In this issue

Mr Mark Richards | Head of Teaching, Learning and Innovation & 

Mr Richard Dobrenov | Deputy Principal & Head of Senior School

Ponytail Project

Congratulations to our six courageous Year 12 students, Mia Benson, Hanaka Parker, Hannah Myer, Matilda Bryant, Lily Robson and Olivia Lack who took part in this year’s Ponytail Project.  The girls raised over $4000 to cut off their ponytails to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research.  The Ponytail Project has become somewhat of a SCOTS PGC tradition.  Each year since 2018, a handful of senior girls put up their hands to do their bit and contribute to the greater good.

This year, the girls rallied support through bake sales and promoting the online giving platform.  They also were able to raise funds by colouring hair which was very popular in Junior School.

All in all, the girls have put in a spectacular effort and served a wonderful cause in the Queensland Cancer Council, which we are extremely proud to be able to support each year.

Well done ladies!

Spirit Badge

Assembly Speech as read by Hannah Myer | College Captain

On our Year 11 camp, as a class, we took a moment to reflect on the outlook we wanted to influence and cultivate over the year as seniors, and the resounding voice from our discussions highlighted one clear message.

This year, our theme is ‘pride‘; pride in our school, pride in our environment, and pride in our individual achievements.

When we’re young, we have inherent self-worth and pride in our work and abilities. When I visit junior school, I love hearing them vividly account for their recent achievements, telling me with great pride about their adventures or what they’re learning.

On one of my last trips to year one, a girl ran up to me with a picture she had just drawn, proudly pointing out the outline of an airplane. She gave it to me with the biggest smile of pride in what she had created.

However, as we grow up, sometimes we lose this sense of pride because maybe it’s not ‘cool’ to care about our efforts or support our school. Nearly everyone has heard the phrase, “SCOTS quality” used at some point, mumbled under breaths, to criticise our school. We specifically wanted to address this cultural lie because the phrase is a fallacy.

SCOTS PGC is an incredible school that we all have the extreme privilege of being in a position to attend – something we often take for granted. No school is perfect, but I can honestly in my position say our school works very hard to strive for excellence.

We have amazing teachers who care about our learning, delicious food provided, we do extremely well at sporting events – especially considering our small population, we have students with awesome academic achievements, and similarly, we have dedicated students who make full use of our VET facilities and achieve through their certificates and practical projects.

We often take all these little things for granted, forsaking the large picture of who we are. This is why it’s so crucial for us to take a step back and take pride in our school and all that’s on offer. This sense of pride unites us with a sense of belonging over gratefulness for the little things, whether that’s a blueberry muffin at morning tea, our beautiful campus, the diverse culture of our school, or pride in wearing our uniform.

The greatest aspect of pride I’ve been proud to witness is that while it hasn’t been announced until now, it has been ever-present in everything we’ve seen this year.

I’ve seen this pride through the achievements at our Inter-Clan sporting carnivals as everyone cheers racers across the finish line and has a go at participating – no matter their skill level. Most recently, this was demonstrated at our Inter-Clan sing-off where everyone got fully involved in showing the pride they held for their Clan.

I’ve also seen it as we’ve rallied as a community to show up in support of games or activities at SCOTS PGC, whether a rugby carnival on Briggs Oval, the Year 9 and 10 business markets, or our recent NAIDOC Arts Showcase.

We’ve designed a badge specifically featuring a lion as a symbol of pride. These badges will be handed out on Monday.

As you pin this badge on your tie, I’d encourage you to let it serve as a daily reminder to take pride in all aspects of your day and the wonderful school we all share. Together it’s you all who truly make the school great.

Pipes and Drums Tour

Assembly speech as read by Rory McFarlane | Year 11 Piper

As you are all now well aware, Nicholas McGahan, Fraser Collins, Samuel Bourke, Joshua Hullock and myself went with Brisbane Boys’ College to Scotland to participate in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This was a great honour and challenge for the five of us, as we had 28 pieces of music to learn in five short months. This required us to come and practice at school every day during that time and on top of that, we had to travel to Brisbane most Sundays to practice with the BBC band.

On the 27 July, we flew out of Brisbane International Airport with 50 other students, teachers and staff to Glasgow, where we caught a bus to our home for the next five weeks at the University of Edinburgh. This was home to all the 800+ international performers in the Tattoo that came from all over the world to take part.

Over the five weeks were in Scotland, we performed at 26 shows at Edinburgh Castle which holds 8000 spectators.  Before every show we got the chance to mingle with all the other pipers and drummers – it was great to meet some like-minded people from all over the world.

A highlight from the Tattoo for the four SCOTS PGC pipers was being selected to play the fast-paced dance sets.  This was a huge accolade for us as it proved that all our practice had paid off.

Another of our favourite moments was walking back down the Royal Mile after the shows finished each evening.  We marched out of the stadium to be greeted by hundreds of people who’d lined the streets to cheer and clap for us as we played on the way back to our rest area.  This made us feel like celebrities and gave all of us a real buzz after playing each night.  We’d often not return back to our accommodation before 11:00 pm and it was difficult to go straight to sleep which often meant that we’d not get to bed before midnight before having to get back up at 7:00 am to do school work, more band practice and preparation for the next show.

In addition to playing in the Tattoo, we also competed in several band competitions. Our notable achievements included third place at the Scottish Championships and sixth at the World Pipe Band championships.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the World Championships is the highest level you can play at if you’re in a Pipes and Drums Band.  The fact that we were able to compete and experience all of these things firsthand, is truly amazing.

On behalf of the boys and me, I’d like to thank Sandy, our Bagpipe Instructor for bringing us up to a standard that we needed to be at, to perform at an international level.

We would also like to thank Mrs Peterson and Mr Bradbury for the great support and effort they have given us during this time.

Ms Amanda Hall | Acting Head of Junior School

Ms Amy Woodgate | Head of Middle School

Year 1/2 Excursion- Warwick Museum

Throughout Semester 2, Year 1 and Year 2 have incorporated a play-based approach to their History units, investigating the past and present. The classroom play spaces have allowed authentic opportunities to engage actively and imaginatively with people, objects and the environment. In our Year 1 classroom, students accessed various kits full of artefacts through the Queensland Museum’s regional loan scheme and built an olden-day house complete with a dining room space. Year 2 students created their own museum as well as a corner store reminiscent of years gone by.

On Thursday 15 September, Year 1 and year 2 students travelled to Warwick Museum – Pringle Cottage to further investigate the key enquiry questions:

• How can we show that the present is different from or similar to the past?
• How has family and school life changed or remained the same over time?

Students enjoyed participating in a tour and presentations by the volunteer museum guides and then demonstrated their new knowledge and understanding, producing impressive PowerPoint presentations.

Year 3/4 Excursion- Condamine Riverwalk

The arts has flourished in the Junior School throughout this year under the guidance and experience of Mrs Nicole Malone. The art studio is always a hive of creative expression and purposeful collaborative activities are often underway. During Term 3, students across the Junior School worked to produce some incredible collaborative art works to be displayed in our community with the support of Southern Downs Regional Council, along the Condamine River Walk, right near Tiddalick. To celebrate the work of our students and the installation, on Thursday 15 October, Year 3 and Year 4 walked down to the river for a picnic Morning Tea.

Our Year 1 and Year 2 students worked collaboratively on Underwater Scene, depicting the Murray Cod and Yellow Belly fish that inhabit our Condamine River. Years 3 and 4 produced River Walk Scene, all contributing their part in different areas of the painting.  To produce these works of art students had to take turns to paint backgrounds, the river, trees, and animal life that you might see at the river. There is even a painting of Tiddalik in there too!

If you haven’t yet seen the artwork, do yourself a favour and take a walk around the river to check it out!

Pride badge presentation

This week, students across the College have received a ‘Pride’ badge, which reflects the theme our seniors chose to live by this year.  Each student is encouraged to proudly wear their badge which serves as a daily reminder to have pride in all they do here at school and at home.

Each year, our senior class decide upon a theme that centres around a particular value they’d like to leave as their legacy in their final time at school.  This year the theme has been ‘Pride’, which builds on previous themes of ‘Spirit’, ‘Growth’ and ‘Unity’.  Our students in Junior and Middle School love the ceremony of being presented with their badges from our senior leaders.

Mr Tom Bradbury | Director of  Co-Curricular Activities

Darling Downs Track and Field Team

 We wish the following students all the best at the State Championships to be held at QSAC in Brisbane between October 11 and 16 after their selection in the Darling Downs Team. Many have been busy training for this event since their selection and some good improvements have been made over this time. 

 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

National Schools Futsal Championships

We congratulate the following students on their participation in the recent championships held in Brisbane. 

Girls:

12 years – Mackenzie Fritz

13 years – Bonnie Petersen

14 years – Amira Duffy and Ellyse Kruger

15 years – Eleanor McFarland and Phoebe Sellick

16 years – Krystal Petersen

19 years – Emma Bradbury and Erin Keogh

Boys:

11 years – Cooper Keogh, William Grayson

12 years – Harrison Grayson

14 years – Oliver Swift, Cody Muller, Nicholas Jackson

19 years – Geoffrey Warren

Prior to the championships, Ellyse Kruger was named Co-Captain of the U14 Queensland West Team whilst Emma Bradbury was named Vice-Captain of the U19 Team. All our attending players gave their all and gained valuable experience at the highest level. 

At the final presentations, the U19 Team with Emma Bradbury and Erin Keogh claimed the silver medal as did Amira Duffy and Bonnie Petersen (who played U13 also) in the U14 age group. Krystal Petersen and Phoebe Sellick were named in their respective All-Star teams. This was quite an achievement and a credit to the effort demonstrated as these teams are selected by all the attending coaches based on what they see of players throughout the tournament. 

Several students were subsequently selected to Australian touring teams in 2023 following their efforts. We congratulate Geoffrey Warren, Emma Bradbury, Krystal Petersen, Phoebe Sellick, and Harry Grayson were all recognised by selectors as players of potential to be invited on National tours. Apologies if I have missed anyone here as this was all we were aware of at the time of publication, and congratulations to all participants on their success. 

National Interschool Equestrian Championships

Over the school holidays, Jessica Angus headed to Sydney for the National Interschool Equestrian Championships.  

 She had a magnificent championship gaining the following results… 

• • Champion of the Combined Secondary 60cm
  • Champion of the Combined Training Teams Event – Queensland
  • 6th Overall in the Elementary Dressage, and
  • 9th Overall in the Eventing 85cm

A very busy week and a fantastic achievement on the National stage. Jessica now has a small break before she starts again for 2023. 

 Insert file photo of Jess from Nationals. 

State Hockey Championship Success

Several students from the College were members of the Warwick Hockey Association U15 Girls and Boys teams that attend their respective State Championships. 

The boys competing in Division 2 gained the bronze medal. The boys involved included – Tanner Henley, James Bourke, Lachan Groves, Will Angus and Samuel Bourke. James and Tanner were subsequently named in the Queensland U15 Squad to trial next February for the Queensland Teams to attend the National Championships. 

The Girls played in Division 3 and were successful in taking out the State title and earning themselves a promotion to Division 2 in 2023. Lily Malone, Bonnie Petersen, Abbey Petersen, and Brianna Groves were all essential members of this team as they beat all before them. 

College Hockey Captain – Millie Groves, continued to develop her umpiring skills as the Warwick Association umpire at the tournament. 

Well done to all on your efforts and best of luck to Tanner and James at the State trials next February. 

SCOTS PGC College Tennis Championships

 In Term 4, we are intending to hold our annual College Tennis Championships. All intending players have nominated and will play during Week 2 of the Term to determine our best Tennis players. The winners will be offered the opportunity to attend the Darling Downs Trials in 2023 if age appropriate. 

Term 4 Cricket Training and Tour

Expressions of interest in playing Cricket for the College in Term 4 and Term 1 2023 went out over the holidays and last week again at training and we ask that all students respond as soon as possible to help us organise teams and games. On the back of these nominations, we are planning a Term 4 Tour for a selected number of our students. 

This tour is designed for our Open and Under 15 players but may include our Under 12 players should we think they could benefit from this activity and places are available. Please nominate to play Cricket to Mr Callum Blake by Wednesday 12 October. Training continues Wednesday afternoons 3.30pm – 5.00pm on Briggs Oval. 

Squad Swimming

Squad swimming will be returning in Term 4. Commenced last Friday and will run through until Monday of Week 8. Sessions will be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6.00 am to 7.00 am. Please notify Miss Carey and Mrs Casey if you are keen to attend as the registration Form previously sent has since closed. 

Upcoming Events

College Tennis Championships | Weeks 1 and 2, Term 4 (Individuals emailed details)

Junior Touch Competition | Weeks 2-7, Term 4 – Thursday and Friday afternoons

College Cricket Tour | Week 3 Term 4 – Selected students

Darling Downs U15 Boys Cricket Trials | Friday 21 October (Border District selected players)

Darling Downs Aquathlon Trials (11-12 years of age in 2023) | Friday 28 October (see notices)

Darling Downs Triathlon Trials (13-19 years of age in 2023) | Sunday 13 November (see notices)

SCOTS PGC Youth Draft | Saturday-Sunday 12-13 November 

Ms Amy Woodgate | Acting Head of Girls’ Boarding

Mr David Marriott | Head of Senior Boys’ Boarding

Mr Stewart Bailey | Head of Junior Boys’ Boarding

It has been a wonderful first week in Boarding and it has been lovely to welcome back our boys and girls to their respective houses. This term is short and sharp, with activities and events kicking off right from the beginning. A number of boarders took part in the Ponytail Project event on Friday, raising funds for the Cancer Council. The Year 12 Boy Boarders also enjoyed dinner with Mr and Mrs Marriott this week as a culmination of their time in Boys’ Boarding and the Year 11 Girl Boarders went out with Ms Woodgate to celebrate the start of term and talk about their vision for Girls’ Boarding when they take on the role of senior leaders in the house.

The highlight of Week 1 was most definitely Past Students’ Weekend. Both the Boys’ and Girls’ Boarding Houses were on show over the weekend, with a large group of past SCOTS boys and PGC girls taking the time to tour their old boarding houses and reminisce with some of the current students about their time at the school. Our current boarders were exemplary hosts, greeting past students as they arrived, showing our visitors around the houses or simply having a chat over a cup of tea.

On Sunday morning, both the boy and girl boarders attended the Past Students Association Chapel Service held at the College. Our youngest boarder, Kelvin, took part in the Service by doing a prayer, and all boarders joined with members of our past and current College community for morning tea after the event. The animated conversations between young and old were thoroughly enjoyed by current and past boarders alike.

We kicked off a wonderful first week back to school by hosting the annual Past Student Reunion over the weekend.  It was wonderful to welcome back past students from years gone by to revisit the campus, reconnect with old friends and reminisce about the ‘good old days’.  Old SCOTS boys and PGC ladies really enjoyed visiting their old boarding houses at the Oxenham and Locke Street campuses.  Our visitors were easily able to point out where their dorms were situated during their time at school.  They also noted how times have changed and how spaces look very different to the living quarters they experienced in their days.

Our past students took time to wander the grounds, look over the honour boards and listen to performances from our Pipes and Drums Band.  After lunch, some students opted to catch up with their cohorts at the Warwick Cup race day, while others returned to the College to share an evening meal in the Assembly Hall with their classmates.

Sunday morning brought everyone to the Chapel for a special remembrance service which was followed by the unveiling of the special commemorative stone which was returned to the College from the Kingswood Homestead, where it was originally placed to recognise the time when the College was evacuated during WWII.  The stone now sits in the historical precinct in front of deConlay and School House and on Sunday morning, Reverend Nathan Barton conducted a special dedication service to honour the stone’s new location.  Mr Alec Peden (an original evacuee) along with Year 1 student, Patrick Hamilton (the great-grandson of an original evacuee, Graham Hamilton) unveiled the stone together in front of past students and our boarding community.

It was wonderful to celebrate the weekend with past students.  Our boarding students, in particular, were lucky to be here to meet some of our past students and enjoy some of their tales of times gone by.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in a spectacular weekend for the College.

P & F Golf Day | Sunday 6 November

In case you missed it,  the P & F Golf Day has been rescheduled to Sunday 6 November.  Details are in the poster…  It’s time to get your team together!