 7s trials were held at Highfields, with Phoebe Sellick and Sarah Morris contesting the 15-16yrs trials whilst Makybe Edwards, Elizabeth Caton, Elyse Maidment, Kyra Detmers, and Summer Jacks contested the newly introduced 17-18yrs. In tough conditions and with numerous girls trialling, the day was not easy. At the conclusion of the trials, Phoebe Sellick and Sarah Morris made the U16 Possible and Probable game with Sarah being named shadow for the DD Team. In the U18 trial, Makybe Edwards was also named a shadow for the inaugural Darling Downs 17-18yrs Girl’s Rugby 7s Team.

At the Darling Downs Touch Trials SCOTS PGC was well represented in both the Southern Downs and Border District teams but unfortunately did not catch the eyes of the Darling Downs selectors for a shot at the State Championships.

A top effort by the following triallists – better luck next time around

U12: William Dare, Pania Petera

U15: Murphy Benson, Elliza Moore-Kirkland, Lacey Maag

Open: Matilda Nowlan, Phoebe Sellick, Daniel Hughes, Benjamin Carey

At last week’s Darling Downs U16 Basketball Trials, Briana Groves was named as a shadow for the regional team and Sam Fauske missed out by a whisker on a similar opportunity. We congratulate both on their efforts.

Southern Downs Selections

Over the past fortnight, the following students were successful in making their respective Southern Downs teams, to contest the Darling Downs trials later this year. We congratulate them all on their success and wish them well for the next stage of their journey.

Hockey – Charles McCosker, Angus Hamilton, Stephanie McCosker, Fletcher Malone

Netball – U11: Ella Hutchison, U12:Naomi Ratcliffe, Charlotte Stevens

Football – Treshawne Achari

Rugby League – William Dare, William Grayson, Bronx Hamilton, Jai Grey

 These students will contest their respective Darling Downs Trials early in Term 2. Congratulations to all these talented students.

Darling Downs Swimming

Some extreme weather conditions faced our Darling Downs Swimming Championships for both 10-12yrs competitors and our 13-19yrs competitors. Our qualifiers for this event were as follows…

10-12 years: Ella Hutchison, William Dare, Lallie Gamble, Bronx Hamilton, Charlotte Stevens, Tori Winters

13-19 years: Bailey Harm, Chloe Harm, William Peters, Ellyse Kruger, Darcy Noller, Paul Costello

At the end of the trials, four students were successful in gaining selection to the Darling Downs Team to contest the Queensland School Sport Championships at the end of Term 1. We congratulate Ella Hutchison, Bailey Harm, William Peters, Ellyse Kruger on their selection and wish them all the best for their State Championship campaign. On top of this Bailey was successful in breaking two regional records during the day. Congratulations to all once again on your achievements.

Laura Geitz Netball Competition Results

On Sunday 12 March, our Laura Geitz Netball Team (Years 7/8) ventured north to Toowoomba for the annual Laura Geitz Netball Competition. The SCOTS PGC team played 7 rounds against 9 other schools in their division.

They ended up making their way to the finals playoff to determine the 3rd and 4th placegetters. Despite losing by one point to Miles in a very close loss, the girls remained buoyant and happy with their achievement.

This was a fantastic achievement for the girls as it is the first time since we first participated in the Laura Geitz competition that we have made it to the finals and placed higher up in the ladder.

The girls put in an excellent effort and showed great teamwork on court.

Our match results for the day were as follows:

Pool Games

• SCOTS PGC 14 def OAKEY SHS 3
• SCOTS PGC 4 loss KINGAROY SS 11
• SCOTS PGC2 loss HARRISTOWN SHS 3
• SCOTS PGC 7 def TOOGOOLAWAH SHS 2

Crossover rounds

• SCOTS PGC 8 drew MILES SHS 8
• SCOTS 9 def MILLMERRAN SS 5
• SCOTS PGC 4 loss CHINCHILLA 13
• FINALS 3RD AGAINST 4TH
• SCOTS PGC 5 loss MILES 6 – 3^rd / 4^th Playoff

Girls certainly played with determination, although some of the players are relatively new to the sport and have not yet reached their full potential. This competition was an excellent opportunity to develop the girls’ skills and experience across the board.

Overall, a great day that was very well organised with the students also getting a few coaching tips from the Regional representative Panthers players.

The College Congratulates the girls on their efforts and is grateful to Mrs Wiid for her support of the girls throughout the day. Without her passion and dedication to our Netball girls, we would not be able to offer the girls this opportunity.

Community Futsal

Our Junior Community Futsal Competition comes to an end this Friday. It has provided training and gameplay for some 28-30 players from across our SCOTS PGC community and the wider Warwick community. Six weeks of round-robin competition with players ranging in age from 7-12, culminates in our final day this Friday. We hope to develop this program in the future to provide better age group opportunities for the participants.

We thank all our families and the wider Warwick community for their interest and support.

Cricket Reports

First XI Match Report v Downlands and St Mary’s

Mr Callum Blake | Teacher in charge

SCOTS PGC First XI went down in an entertaining fixture against Downlands College. SCOTS PGC struggled to keep the run rate going early on due to some good bowling; however, Seth Esson and Ryan Bohm later combined for a 30-run partnership off 15 balls which included a couple of maximums. Unfortunately, they fell, and the team never got going again to finish on 83. In the bowling department, it was Phoebe Bryant (3/14) once again who did the damage and helped put Downlands on the back foot early. Mac Mayall, Daniel Hughes and William Bryant picked up a wicket each, but it wasn’t enough, as Downlands passed the score with 4 wickets to spare.

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St Mary’s won the toss and elected to field which did not prove so effective as SCOTS PGC got off to a flyer. Ryan Bohm (22 off 21) and Jack Ragh (35 off 22) put on a 51-run partnership off 18 balls before they both fell in quick succession. Seth Esson (32 off 38) played a crucial knock at the end combining with Percy Kruger (10 off 18) for a 57-run partnership to take SCOTS PGC to a very competitive 4/145. Jack Ragh (3/13) and Phoebe Bryant (2/15) were instrumental in keeping SCOTS PGC in the game with the ball and were well backed up in the field with a couple of run outs and some good catching. It was a tight finish; however, St Mary’s was able to pass the score 7 wickets down and 6 balls to spare.

Junior XI match Report v Downlands and St Mary’s

Mr Dan Kuhn | Teacher in charge

The Junior XI took on St Mary’s last Thursday in what turned out to be an exciting and closely fought contest. SCOTS PGC batted first and fought hard to post a small total of 7/79 with Ben March, the star, scoring 21 off 28, including a four and a six. Ben was ably supported by Hamish Bayley, 15 0ff 27. In response, St Mary’s scored the winning runs in the penultimate over, with an edge flying between keeper and slip for four. We bowled out the overs with St Mary’s finishing on 7/82 in reply. Amelia Kuhn took 2 for 3 off 3 overs, and five other bowlers took one wicket each.

The week before we travelled to Downlands and while we were slightly outclassed, the team continued to demonstrate improvement with both bat and ball. Downlands batted first and posted a competitive total of 7/167. Nathanael Amos bowled beautifully, claiming 2/24 off his 3. In reply, SCOTS PGC scored 7/93 with Ben March top scoring with 24 off 42 and Cooper Kendall cashing in with a late cameo of 12 off 10, to add to his spectacular fielding effort earlier in the day.

We now face Concordia away, in our final game of the season and are looking to go out on a high with consecutive wins over Concordia, having beaten them at home three weeks ago.

Rugby

Lindisfarne Rugby Trip

On Tuesday 28 March, our three Rugby teams headed across the border to Lindisfarne Anglican College for trial matches against the Tweed Heads school.

U13 | Our youngest students stepped out on the lush Lindisfarne oval after two losses in the local club competition. Looking to build upon their defensive structure, they were able to come together with a much-improved tackling display. The scoreline was never a real indication of the contest, as the big and athletic Lindisfarne side, was always the more physically dominant side. Our boys never gave up and set the tone for the games to follow.

U15 | The Under 15 team were even more competitive with a better structure to their defence and attack. Of course, we weren’t perfect, and the trial gave us lots to look at and reflect upon in the 4 tries to 1 loss.

Open | In their first hit out of the year, the fitness was certainly a telling tale and it took some time for their defensive structure to click in but when it did, we were very competitive with the lads from Lindisfarne. Time on the training paddock is certainly what the boys need and getting their defensive structures in place earlier in the game will make them extremely competitive in the Super Schools Cup later in the year.

On this trip, we used our new VEO Video Analysis camera and software to record our games and share them with our boarding families so they may feel closer to their children when unable to get to the game. We will be videoing all home games in 2023 whilst we are getting used to the camera and its software.

All in all, the trip was a valuable one for the boys and for the College in creating links and opportunities for our students and staff. We look forward to expanding this relationship and developing further opportunities for other students within our community.

First VII Netball Presentation

Netball is the most popular girls’ sport in Australia and has been played in this country since around 1927. The sport has always been a large part of our PGC history with teams participating in TAS and Toowoomba Competitions in the past, and with the inaugural QCIS event later this year, we will commence a new era for Netball in the College in 2023.

We have been very proud to have produced our very own Australian Diamond in Laura Geitz who attended SCOTS PGC and did not pick up a Netball until the age of 15. Laura was quite the athlete participating also in Track and Field Athletics and her success at the highest level proves that dreams can come true if you work hard and devote yourself to being the very best that you can be.

Last Friday we introduced our First VII Netball Team to the student body. Below are the nine students who will represent the College as our Senior team in 2023.

• Bridget Hardy – Centre and Captain for 2023
• Abigail Skaines – GD
• Isabelle Twidale – GS
• Kyra Detmers – GK
• Charlie-Rose Matai – GA
• Makybe Edwards – WD/GD
• Sophie Weier – C/GA
• Aliza Schelbach – C/GA
• Elyse Peters – GS/GK

You For 2032

The Queensland Academy of Sport is coming back to Warwick again for the ‘You for 2032’ – Talent Identification Program. If you or your child are keen to test your physical pre-disposition for one of the many sports that they are focussing on for the 2032 Summer Olympics to be held in our own front yard – Brisbane. Should you want to participate go to the link to register –  https://youfor2032.initiatives.qld.gov.au/apply/

Upcoming Events

•  SWQ Futsal Titles | March 13-17 | Teams to be nominated from our current Fixtures players. Ages and teams are to be advised.
• QCIS Futsal | March 27 | U12, U14, U16, and Open Teams | Toowoomba
• SUMMIT CUP U14 FUTSAL | March 28 – v St Ursula’s and Highfields SSC at St Ursula’s
• SCOTS PGC ANNUAL CROSS COUNTRY | Wednesday 29 March | Briggs Oval and surrounds

 

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Stories of SCOTS PGC College | Boys’ Boarding Blaze

Alexis Zerner | Publications Prefect

Whispers of stories roam our campuses, full of the secrets of SCOTS PGC. The masses of old buildings on our campuses hide untold tales and the ghosts of School House have their own stories too (I’m kidding… maybe).

In our segment, Stories of SCOTS PGC College, we hope to uncover these stories and explore the amazing history of our school.

On 14 June 2009, a fire broke out on the school campus, burning the ‘Finlay Wing’ of Cunningham House to the ground. This dormitory is part of the Junior Boys Boarding House, closest to the river.

As many of you know, winter in Warwick can be bitterly freezing! So, heaters and other warming methods are a must during these colder months. During the early hours of the morning, it is suspected that a piece of clothing fell onto one of these heaters, sparking this terrifying blaze.

Thirty-six junior boys, two staff and three senior students all escaped the inferno unharmed, however, many of them lost prized possessions and personal belongings. A German Gap student, who was staying in this part of the boarding house at the time of the blaze, lost his passport and other documentation in this blaze. It is assumed that Paulus returned safely to Germany a few weeks later once a new passport was issued.

After researching this story for quite some time, I managed to find a picture of the damage, featuring our previous Principal (and Principal at the time of the fire), Mr Harding.

Thanks to a local newspaper article, I have also found quotes from this incident, highlighting the quick thinking and bravery of the junior boys boarding students. I believe these quotes were spoken by Mr Harding in an interview following the fire.

“One boy woke up, got everyone going and another boy hit the alarm. Everyone in the dorm kicked into overdrive to get out of there safely.”

“The fire was still very small when the student hit the manual alarm. The smoke alarms went off very soon afterwards,”

“Everyone was well and truly outside before the fire got going.”

Of course, many years later, no trace of this incident lingers around the school. Since this chaotic event, both senior and junior boys’ boarding houses have been rebuilt and renovated, further hiding this exciting event.

Who knows what other unknown stories are hidden around our campuses?

See you in a fortnight for our final article of the Term!

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