In this issue

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

“I was young and caught in the crowd
I didn’t know then what I know now
I was dumb, and I was proud
And I’m sorry
If I could go back, do it again
I’d be someone you could call friend
Please please, believe that I’m sorry.”

~ Kate Miller-Heidke ‘Caught in the Crowd’ (2008)

These lyrics form a part of the hit song ‘Caught in the Crowd’ written by Australian singer/songwriter, Kate Miller-Heidke .  Now almost 15 years old, the lyrics in this song continue to resonate as an exploration of peer pressure and what it means to be a bystander when navigating those challenging teenage years.  In the song, Kate Miller-Heidke tells the story of ‘James’ and her reflections on ‘being caught in the crowd’ and not standing up for what she knows was wrong.

After sharing the song with the Middle School students, I challenged them to truly think about those times where they may have been ‘caught in the crowd’, where they stood back and did not step up when something wasn’t right, where they worried more about what people thought of them or where they used words or actions that they know can hurt others.  We discussed the power of our words, that words matter and that speaking up, not falling back into the crowd, takes courage but is something that each of us can do.

Australian psychologist, author, keynote speaker, Justin Coulson from Happy Families, is passionate about enhancing the wellbeing of our young people and offering support and guidance to the adults in the lives of our children to promote positive connections and meaningful relationships.  In an article about peer pressure, Dr Coulson describes the 4Ps to prevent peer pressure:

1. The Power of Primes
2. The Power of Plans
3. The Power of Parents
4. The Power of Preparation

‘Priming’ is about the influence of the environment – that what surrounds us can influence our thoughts and our actions.  Coulson suggests that the primes in our children’s environments can affect their decision making, they can help them or hinder them and as key adults we have the power of priming their environment with good influences.

According to Coulson, the Power of Plans is about goal setting to help determine our priorities and our values.  Planning helps our teens and young people know what they want to say ‘yes’ to, and have the confidence to say ‘no’ to things that aren’t aligned with their goals and plans.

Significant adults, whether parents, grandparents, family members, role models or family friends, all provide an important protective factor for our young people.  The relationships with key adults influence our children’s wellbeing, resilience, values and decision making.  Coulson does recognise, however, that maintaining these strong relationships can be challenging.  We know that our teens will test our limits and take warmth for granted but ultimately still need to know that with boundaries, they have a safe place to fall.

The final P in the article is about Preparation.  To prepare our young people to respond to peer pressure when it comes, we need to provide them with the language and actions to say no, to stand up, to step up or to seek help.  Role play scenarios, provide examples, open the door to conversation and simply support teens to do what feels good, rather than what they may feel pressure to do.

I think we can all probably reflect on those times in our school years when we felt that tug of peer pressure, where we got caught in the crowd, and where, perhaps like Kate Miller-Heidke in her song, we wish we could go back and make a different decision.  I do believe that sharing these stories with our young people is important and helps them know that what they are thinking and feeling isn’t unlike what others have experienced and that perhaps stepping out of the crowd is in fact the most courageous thing they can do.

Resources

Film Clip : ‘Caught in the Crowd’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIDarYJHCpA

Article : The 4Ps to prevent peer pressure in your teens – https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/articles/4-ps-to-prevent-peer-pressure-in-your-teens

Image by <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/individuality-concept-among-silhouettes_19117044.htm#query=stand%20out%20from%20crowd&position=2&from_view=keyword&track=ais”>Freepik</a>

Exploring Excellence

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

During the Week 4 Middle School Assembly, our Middle School leaders led their peers through a presentation on the College Value of Excellence.  The leaders explored the topic through 4 different lenses :

• Academic Excellence
• Cultural Excellence
• Sporting Excellence
• Personal Excellence

They provided examples and explanations of excellence in each of these areas and encouraged their fellow Middle School students to reflect on what each type of excellence means to them and how they can strive to achieve their own individual excellence in all that they do.

Matilda, Baxter and Bonnie described Academic Excellence as academic achievement, engagement in class activities, learning new skills and persisting when class work becomes challenging.  They encouraged Middle School students to be curious and always try to set goals to do their best in their learning.

In explaining Cultural Excellence, Nathanael and Daniel used the example set by Australian Male Cricket Captain, Pat Cummins, in recognising the cultural diversity within the team and the cultural customs observed by teammate Usman Khawaja.

By providing examples and sharing a short video clip showing a role play, Tommy, Beau and Bethany defined sporting excellence.  They asked each of our Middle School students to be good competitors, to be humble, be supportive and be encouraging.

Akayla, Grace and Chaylee explored what personal excellence means to them.  They challenged their fellow students to see personal excellence as a journey of positive growth for each individual and take each step along their path to improve themselves each and every day.  They also asked each student to celebrate the authentic version of themselves and be who they want to be.  They ended their presentation with the simple idea ‘Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you’. 

Congratulations to each of our Middle School Leaders who presented with confidence and shared important messages with their peers about the College Value of Excellence.

Mr Tom Bradbury | Director of Co-Curricular Activities

Representative success

Our students continue to impress across the spectrum of opportunities on offer and we congratulate the following who have gained representative honours in the past fortnight.

Darling Downs Cross Country

We congratulate all our students who attended the Darling Downs Cross Country Championships last Tuesday – Solis Mahoney, Jemmah Nielsen, Tori Winters, Cooper Keogh, and Braxton Kontuzoglus were members of the Southern Downs Team, whilst Bethany Moore-Kirkland, Lachlan Groves, Will Peters, Murphy Benson and Elliza Moore-Kirkland represented the College in the 13-19 years events.

We are immensely proud to advise that three students made the Darling Downs Team following their excellent performances. Elliza Moore-Kirkland (3rd), Bethany Moore-Kirkland (6th), and Lachlan Groves (5th) have all been selected to represent the region at the Queensland School Sport Cross Country Championships to be held in Hervey Ball on July 15-17. We wish them all the best in their endeavours.

Darling Downs Basketball

Next week Treshawne Achari will represent Darling Downs in Basketball at the Queensland School Sport 10-12 years Basketball Championships held in Townsville. We wish him all the best as he represents the Darling Downs for the first time at a State Championship.

Rugby Representatives

This week Jesse Bohm and Ryan Bohm head off to the Queensland School Sport U18 Rugby Union Championships with the Darling Downs Schoolboys Team. We wish the boys all the best for a successful championship.

Hockey Success

Last week Samuel Bourke represented the Darling Downs in the Queensland 13-19 years Hockey Championships. Samuel was part of an amazing boys’ regional team that went undefeated to win the State Championships. Personally, Samuel was named as a shadow for the travelling Queensland U16 Schoolboys side. We Congratulate Samuel on this achievement and look forward to seeing if he progresses with a call-up to the State Team.

Next week, Emma Bradbury heads to Brisbane to play for Darling Downs in the Queensland 13-19 years Hockey Championships for the girls, and we wish her well at this event.

Outside of our school-based pathways, we congratulate Krystal Petersen named as a shadow goalkeeper at the recent Hockey Queensland U18 Championships whilst representing Warwick Hockey Association.

QCIS Cross Country Report

A solid team headed to Downlands on Tuesday 9 May for the Annual QCIS Cross Country.  The tough Downlands Course certainly challenged the runners and only the best of the best were able to conquer its steep hills and intricate twists and turns.

The Open Boys, led by Captain Mackenzie Mayall, were our best performers taking the win against the fast finishers from Toowoomba Anglican School. Congratulations to Mackenzie Mayall, Benjamin Carey and Hamish Swift on their team performance. The U15 boys were our next-best team in 2nd place

In a run of 3rd place performances, we congratulate our U10 Boys and Girls, U11 Girls, U12 Boys and Girls, U13 Boys, U14 Boys, and U15 Girls.  Finishing 4th were our U11 Girls and U16 Girls, whilst our U13 Girls, U14 Girls, U16 Boys finished 5^th.

Congratulations to all who put in a tremendous effort on the day, we are very proud that you – got up, dressed up, turned up, and stood up – when called upon by your school and we thank you immensely for this wonderful display of school spirit.

College Cross Country Reschedule

Following an extensive search of the calendar and discussions around this reschedule, I can advise that the College Cross Country will be held on Friday 14 July on Briggs Oval in conjunction with the Clan Sing-Off. The Cross Country events will commence at 10.10 am after the Clan Sing-Off and run as per the previously advertised program. An updated version will be published in the coming weeks on student and family notices.

QCIS Netball Evening

Last Friday evening our Junior and Senior ‘Vicki Wilson’ Teams of Netballers travelled to Downlands to partake in the first QCIS Interschool Netball Carnival. The afternoon and evening saw a feast of netball on offer to our girls.

Our Junior Team were most successful finishing 4th in the competition. Their 12-10 win against Concordia was enough to put them into a final play-off against TAS going down 16-11. Our Senior Team – First VII – finished 5th with a tough night out against Downlands 1 and 2, Toowoomba Anglican School and Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, who all had strong and very tall teams to contest with. Their best result was also a 16-11 loss to Our Lady of the Southern Cross College. Some competitive matches across the night certainly tested both teams.

A big thank you goes out to Mrs Wiid for her organisation and training of the girls in preparation for this event.

Both teams now turn their attention to the Junior Vicki Wilson Cup and the Senior Vicki Wilson Cup to be held in Toowoomba on Friday 2 June.

Year 3 Assembly Mother’s Day

Ms Amanda Hall | Head of Junior School

Mrs Brown and the Year 3 class presented a beautiful assembly on Friday 12 May showcasing their skills and talents, including a very impressive skipping display. The poem recital about a lead foot mum on the dodgem cars at the rodeo brought many laughs from the audience. The focus value was ‘Respect’ and the Year 3 students each acknowledged how they show respect at home and read a lovely tribute to their mums accompanied by heartwarming photos. Many staff and parents commented on how impressed they were with the confidence shown by all the Year 3 students throughout their presentation. Well done to all involved and a special congratulations to our Junior School award recipients.

Every student in the Junior School had made a special fascinator headband for their mum throughout the week and were so excited to present these at the end of our assembly. The P&F organised a stunning Mother’s Day morning tea at the Cenotaph and our SCOTS PGC mums looked stunning in their unique fascinator creations, with many vowing to wear them to the Picnic Races next month.

We hope all of our mothers, grandmothers and maternal women in the lives of our students had a wonderful Mother’s Day.

Policy Updates

The College continually reviews and updates its policies – some of which are published on the College website.  The Academic Policy has recently been reviewed and updated.  Policies can be found here: https://scotspgc.com.au/policies/

Arts and Craft Weekend in Girls Boarding

Linda Berry | Assistant to the Director of Girls’ Boarding

After a week of celebrating Who’s Who in the Boarding House, Girls’ Boarding staff and students concluded National Boarding Week with a fun filled Saturday afternoon of arts and craft.

A newly completed Junior kitchenette, equipped with prep space and oven allowed our girls to showcase their MasterChef skills! The afternoon was a culinary success with girls baking cupcakes, brownies, cakes and biscuits. All girls in the house then contributed to painting a ‘PGC 2023’ banner that will be hung in the games room as a reminder of the community we are – a patchwork of togetherness from a wide geographical area.

While the cakes baked, girls headed out for a game of touch football, with laughs and cheers heard throughout the Locke Street neighbourhood. Finally, and in a touching tribute to farewell long-serving staff member Miss Sophie Osborn, the girls hosted an afternoon tea showcasing their baked goods! Delicious baked goods and a tearful farewell concluded a very special day in Girls’ Boarding.

Stories of SCOTS PGC College | What’s Changed Over the Last 13 Years?

Lexie Zerner | Publications Prefect

I am going to be honest, when I sat down to write this article, I thought, ‘What historical event can I write about this week?’. I flicked through the Lion and Thistle History Book, and yet, I still had no idea what to write about. Then I realised, in my 13 years at the College, so much has changed, can’t I write about that? So here we are!

Earlier last week, Fraser, Mitch, and I joined the prep class and Miss Woodbridge as they learned how to count to 15. As we picked up 15 leaves from around the Prep playground, one of the Preppies asked me, “Lexie, how do you know how to count to 15?”. I told them that I had lots of practice, which is true, but it also made me reminisce on simpler times when letters were not used in maths and the highest achievement in Grade 6 was earning your pen license.

I began my adventure at the College in 2011 as a Prep student. I can remember vague snippets of Prep, like when we met ‘Boss Mrs Brown’ on our first day, or the time I got stung by a bee in the sandpit. Although a lot has changed at SCOTS since then, the Prep classroom and playground remain almost identical. The wooden stage was once home to the annual ‘Junior School Christmas Carols’, whilst the tricycles and scooters we used 13 years ago are still in commission!

That same year, the WALEC was opened. Although I do not remember this event, I can recall the model plane being assembled for the WALEC whilst I was in Year 2. Some of the older boys helped Mr Parker piece together the plane, which still hangs in the WALEC today.

In 2016, when I was in Grade 5, the SCOTS uniforms had an update! The Junior boys went from sporting grey and green shirts to wearing the blue shirts you see today, and the PE uniform across the College was also modified. And in that same year, Mr John Rogers joined the College to make us the amazing food we are served every day!

In Grade 6, our class got to travel to Canberra, and it remains one of my favourite memories. I believe COVID-19 disrupted this Year 6 excursion, however, I hope that this tradition is once again re-instated as I know the 6-day adventure was truly unforgettable.

In 2019, the SCOTS Music program was re-vamped! And with the guidance of Mr Alley and Mr Keevers, the rock bands were formed. ‘The Clan’ formed in 2019, whilst ‘The Highlanders’ formed 18 months later. Music was also re-introduced as a senior subject in 2022, whilst the College language was switched from Indonesian to French.

And finally, in 2021, the Junior School received a new playground!

The SCOTS PGC College continues to grow, even in a mere 13 years! I cannot wait to see how our College will change over the next 13 years, especially with the renovations of the Middle School!

Thank you for reading and we hope to see you in the next issue of the newsletter!

P & F Meeting

The next P&F meeting will be held on Monday 29 May at 5.30 pm in the LRC (Senior School Library).

We hope to see you there!

The Ponytail Project

As we slowly come closer to the end of Semester 1, we also come closer to the time when some of our Year 12 girls decide to #rockthechop and cut off their ponytails for cancer research.

I’m Elyse and I will be ‘Rocking the chop’ as part of the Cancer Council’s Ponytail Project at the start of Term 4. For as long as I’ve been here (since 2019), seniors have always ended their year by either cutting their hair or shaving their heads to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.

This year, we have an extraordinary group of young ladies who are donating their hair to the Ponytail Project, including our fierce leader Mrs Jaime George. Not only do we do the Ponytail Project but also the World’s Greatest Shave so our male peers can participate in supporting cancer research as well.

So far, we have raised a total of $4343! This includes our fundraising efforts at school, from a bake sale and selling a lot of zooper doopers, to the contribution of family and friends donating individually to our members. We will continue fundraising further throughout the year and would appreciate any donations.

Please visit the link below to access our collective fundraising page and donate to support the girls who are participating in this worthy cause.

https://www.ponytailproject.com.au/fundraisers/SCOTSPGCCollege287