In this issue

Afternoon Tea with Mrs Brown

On Sunday afternoon, the Girl Boarders enjoyed a visit from Mrs Michelle Brown. Mrs Brown is our current Year 3 teacher at SCOTS PGC and also our former Head of Boarding.  Mrs Brown worked with the girls to set up afternoon tea out on the lawn and to prepare refreshments.  The girls loved reconnecting with Mrs Brown and sharing a cup of tea and some delicious afternoon tea.  Mrs Brown also thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with the girls, sharing stories with girls who she knew from her time in boarding and getting to know some of our newer boarding students.

Yalari Dinner

SCOTS PGC Yalari students and staff enjoyed a wonderful evening of celebration at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday night.  The evening, with 750 people in attendance. showcased all that is great about the Yalari organisation, its students, staff and contributors.

SCOTS was very well represented and highlights of the evening included the ‘Acknowledgment to Country’ by Felicity and Darcy Hodges, a video interview with Scott Taat, and the major award for ‘Resilience’ presented to Kenny Jacks.

It was wonderful to share an evening like this with our Yalari boarding students.

End of term Chapel

Girl and boy boarders celebrated with prayer and wonderful singing to conclude a great term at SCOTS PGC. Thanks to Rev Nathan for an enjoyable and meaningful service.  It is always nice to come together as a group on Sunday evenings to take part in Chapel and enjoy a meal together.

Zammit Brothers are straight shooters

Congratulations to Hank and Cody Zammit who were able to showcase their talent and take out a win at the Interschool Shooting Challenge which was hosted by Clifton State High School and Clifton Benchrest Shooting Club.  The competition drew students from around the district to take part in a 50M/50 Shot Target Shoot which Hank and Cody excelled at.  Congratulations boys!

Mr Tom Bradbury | Acting Director of Co-Curricular Activities

Darling Downs Track and Field Selections

Following the conclusion of the Darling Downs Track and Field Championships, the selectors have advised that the following students have been selected to attend the State Championships in late October.

10-12 years 

• William Grayson
• Oliver Miller

13-19 years

• Sienna Sparksman,
• Ellyse Kruger,
• Elliza Moore-Kirkland,
• Henry McMillan,
• Murphy Benson,
• Bailey Harm,
• Tanner Henley,
• Nelson Madua,
• Adam McDonald,
• Benjamin Carey,
• Harry Mayall,
• Mackenzie Mayall
• Tom Denny

We congratulate our students on their selection and wish them well for their preparations and competition at these State Championships in Term 4.

Super Schools Cup Final and Season Wrap
Mr Cahal Davis | Rugby Coordinator

As the 2022 Rugby Union season has come to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on the great Darling Downs Super Schools Cup SCOTS PGC College had. The College fielded 3 teams in the DDSSC; U13, U15 and Opens. The culture that comes with schoolboy rugby always provides an outstanding experience for SCOTS boys. The U13 and U15 teams bailed out in the semi-finals, narrowly losing to tough competition. The Open boys’ team, despite having a shaky start to the season, strung together wins at critical parts of the season, earning a spot in the Grand Final.

A merry band of SCOTS PGC College students boarded a bus for Clive Berghofer Stadium, daringly led by Mr David Marriot and our fine leadership team. Students toiled away to create supportive posters and prepped their singing voices for fierce war cries. We would like to thank all supporters that came and cheered on our Open team on grand final night.

Unfortunately, a slow start plagued the Opens, as Faith Lutheran College jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. The boys courageously ground out for the remainder of the game. A late string of tries saw our Opens back into the game late, but the story was of too little too late. The final score was 36 – 17, seeing Faith Lutheran College raise the DDSSC trophy.

Some great performances from our boys could be noted through Paul Costello with his strong running and defence. He was supported by his off sider in the flanks, Adrian Titus, who punches well above his weight defensively. Hank ‘the tank’ Zammit led the way in attack with some barn-storming runs splitting the Faith defence.

Despite the result, the Opens making the grand final of the DDSSC and the U13, and U15s making the semi-finals is a positive reflection of the growing culture of Rugby Union excellence at SCOTS PGC College.

Thank you to all the SCOTS PGC College community involved in Rugby Union in the 2022 season, without this ongoing support, the program would not be in the positive position it is now.

Netball Season Wrap

Our Netball season came to an end last week with a final Gala evening between Assumption College, Warwick SHS and SCOTS PGC. The afternoon commenced at 3.30 pm with nine matches played across the College courts in three timeslots.

The SCOTS PGC students were incredibly supportive and helped with the setting up, getting the posts to the correct height, and helped with scoring (Year 10 boys and girls).

Parents from both teams came to support the girls and there was a positive and good vibe around the netball courts.

Teachers and coaches from all schools were grateful for SCOTS initiating and organising the Inter-school Competition and look forward to continuing the competition in the future.

The girls had a few wins and losses with the results as follows:

• Under 13s SCOTS vs ACW [SCOTS won 36 to 6]
• Under 13s vs ACW Mixed 13s and 15s [SCOTS lost 12 to 16]
• Under 15s SCOTS vs ACW [SCOTS lost 3 to 21]
• Under 15s SCOTS vs ACW Under 13s [SCOTS won 11 to 5]
• Under 15s SCOTS vs WSHS [SCOTS lost 7 to 17]
• OPEN SCOTS v Assumption [SCOTS won 22 to 13]
• OPEN SCOTS v WSHS [SCOTS lost 13 to 26]

2023 holds new challenges with inter-school competition at the Laura Geitz Carnival, Junior Vicki Wilson Carnival, Senior Vicki Wilson Carnival and the new QCIS Netball Carnival to come online.

As the season ends, we take the opportunity to thank Mrs Hester Wiid and Miss Tiffany Cullen for their coordination and coaching of our students throughout the year. Without their support, we could not offer this sport to our girls and with their help, we look to expand the program over the coming years.

Early Years Athletics Carnival

In a departure from tradition, we have created a new tradition this year with the staging of our Early Years Athletics Carnival on Buss Oval this past week.

All students from Prep to Year 3 were engaged in activities related to our traditional track and field events including a standing long jump, javelin throw, shot put and discus event culminating in their sprint event and shuttle relays. All students engaged well in the activities provided by the staff and a spirit of fun and participation certainly pervaded the carnival.

2023 will see us extend this concept further into an Early Years Swimming Carnival for our 5-8 years students with further novelty events for all members of Prep to Year 3 in which to participate.

Thank you goes to our Early Years teaching staff and our Co-Curricular staff for conducting the day and encouraging our students to be the best they can be.

Year 6 Asian Adventure Afternoon

As a culminating activity for their Humanities unit studying the region of Asia, the Year 6 students hosted parents and guests for an Asian Adventure afternoon.  Each student researched an Asian country, discovering facts and information about their chosen place.  On the Asian Adventure afternoon, the students were able to showcase their learning, offer samples of local cuisine and share facts and information they had learnt about our neighbouring region of Asia.

It was lovely to see the students excitedly sharing their learnings with parents, guests and College staff, with the variety of Asian food samples on offer definitely a highlight.

Well done to Ms Cole and the Year 6 students for the work they put into organising and hosting the Asian Adventure afternoon.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mrs Louise Ratcliffe and Mr Andrew Stewart | Business Teachers

On behalf of the Year 9/10 Business students, we thank the College community for your overwhelming support of our inaugural ‘Spring Flavours’ event last week.

The event was all about providing our Business students with a real-world opportunity to apply their classroom learning, and I’m sure you’ll agree that they did an amazing job of presenting their business concepts.

Post-event, they have reflected on their planning, evaluated their outcomes, reconciled their finances and contributed a percentage of their profits to the Cancer Council, which we are pleased to announce amounted to just over $240.

Events like this don’t just happen, as they say, it takes a village, so it would be remiss of us not to thank the following people:

• Our event planning team – Izzie Twidale, Ellyse Kruger, Sophie Weier, Lauren McAdam, Lizzy Caton – who gave up the opportunity to run their own business and took on the mammoth task of organising the event
• Mrs Bohm for helping students with their marketing plans + the marketing for Spring Flavours + acting as a Judge
• Mr Dobrenov, Ms Woodgate, Mr Keevers, Ala Frankcom, Mia Benson, Alexandra Rickert and Lilly Cole – who formed the judging panel, providing invaluable feedback to our student groups on their planning in the lead-up to the event
• Our Year 11/12 mentors – Mia Benson, Olivia Lack, Ala Frankcom, Alexandra Rickert, Mika Repo, Kate McCarthy, Luke Stephenson, Abby Skaines, Lexie Zerner, Elyse Peters, Lilly Cole, Sophie Brennan, Sophie Poole – these senior Business students attended fortnightly workshops to assist the 9/10 students as they developed their concepts, some of which are also helping out on the stalls today
• Parents of our 9/10 Business students who have most likely been the providers of the “seed” funding for the businesses and have also helped with providing and sourcing resources.
• Marc & Meagan Benson from McDonald’s for providing use of marquees
• The P&F for for hosting their wine and cheese tent
• Mr Alley and Mr Keevers for organising the amazing entertainment for the afternoon by The Clan & Highlanders
• Mrs Stephenson, Mr Blake, Ms Maraun, Mrs Casey and Mr Mascadri for providing the wonderful displays of student work
• Mr Millard and Chris Malone for making sure we had “extra” electricity for us so that we could run all the blenders, slow cookers and fryers!
• Mrs Bellingham and the hospitality students for sharing their coffee-making skills
• The Maintenance and Cleaning teams for helping set up, pack up and clean-up
• And all other staff who contributed to the event from Mr Naughten helping with the risk assessment to Mrs Petersen allowing students to take over the LRC printer

Finally, congratulations to Louise Cox, the winner of the $50 Uniform Shop Voucher.

Thank you again…without your attendance and support this event would not have been the success it was.  What a wonderful community we have here at SCOTS PGC!

Mr Kyle Thompson | Principal

SCOTS PGC College. Three little words (well actually two words and an acronym). What do they mean? Who are we and what do we stand for? The most obvious and the easiest answer is that we are a co-educational, prep – 12, day and boarding school. However accurate this is, it doesn’t actually tell us anything below the superficiality of a name of an organisation, and the sterile description of who we cater for, without really describing who we cater for. That sounds a little odd, but I think it makes some sense. So again, who are we and what do we do that allows us and others to truly understand the depth of who we collectively are?

One of our College values is ‘Spirit’. This somewhat intangible thing that we all understand but, at times, have trouble articulating. It is the things that bring us together, that binds us to each other and a place. It is a feeling. It is an action. It is the emotion behind what we do.

Over the last week or so, who we are has been demonstrated in a number of ways. Last Wednesday courtesy of our Year 9 and 10 Business classes, guided by our Humanities faculty, SCOTS PGC College hosted an event called ‘Spring Flavours’ and this, I believe, was a showcase of not just incredible teaching and learning but a deep demonstration of who we really are. Our students designed, planned and implemented what could be considered a major event that included a variety of stalls, some of which were food, clothing, sweets, drinks, music performances and face painting. This combined with some of our STEM students and our Year 7 innovators showing their wares and talents and a highly visible welcoming presence from our P & F. This truly was learning coming to life in an integrated, tangible, fun and very much exceptional way. However, I believe the importance of this learning experience was not the curriculum underpinning the event, but the event’s powerful engagement and demonstration of community and just who SCOTS PGC College is.

This event engaged our youngest through to our oldest boys and girls. Students of all ages were interacting with each other, viewing stalls, purchasing products, having their faces painted and their bellies filled! There were so many parents in attendance as well, enjoying each other’s company, talking to staff, each other, and seeing in real time some of the experiences that we provide to those in our care. This event also permeated the broader community, with many students from other schools in attendance, being met and metaphorically embraced by our boys and girls. Similarly, adults from outside our parent cohort also mingled and enjoyed the experience. I have received numerous comments and emails from within our school and from the broader community commenting on our students and the wonderful feel of our school.

So, one event (a significant one Mrs Ratcliffe, although I must confess to wishing we could do this every week) was able to show in so many ways our ‘Spirit’ and sense of self. Student relationships, staff involvement, parental interactions all demonstrating an exceptionally strong sense of belonging; belonging to the SCOTS PGC community, belonging to the broader community of Warwick and a deep sense of what is so special about our school and region. As we prepare for a time of regeneration and rest away from school, I hope that we are all able to reflect on the intangible feeling that comes with being part of and creating a ‘Spirit’ that is unique to SCOTS PGC College and the pride we feel when we see just how great our young people and our community truly are. I finish this term inspired by being part of SCOTS. I hope you do too.