In this issue

Ms Amanda Hall | Head of Junior School

Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023: Honoring Our Elders

NAIDOC Week is an annual celebration in Australia that honours the rich cultural heritage, achievements, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the Junior School, the Year 3 students kicked off Term 3 by immersing themselves in the spirit of NAIDOC Week 2023, centred around the theme  For Our Elders. Through a range of engaging activities, the students had the opportunity to learn, reflect, and pay tribute to the wisdom and guidance of the Indigenous elders.

Understanding the importance of connecting with elders and valuing their knowledge is crucial for young learners. The Year 3 students delved into the theme by watching insightful videos that highlighted the stories and experiences of Indigenous elders. These videos not only provided historical context but also offered personal perspectives, fostering empathy and respect among the students.

To encourage dialogue and deepen their understanding, interactive discussions were held to explore the significance of elders within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The students shared their thoughts, asked questions, and discovered the crucial role elders play in passing down cultural traditions, wisdom, and spirituality.

To reinforce the lessons learned, a variety of activities were explored. Students were given the opportunity to create artwork inspired by Indigenous cultures, incorporating traditional symbols and colours.

Engaging with NAIDOC Week activities provides students with a unique opportunity to develop an appreciation for the cultural diversity and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. By exploring the theme of For Our Elders, our young people gained an understanding of the importance of intergenerational knowledge sharing, respect, and the preservation of traditional practices.

From Boys Boarding

Mr Stewart Bailey | Assistant to the Director of Boys’ Boarding 

Trip of a Lifetime.

At the end of Term 2 and including the recent 3-week holiday break, I was blessed to enjoy a holiday in Europe with my family. My first overseas trip in over 30 years and a fitting tribute to my 20-year anniversary of my life-saving heart transplant this year.

I was away on leave from the Boarding House and my boarding family for quite a period, so please allow me to indulge you with a quick recall of my recent holiday.

Our adventure began in Paris, and 4 weeks later we finished our amazing holiday in Singapore, experiencing a total of 9 countries in between (including the World’s smallest country, The Vatican City).  Not only did we try culinary delights from many different cultures, but we also visited ancient sites and saw priceless works of art including the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo and the Sistine Chapel. We climbed an active Volcano at Mt Vesuvius, toured the ancient remains of Pompeii, took a private tour of Tuscany with wine-tasting at an exclusive vineyard, touched the walls of the Colosseum, climbed the Eiffel Tower, took boat trips down the Seine and the canals of Amsterdam and Venice, watched glass-blowers in Murano and lace-makers in Burano, walked the medieval castle walls of Dubrovnik (as featured in Game of Thrones), learned to make authentic pasta and tiramisu in Rome, strolled through the Vatican museums, and took our lives into our own hands in the streets of Palermo, Sicily when we hopped into a tuk-tuk.  We even had a chance encounter with royalty outside of Copenhagen, with the Queen of Denmark and the King of Norway passing us by as we arrived at a countryside Viking museum.

The kids were with us for the first 10 days of the holiday as we explored France, Germany, The Netherlands and Denmark by bullet train and then car. Their favourite stops were the Palace at Versailles, the Louvre, Paris Disneyland, the porcelain factory at Delft and Legoland.  They continued on to spend time with their grandparents in Norway while Miss Bec and I continued our tour via Rome, a cruise, Venice and finally Singapore.

I’ve decided that I am most certainly a fan of cruises, after our 10-day cruise through the Mediterranean from Rome to Greece and Croatia.  The meals onboard were amazing and waking up each morning and standing on our balcony to stare out at a new city (or even a new country) was inspiring.

I have returned to campus “The Master of Steps”, having walked an average of 20,000 steps per day across Europe and Singapore (and so many of them stairs!)  However, I do not return as the “Master of Luggage”, after dropping our suitcase into the Venice canals whilst boarding the water taxi…

This once-in-a-lifetime trip was everything I could have imagined and so much more. My thanks go to Mr Marriott and the boys’ boarding staff for stepping into my role for the last couple weeks of term to make these memories possible.

I’m looking forward to yet another rewarding term of boarding!

Mr Richard Dobrenov | Deputy Principal & Head of Senior School

Careers’ Night

Our Annual Careers’ Evening took place on Monday the 10 July, providing our students with a terrific opportunity to hear from a variety of professionals, their journeys in reaching their current standing and importantly, the chance to meet with them and ask questions at the end of the evening. The event proved to be an incredibly valuable experience for our students and brought together a diverse range of industry experts in the form of parents, past students and eager current students seeking guidance and inspiration for their future careers.

The objective of Careers’ Night was to expose our students to a myriad of career options, providing them with the opportunity to explore different fields and gain insights from professionals actively working in those industries. We believe that by fostering these connections and exposing students to a variety of career pathways, we empower them to make informed decisions about their future endeavours.

The evening saw our guests introduced to the audience before being interviewed by our Senior Leaders. This was also an opportunity for our Year 12’s to continue to develop their own confidence in speaking publicly. The interviews covered a wide range of topics, such as emerging trends, skill requirements, and work-life balance, enabling our students to make more informed decisions about their future paths.

The range of professionals present at Careers’ Night was truly impressive. From the fields of Medicine, Agribusiness, Agricultural Law Enforcement, Construction, Diesel Mechanics, Boiler making, and small business Entrepreneurship, students had the opportunity to engage with individuals from an array of disciplines. Past students from the College also made a significant contribution by sharing their journeys and providing valuable advice based on their own experiences since graduating.

At the conclusion of the evening, students were able to ask thought-provoking questions and gain first-hand knowledge about the day-to-day realities of various careers. In addition to the information shared, Careers’ Night provided an excellent platform for networking. Students had the chance to build connections with professionals who shared similar interests or aspirations, fostering relationships, and potential work experience opportunities that may prove invaluable in the future. These connections have the potential to provide mentorship, internship opportunities, and even future employment prospects.

I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the professionals; our parents and past students who dedicated their time and effort to make Careers’ Night such a success. Their contributions were truly invaluable, and their passion for sharing their knowledge and experiences left an indelible impact on our students.

As I reflect on the evening, I encourage the students to continue exploring their interests, seeking guidance, and pursuing their passions. Remember that career paths are rarely linear, and it is never too early or too late to switch directions or discover new fields of interest.

Once again, I extend my sincere appreciation to everyone involved in making Careers’ Night such a remarkable event. Together, we are building a stronger foundation for our student’s future success.

STEM students to showcase ‘A night of Light Jazz’

Jumpers and Jazz has officially kicked off and we can’t wait to see our STEM students’ creativity come to life with their annual light show – ‘A night of Light Jazz’. Under the expert guidance of our Head of STEM, Miss Angela Brittain, our students have designed a complete light show which is choreographed to popular jazz tunes.

This year they’ll be set up at the Middle School campus from Thursday 20 July through to Saturday 22 July.  The lights will come on from 6.30pm.  Our Hospitality students will be on site with hot drinks to sip as you take in the evening’s sights.  We hope to see you there!

Introducing Mr Blake Fatouros |  Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation

If a Fortune Teller at the start of 2023 had predicted; that I would resign from my job where I had worked for the past 17 years, then move 900kms away from the city I had lived all my life, I would have told them ‘That they were dreaming’. But just over 10 weeks ago that was exactly what I did; I packed up my apartment, said goodbye to friends, colleagues and family, then started the journey to Warwick.

Prior to the move I had been to Warwick three times and for probably eight hours in total. Once on a road trip with my dad travelling back to Sydney after visiting my uncle in Brisbane. The other was for my interview and visiting the College after accepting the position. I had no idea what I was truly in for, but I guess I can relate my experience to how our parents must feel when choosing a school for their children. Before my interview, I spent hours on the College’s website reading about the SCOTS PGC values, the outstanding academic programs, co-curricular offerings as well as the teaching and learning framework and approaches to pastoral care. Like when a parent selects a school for their child, I too needed to work out if SCOTS was a good fit for me as well as if I was a good fit for SCOTS.

For me, the interview process for the College was a lot like coming to SCOTS PGC for your first Open Morning. You are nervous but excited about the potential opportunities that lie ahead. As a parent when you arrive at the College for the first time you are trying to assess if the online persona matches what you see in person, this was true for me as well. I was given a campus tour when I first arrived, there was a level of authenticity that I noticed with both the staff and students I met and indeed the online persona matched what I was seeing. On my first visit to the campus, I was struck by that feeling which is so hard to put into words. But it’s that feeling you get when you know you are in a place that you are meant to be, some may call it ‘the vibe’ – that’s what I felt when I first visited SCOTS PGC. Now ten weeks in, I can’t imagine being anywhere else, both SCOTS PGC and Warwick feel like home. Paraphrasing the SCOTS PGC billboards as you enter town, I feel like I have the ‘space to grow’ and I also love that I no longer have to pack a school lunch.

I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to be the College’s new Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation. I am very appreciative of the warm welcome and support of the staff and students over the past term. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first term at SCOTS PGC, and getting to experience all the different opportunities that the College provides our students to be their best selves and always aim higher. The thespian in me was so impressed with the high quality of the senior drama production ‘Taming of the Shrew’. I got to experience my first ever Farm Fest and see our Industrial Technology students in action selling the amazing cattle yards and hay feeders they constructed. More recently I was so very entertained and overwhelmed by the Clan spirit whilst judging the Sing-Off last Friday morning.

Though at the start of 2023, I would have never predicted I would have moved to Warwick, I am very glad that I did, and grateful to be a part of the SCOTS PGC community. I look forward to continuing to meet you all as the year progresses and will work hard to support the learning aspirations of all the students in our care.

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

Mr Tom Bradbury | Director of Co-Curricular Activities

College Athletics Championships

In the last week of Term 2, the College successfully conducted our first 9-19Yyears Athletics Championship over two glorious days of competition on Briggs and Dunning Ovals.

The ambitious task of conducting events for 10 separate age groups was meticulously planned out by Miss Carey (and assisted by Mr Bradbury), which enabled our students to contest their events in a relaxed carnival atmosphere where junior and senior students were supportive of each other. Our participation numbers were up significantly which did cause some issues, particularly with our 800m programming, but this is a good issue to be having when participation is a major goal of our program.

We are proud to share the results of our Age Championship and Inter-Clan competitions and the records set across the two days.

Age Champions

In the race for the Inter-Clan Championship, we have had a changing of the guard with Mackay coming to the fore with a significant championship win. Congratulations to Mackay on their win and to all Clans on what was a healthy and competitive few days at the track. The final Clan placings were as follows…

• Mackay 1st
• Cameron 2nd
• Leslie 3rd
• Maciness 4th

Congratulations to the following record-breakers on their superior performances.  These athletes have etched their names into the SCOTS PGC history books:

• Tori Winters – 11 Years 100m – 14.30sec (previously held by Lucinda Bourke at 14.80sec set in 2016)
• Oliver Miller – 13 Years Triple Jump – 11.91m (previously held by R Allsop at 10.27m set in 1984)
• Elliza Moore-Kirkland – 15 Years 3000m – 13.12.00 min (previously held by B Groves at 14.31.24 min set in 2022)
• Isabelle Pettiford – 10 Years 1500m – 7.04.00 min (previously held by J Nielsen at 7.27.9 min set in 2022)
• Bethany Moore-Kirkland – 13 Years 1500m – 5.43.30 min (previously held by T Reinhard at 5.57.40 min set in 1987)
• Thomas Grayson – 9 Years Shot Put – 6.31m (previously held by B March at 6.24m set in 2019)

Congratulations to all students on their participation and to our staff on their diligence and hard work to assist us in achieving such a successful carnival. Without their efforts to complete events in a timely manner, we would not have been able to achieve this result. A special thanks to our P&F representatives in the canteen for their fine fare and dedication to providing this service to our school community. Finally, we thank our catering for the wonderful morning teas and lunches, and to our maintenance staff for their invaluable assistance in preparing for and cleaning up after all the events were done and dusted.

Thank you again to all for your contributions to this major community event.

Stories of SCOTS PGC College – From the Past to the Future

Lexie Zerner | Publications Prefect

Welcome back to Term 3, I hope you have had an amazing winter break. As we finally reach the halfway point of the year, I have some exciting news to share!

Our College has an amazing history, which we keep alive through tradition and stories, such as school war cries or the annual ANZAC day ceremony. As we enter a new chapter for the SCOTS PGC College, with the recent announcement to renovate the Betty Crombie Middle School and continued renovation of School House, members of our school, both past and present, brought forward the idea of a time capsule. Mrs Sarah Henry, Bridget Hardy, and I are working together to make this idea into an exciting reality.

For our College time capsule, we hope to create a capsule that depicts what attending the SCOTS PGC College is like in 2023, whilst also highlighting various historical events at the College, including how both schools operated during World War II.

To illustrate the history of the SCOTS PGC College in a time capsule, Mrs Henry, Bridget, and I travelled to Brisbane to meet with past students of the college at the beginning of the school holidays. We had the opportunity to meet with three past students who all attended Scots College or Presbyterian Girls College during World War II, which took place between 1939 and 1945. It was lovely watching Mr Alec Peden, Mrs Sally Fraser, and Mrs Noela Wylie reminisce about their time at school, and despite the ongoing war, all three students remembered their time at Scots and PGC fondly.

Mr Peden showed us his Scots College tie and Blazer and spoke of his time as School and Athletics captain. Mrs Fraser spoke of her time as both a student and teacher at the College and explained that many girls’ schools on the eastern coast evacuated to PGC to seek safety in case of invasion by Axis forces. Mrs Wylie gave us a written document about her time at PGC, whilst also sharing her favourite stories of Miss Constance Mackness, the much-loved founding headmistress of PGC. Mrs Fraser and Mrs Wylie both shared their love for Miss Mackness, highlighting that she viewed the girls at PGC like a family, rather than students. We had an amazing time visiting Brisbane, and would like to thank Mr and Mrs Peden, Mrs Fraser, and Mrs Wylie for their incredible hospitality!

To capture what SCOTS PGC is like in the present day and age, we hope to include pictures of the current school campus and images from various events, such as the recent Athletics Carnival or the Year 12 Cardinal. We aim to also include work from students, whether that be artwork from the Grade 1 class, or potentially having the senior technology students make and assemble the time capsule.

Of course, these are just ideas for the moment, and nothing is set in stone just yet. If you have any ideas or questions about the time capsule, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Henry, Bridget, or myself. We would absolutely love to hear your ideas!

Thank you for reading!