headmaster contents - all souls st gabriels school · 2016. 8. 29. · assg is called prep. years...

WELCOME TO 2016 Welcome back to our returning fam-ilies and staff and a special welcome to the new stu-dents and their families who begin their journey with us this year.

We begin the year with enrolments of approximately 407 students. In these tough economic times, this healthy state of enrolments is not something we take for granted and on behalf of the Board and the staff I would like to thank you for the commitment and support you have given, as well as the trust you have placed in us to deliver the highest standards of education to your children. MEET AND GREET FUNCTION A big thank you to the catering team,

Parents & Friends Association, stu-dent and parent helpers and staff who made the “Meet and Greet” welcome barbeque such a success. We have very few opportunities to join together and socialise as a whole school community so it was pleasing to see the number of families in attendance. Students The Class of 2015 can be proud of their academic results which are displayed below: OP 1-3 10.5%

OP 1-7 15.8% OP 1-15 78.9% 15.8% of students received an “A” on the QCS Test (compared with 14.6% state-wide) and 100% of our Year 12 students received a Queensland Certificate of Educa-tion (QCE). Students were also successful in the Vocational Educa-tion sector with 27 students re-ceiving one or more certificate qualifications, and one student be-

Contents

Headmaster’s Report Page 1

Deputy Head Page 3

Academic Achievement

List Page 4

Headmaster’s List Page 4

Dean of School Page 5

Dean of Students Page 5

Online Cyber-Safety

Course for Parents Page 6

Values Education Page 8

School Counsellor Page 8

NDIS Update Page 9

English Department Page 9

School Chaplain Page 10

School Prayers Page 10

Sport News Page 11

Junior School Page 12

Titley’s News Flash Page 13

Head of Boarding Page 14

Page House Page 14

Staff Profile Page 15

The Last Word Page 16

Headmaster

Issue No 1/2016 29 January 2016

Left: 2016 School Captains, Max Allingham and Hollie Grant with Headmaster, Mr Darren Fleming.

ing awarded a Diploma level qualifi-cation which is very rare for school students and quite an achievement. Our highest performing students, Sarah Salisbury and Dempsey Currin (OP2) will receive a Morris prize of $1,000 to be used for their further education. We have received many good news stories from students who have been able to secure full time work and apprenticeships. Of the 18 stu-dents who applied for a place at university, all were successful, with 14 receiving their first preference. Thank you to the staff, parents and the wider community who worked with and supported our students,

enabling them to achieve their goals. OTHER EXITING STUDENT NEWS Katherine Salisbury (class of 2014) has just been announced as a recip-ient of the prestigious Vice-Chancellors Scholarship (Academic) from Queensland University of Tech-nology (QUT). Scholarships are highly competitive with applications from students from all over Austral-ia. The $30,000 Scholarship offers multiple benefits to recipients, in-cluding access to research opportu-nities, Ambassador and Leadership Programs.

Congratulations must also go to Meg Burge and Ngarita Chappell who received RSL Youth Develop-ment Scholarships valued at $2,500 each. I am proud of all the students who submitted an application whether successful or not. Life is full of challenges and the willingness to “have a go”, shows strong character. STAFF We welcome the following new staff for 2016: Miss Josie Stainkey Year 7 Mr Om Beacom-Halliday English/ Humanities Mrs Wendy Fleming Year 3 Mrs Leanne Colthup Maths/Science Mrs Tracy Maff Marketing/ Promotions Mr Jake Diery Feetham

House Senior Resident We welcome back our new and con-tinuing staff members and look for-ward to celebrating their profession-al successes with them throughout the year. BURRY WORK WEEKEND Thanks to the staff, students, par-ents, past students and friends who assisted at the annual Burry week-end. The school was a hive of activ-ity as the campus was prepared for the start of the new school year. This weekend highlights the strong

PAGE 2 ISSUE NO 1/2016 29 JANUARY 2016

and enduring sense of school pride. It reminds us of our past which has established a strong platform for us to achieved successes into the fu-ture. CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT Over the holidays the following projects were completed: Air conditioning of classrooms 32

-34. Refurbishment of Becket show-

ers, toilets & new senior bays. Kitchen upgrades to 2 residenc-

es. Junior School shelving installed. Library Office fit-out. Painting in three Junior School

classrooms and the Rebgetz Cen-tre.

White Dormitory linkway.

Headmaster residence & new road.

Lockers for Years 7, 8 & 12 (150 in total).

New curtains in Page & Ramsay. Removal of unused residence. On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone for such a warm welcome and I look forward to meeting you all over the course of the year. All the best for 2016. Darren Fleming Headmaster

Below: 2016 School Captains

and Prefects

Sam Kelly

I am very excited to be back at ASSG for the start of the 2016 year. To those new parents reading this for the first time – welcome (and hello). To those returning parents who are reading this – welcome back! I hope that your break with your children was either relaxing or productive and that you have all re-ceived some rain. There were many positives for 2015, but there are al-ways ways to improve upon the past. We have now achieved 100% QCE (Queensland Certificate of Edu-cation) for the past two years. As I said last year, the challenge now is to maintain this. I must thank all my staff and support crew (Glenda and, of course, Flo) who put the extra effort to keeping our kids “on track”. On reflection over the holidays, I think that is the key – keeping track (or monitoring) of all so we don’t have students slip through the cracks. I think we do this well. There are two main ways that we achieve this close monitoring: 1. Looking at data. As deputy, I

am probably more involved with the Year 12’s more than any other year level. I have regular interviews with students about their performance and work/life balance. Students are supported pastorally by a team of special-ists led by Mr Shannon Lee and Mr Darren (Gully) Guldbransen. Students need to know that we are aware of situations and know that we have their best interests at heart. Not all that we say is what the students want to hear – especially when we identify that more time needs to be devoted to studies. However, part of the “growing up” process is realising that time management is very im-portant should you wish to achieve goals.

2. Communication. I say this every year but I truly believe this to be crucial to our success. I know Mrs Karen Storey will be talking about this, but all staff


will be communicating to you early in the term. This is gener-ally done through email. Please take this opportunity to open up the lines of communication to your child’s teachers. My ex-pectation of staff is that they are communicating the con-cerns and positives about your child – both educationally and as a person. My request to par-ents is that we also receive communication about factors that may have a bearing on your child whilst in our care. I once had a conversation with a parent after a child had a bad day to be told “oh, I think you should know that there was a death in the family recently”. If we know of personal or family situations, we can either ask teachers just to keep an extra eye on the child, or confiden-tially tell key personal be ready to support the student. On the academic front, with good com-munication we tend to stop the “darlings” telling us (parents) one version of homework when the reality is very different. Once students learn that there is good communication be-tween parents and teachers, there is very little wiggle room for avoiding commitments.

For new parents, homework at ASSG is called Prep. Years 7-10 students will have a homework set-ting schedule that will be carefully adhered to e.g. Monday may have English and Maths homework set, Tuesday may have HASS and Sci-ence. This is to support caregivers in ensuring that homework is in-deed done. Assignment work (when given out) is expected to be on top of this allocation. I would suggest that new parents check their child’s homework diary to ensure that prep is written down. This is to start good study and time management habits for Senior School. Students in the Senior School do not have a study schedule but will have regular Prep.

I had a few requests to change sub-jects over the Christmas break. Any change request that is brought to

me in the first couple of weeks will be communicated to parents via telephone call. I do not do any changes to a student’s timetable without parental/guardian consent. However, after week 3, students are requested to complete the pur-ple “subject change form” available from Flo before I make changes. This is so I can obtain information from teachers regarding perfor-mance. Last year, I got a flurry of subject change forms week 4 with requests from HPE. It turned out that was the week students re-ceived their assignment and the teachers were quite confident stu-dents could do the work. Requests were denied.

I trust that all parents have sat down with their children to view their report cards, praise the posi-tives and set goals for Term 1. These report cards had been through many checks, however – we are still human. Should you be-lieve that there is an error on your child’s report card, please contact me to discuss and we will investi-gate and issue a new report card, should this be required. I have also been viewing the report data. As is tradition, at the beginning of each Semester, we celebrate success through the Headmaster’s List and the Academic Achievement listing. Please see over for the full lists.

All students in Years 7–10 will have their literacy and numeracy stand-ards assessed to ascertain which students would best be on a modi-fied program for success. If a stu-dent is identified as requiring a modified program, parents will be notified in writing and have the op-tion of refusing the program. We ran this for the first time in 2014 and feedback from parents, stu-dents and staff is that it is some-thing that students do respond to. Sometimes the modified program was all that was needed to change the learning attitude to “stuff this, I can’t do it” to “I can do it, I just need help”. As a result of testing, some small changes to classes are required. Parents will be notified of any changes that may result.

As a mother, I strongly urge all par-

Deputy Head

ents to check that ALL UNIFORM ITEMS are labelled with their child’s name. There is nothing more frustrating than a child re-porting that they have lost ANOTH-ER sports hat! Labelling items does generally have the item returned to its owner. Can I ask that par-ents not immediately panic if (and when) your child does tell you that they can’t find an item? These do


turn up 9 times out of 10. My own daughter lost her PE hat after the first day…I was livid…but the hat turned up at Flo’s office (officially called the Student Services Office) the next day. This is early notice to parents that the information session for this will be on the Term 2 travel day at 12pm. The timeline for the changes are:

Term 2 travel day – information session

End of Term 2 – student selection form back

Semester 2 – start of the new Senior Curriculum for Year 10

If there are any questions about any of the information I have written here (or anything else), please do not hesitate to contact me on 0409 783 658 or [email protected]

Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12

Camryn Guldbransen Amber Aspinall Erin Bidewell Meg Burge Charly Burge

Brooke Tindall Charlee Keleher Hannah Fraser Julia Keough Jacklenn Dart

Ainsley Murphy Rachel Hall Ellie Rohan Dylan McKenna

Kasey O’Donoghue Harrison Kempster

Sean Smith Kieren Luxton

Breanne Peace

Zak Smale

Students in Years 7—10 who receive an Academic Achievement Certificate have received an A in the majority of their academic core subjects, and no achievement level of less than a C in non core subjects (only once C allowed).

Students in Years 11 & 12 who receive an Academic Achievement Certificate have received an achievement of either an A or B in all of their academic core subjects, and no achievement level of less than a B.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT LIST - SEMESTER II, 2015 - AWARDED SEMESTER I, 2016

Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12

Casey Campbell Amber Aspinall Erin Bidewell Meg Burge Luke Alford

Sarah Clark Casey Flanagan Riley Candy Isabel Blennerhassett Charly Burge

Piper Davey Rae Evans Aaron Core Samuel Coffison Ngarita Chappell

Holly Deans Adam Hensley Hannah Fraser Kayla Gough Katie Core

Zoe Donaldson Thea McMahon Harrison Finger Mickala Gough Jacklenn Dart

John Durack Bradley Stevenson Darby Godfrey Breanna Kent Hollie Grant

Joshua Fraser Mitchell Underdown Zoe Godfrey Julia Keough Logan Guldbransen

Dakota Gough Tara Yung Rachel Hall Caleb Knuth Kiara Henry-Nash

Camryn Guldbransen Kayla Barrett Slayd Hall Gayleen Lawrence Ceelena Lawrence

Luka Hall Angela Chevathun Brad Kelly Amelia Newton Lacey Marshall

Ben Harris Vasenai Dabea Katie Jarmey Clay Pierce Dylan McKenna

Kate Jonsson Charlee Keleher Harrison Kempster Ellie Rohan Anna Winsper

Douglas Keough Ainsley Murphy Deklan Knuth Sarah Santo

Kuage Koglkia Patrick Washington Jackie Koglkia Ryan Shadforth

Lydia Lindsay Kaitlyn Lawrie Lance Shephard

Jemma Mafrici Amy Liddle Zachari Weston

Michael Meteyard Kieren Luxton

Indy Schaefer Larissa Mafrici

Corey Stanger Josephine McKellar

Sarah Suhr Jake McCosker

Brooke Tindall Breanne Peace

Harry Titley Kimberly Philip

Karen Tweedie Chantelle Reynolds

Kurtis West Zak Smale

Lissabelle Smith

Clem Suhr

Freya Stewart

Natalie Teece

Faith Whelan

HEADMASTER'S LIST SEMESTER II, 2015 - AWARDED SEMESTER I, 2016 (Students on the Headmaster’s List have effort ratings of 1 or 2 in all subjects, and at least half of all these ratings must be 1)

mailto:[email protected]

Dean of School

Karen Storey Welcome back Welcome back to students, staff and members of the community. I trust you have had an enjoyable and restful break and are well-prepared for the year ahead. Key Dates Over the coming weeks we will recognise a number of important events in the life of All Souls St Gabriels School. A brief list appears below, however, for more information please check the School website regularly:

Enjoy the term!


cess and an inevitable aspect of growing up. In my role I am obvi-ously more interested in those mis-takes involving choices in behav-iour. Young people will make many mistakes in their development, it’s what happens next that deter-mines what they learn from it. Some of life’s greatest lessons will come from making a mistake (and getting caught). An important lesson for all young people is to take responsibility for their behaviour. At ASSG this is the message we actively promote through our behaviour support processes. Students are given the opportunity to reflect on their choices, suggest a more appropri-ate course of action for the future and participate in restorative dis-cussion where appropriate. More often than not, students engage in this process effectively. In the few instances where they are unable to reflect appropriately or take own-ership of their behaviour it is the support of parents and guardians which help us in this learning pro-cess. Therefore if you are unsure

of the reason for a sanction or your child has described an incident to you in a different way (I think we have all experienced this) I encour-age you to communicate with our staff and seek clarification to en-sure we are showing a united front. I have found the greatest success for students occurs when parents and guardians support the deci-sions of the school. This helps their children learn to take ownership of their behaviour and make better choices for the future. In summary, every child makes mistakes, they are learning oppor-tunities and it is just part of grow-ing up. It’s not necessarily a reflec-tion of their true character nor does it mean they are a bad person, it’s all part of the journey. Sometimes it is tough love that is required for it to become a valuable lesson and we may seek your support with this throughout the year.

Event Day/Date Time Senior School uniform require-

ments/additional information

Prefect Induction Thursday 28th January 1:30pm Formal uniform

Headmaster’s Installation Friday 12th February 11:00am Formal uniform

Year 7 Camp Monday 1st to Thursday 4th Feb-

ruary

Early morning departure Please contact Rebecca Pimm for

further information if unsure

Year 10 JCU Get into

Uni Camp

Monday 1st to Wednesday 3rd

February

7:20am SHARP departure

from Halse Hall

Please contact Barbara Salisbury

for further information if required

Emergency Evacuation

Briefing in Halse Hall

Monday 8th February 8:30 – 9:30am Normal Monday uniform/all Year 7-

12 students required to attend

Dean of Students Shannon Lee Welcome Welcome back and a Happy New year to all, I hope you had an enjoy-able festive season and are excited for 2016. As always it is a busy start to the term, in the first few weeks I will be involved in the; Prefect In-duction, ‘Setting the Tone’ day for Seniors, Year 7 Orientation Camp, Inter-House Swimming and the many other happenings around the school. With so much going on I look forward to seeing you at a school event soon. In this edition I am writing in advance to ask for the continued trust and backing of par-ents and guardians when it comes to the behaviour support of the young people in our care. Kids make mistakes This is not a ground breaking state-ment, I know. However, I think it is a timely re-minder for us all, as it is such an in-tegral feature to any learning pro-

ISSUE NO 1/2016 29 JANUARY 2016


Login password: assgs16

Values Education Barbara Salisbury ASSG students selected for STEM summer school Year 11 students, Dan Rabuka and Marcelo Warusam-Hernandez, were selected to attend the Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science (ASSETS) which rewards high-achieving sci-ence students and improves their opportunities for pursuing a sci-ence. They are two of only 105 stu-dents from across Australia to be selected to attend one of the three summer schools which will take place across Australia.

ASSETS is part of a broader Indige-nous STEM education program which is managed by CSIRO in partnership with the BHP Billiton Foundation.

Dan and Marcelo attended the camp in Townsville which was held between 17 and 25 January. Stu-dents are being accommodated at St Mark’s College at James Cook University.

Working with James Cook Universi-ty researchers, the Townsville par-ticipants will investigate and model mini ecosystems using sensor ar-rays. They will also do animal ecol-ogy and surveying with CSIRO sci-entists.


School Counsellor Tania van Wijk Welcome back! It is great to be back at school for another year to support students, teachers and families. For those who are new to the school, my name is Tania van Wijk. I am a psychologist and the School Counsellor at All Souls St Gabriels. I work across both the junior and senior schools. My of-fice is located at the school clinic, near administration at the senior school. I provide a number of different services to support students throughout the school year:

Whole of class lessons. With support from class teachers I conduct whole of class les-sons that address social and emotional skills.

Small group counselling. I run various groups across the school year which include topics such as social skills, changing families, anxiety, and other issues which can impact on a student’s health and well-being.

Individual counselling. Students can self-refer, or be referred by a teacher or parent for in-dividual, confidential sessions to address issues that arise during the school year.

Assessment. I conduct assess-ments with students who may be experiencing difficul-ties with learning or academic achievement, or other issues that may be affecting their school performance.

Support to parents and teach-ers.

Last year I also offered ‘Mighty Girls’, an art-based group, on Fri-day afternoons. Mighty Girls pro-vides a forum for girls to explore social and emotional issues, and empowers them to become strong, independent, confident and courageous. This group is open to both boarders and day students from Year 7, and will commence again in Week 2 of term 1. Information on the group time and location will be posted on the window at Student Ser-vices. Best of luck to everyone with their return to school – I have included some tips below to help make the start of the school year a success-ful one! 1. Get lots of rest. Students

need good sleep to perform their best so get back into a regular bedtime and wake-up routine.

2. Start a daily routine. Giv-ing student’s responsibility for different tasks will help them become more independent later. Depending on the age of your child this may include making their lunch or packing their belongings, or managing their whole morning routine and getting to school on time.

3. Set a regular schedule for homework. Make space and time for homework.

4. Talk about why school is important. The more you show how much you value ed-ucation, the more your child will see the importance too.

5. Keep in touch. If you have any concerns or are aware of any changes which may im-pact on your child at school, please let us know.

If you have any questions or would like more information I can be contacted by phone on 47882280, or by email at [email protected]

Left: Dan Rabuka

Left: Marcello Warusam-Hernandez


NDIS Update The Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services is coordinating the transition to the NDIS which gives people with disa-bility and their families choice and control over how, when, where and from whom their supports are provided. People with disability and their families will buy supports and services directly from provid-ers. Local Area Coordinators (LACs) from Disability Services have commenced temporary ap-pointments with NDIA to link peo-ple with disability to support net-works and services.

The Director-General Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services has sent a letter to families of eligible children and young people who are receiving disability services from the Queensland government. Disabil-ity service providers funded by the Queensland government have been advised that the NDIA will be contacting families, starting 18 January 2016.

All eligible children and young peo-ple aged under 18 years in the Townsville and Charters Towers lo-cal government area will transition to the NDIS as part of the early launch. Refer to www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/our-sites/qld.

The following organisations pro-vide information sessions, work-shops, phone support and online resources through the Participant Readiness Initiative in the Towns-vi l le area www.qld.gov.au/disability/adults/ready-for-ndis/ :

Synapse The Mamre Association

through Pave the Way Queenslanders with Disability

Network Connections Deaf Services Queensland Carers Queensland If you are the parent of a child with a disability and are seeking information and/or advice, please contact the NDIS 1800 number – 1800 800 110.


English Department Denis Riddle Head of English Welcome to new parents who are reading this newsletter and the English Department news for the first time. And to the “experienced hands” - welcome back. English as a subject is so important in the life of the School and in the life of your student. It is my job to help every student achieve their best. Every so often I will keep you informed about recent develop-ments and coming events in Eng-lish in the Secondary School. If you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to contact me or your stu-dent’s English teacher. Grammar programs As part of the School’s commit-ment to literacy, each student in Years 9 and 10 has been issued with a pad of weekly exercise sheets. These homework sheets provide your student with a spelling list and reinforce the rules of grammar and punctuation which are so essential in today’s world. They also provide a guide to writ-ing in a variety of situations. Each sheet is completed as prep (homework) over a week and then is checked in class by the English teacher. A record is kept of the progress of each student. The cost of these resources is quite reason-able and will appear on your ac-count as a $12 charge. Years 7 and 8 have a new online spelling and grammar program called WordFlyers which students will access weekly via their BYOD. Students will access WordFlyers in class on a regular basis and in their own prep time.

ICAS English Competition This year the School will be enter-ing students in the nation-wide ICAS English Competition which begins at Year 2 and continues through to Year 12. Every time a student sits the test they are given their annual results and a detailed analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. They are also com-pared with their own levels of achievement (as well as scaled against their class and the national average) for each year that they have completed the test. Over the years this gives a student an in-formative pattern of their pro-gress. I fully commend the annual test to each parent.

The ICAS English test will take place in Term 3. All Year 7 and 8 students will be entered as the competition provides a guide to a student’s current level of ability. Students in Years 9 to 12 may vol-unteer to enter or they may be nominated by a teacher or parent. The prestigious Don Roderick Me-morial English Scholarship, open to students in Year 11, is awarded upon the results of this competi-tion. The cost is $8.80 for volunteers (Years 9 to 12) in the ICAS English Competition. If you do not want your student to enter, please let the School know.

http://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/our-sites/qldhttp://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/our-sites/qldhttp://www.qld.gov.au/disability/adults/ready-for-ndis/http://www.qld.gov.au/disability/adults/ready-for-ndis/

In our thoughts and prayers; We give thanks for the begin-

ning of the new school year.

We ask God to bless our

learning and our interactions

with one another, may we con-

tinue to grow in mind, body

and spirit.

We give thanks for the arrival

of Darren and Wendy Fleming

and other new staff, and stu-

dents to our School. We par-

ticularly pray for Darren as he

steps in to the role of Head-

master.

We pray for our year 12 cohort

as they begin their final year

and undertake the role of

leaders in the school.

We pray for those who mourn

the loss of loved ones. Espe-

cially, we pray for the family

of Margaret Slack-Smith

(Class of 1944), John Stevens

(Class of 1963) and for Skylea

McLean and her family as

they grieve the loss of her

mother-in-law. May they rest

in peace.

School PrayersSchool Prayers

Dean of School

School Chaplain

Br Nathan-James SSF Rock and Water Program The Rock and Water Program will be trialled this year within the Year 9 Life Skills classes. The program aims to increase the body-, emo-tional- and self-awareness of stu-dents. The goal of Rock and Water is to increase self-confidence and social functioning through experien-tial physical exercises. Central to the program are the two elements; Rock and Water. The Rock repre-sents that which is worth standing up for. It represents the core of our being, knowing one’s direction in life and therefore guiding the choices we make. From this element comes the attitude of ‘I can defend myself’, ‘I can stand up for myself’ and ‘I can make my own choices’. The Rock attitude ensures we set and strive for positive goals in our life and to not be distracted from achieving what we set out to do. The other element is Water. Water is the attitude of moveability and flexibility. It is also the element of peace, friendship, communication and solidarity. The key to the Rock and Water program is teaching stu-dents, through physical activity and self-reflection, to achieve a balance between the Rock attitude and the Water attitude and knowing when to draw on the qualities of each ele-ment to respond to situations such as peer pressure, bullying, conflict, aggression in themselves or others, and stress, among others. Students learn through games and role plays that the first intention is peace and friendship they learn to have an at-titude of Respect – I will not hurt you. Students also learn that how you play a game is how you live your life; cheats are often unfair in their daily life, you learn more from losing than winning, a loss of self-control leads to a loss of self-respect. Finally, students learn to practice the art of STOP – BREATH – WALK AWAY (or LET IT GO). During Life Skills year 9 students will be separated into boys and girls’


in classes. For the first Semester the boys will participate in the Rock and Water program for the majority of their Life Skills classes with Br Na-than and Mr Lee. The girls will par-ticipate in a program targeting is-sues relating specifically to them lead by Mrs Salisbury and Tania. During the second semester the groups will swap and the boys will undertake a program dealing with boys’ issues and the girls will partici-pate in the Rock and Water pro-gram. The program originated in Holland and is now used widely in Australian Schools, youth groups and agencies working with young people.

The Rock and Water Salute

Morning Chapel Services Students, staff and members of the All Souls St Gabriels community are reminded that they are invited to come along to an informal Holy Communion service held Monday to Friday from 7.40 am to 8.00 am in the Lady Chapel. Since the services began three years ago there have been a regular gathering of students and a couple of staff members with the occasional visitors. Those who attend the service find it is a relax-ing and prayerful way to begin their day. The service includes a reading and reflection on the Gospel as well as prayers for the school and com-

munity. If you have any people or situations you would like us to pray for please email them to: [email protected]

108 SQUADRON AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE CADETS

01/2016 RECRUIT COURSE Application Close 03 March 2016 Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.aafc.org.au/ Phone: 0407 113 316

The AAFC is a youth development organisation affiliated with the Royal Australian Air Force. As a cadet you will learn about aviation, service life, fieldcraft, drill and ceremonial, teamwork, and more. You will have opportunity to experience life on a RAAF base, flying, develop leadership skills, meet new friends, have fun, develop self-confidence and learn to take responsibility for yourself and others. If you will turn 13 by 22 April and are interested in joining the AAFC please see Br Nathan or visit www.facebook.com/108SQN

Adults who are interested in joining as civilian or uniformed instructors are invited to contact the Squadron

mailto:[email protected]://www.aafc.org.au/

Sport News Sport News

Karen Storey Secondary Sports Co-ordinator Key Dates As always Term 1 is looking very busy and there is little time before sport begins with many events being held over the coming weeks. A brief summary of some of the key events appears below. For more information and up-dates please check the All Souls St Gabriels School website and Facebook page regularly.

A new look for our 1st teams: This year our 1st teams in Cricket, Tennis, Netball, Rugby League and Softball will have a new look. 2016 will see the introduction of the ASSG 1st team shirt which will be worn by all members of 1st teams for sporting fixtures. While neither the netball nor the rugby league teams will compete in the shirts all team members will receive a shirt to wear to and from matches. The first shirt for each student (ie: the first time they make a 1st team) will be supplied by the School with the student having the option of having the sport embroidered on the shirts at their expense. This has come out of a need to both update a number of our current uniforms and a desire to bring consistency among our sporting teams, as well as minimising the uniform items each student requires to be in-volved in a variety of sports. More information and a preview of the shirts will be available very soon. Watch this space.

Event Day/Date Time Venue House Swimming Trials

Saturday 30th January 8am – 1pm (50 min timeslot per house)

Town pool

Inter-School Sport Round 1

Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th February

3:30- 5:00pm, afternoon dependant on age

BTC/ASSG depend-ent on team

1st/2nd/15yrs Netball trials

Thursday 4th February 6:30 – 8:00pm Jim Rebgetz Centre (MPC)

Secondary Inter-House Swimming Carnival

Thursday 11th and Friday 12th February

7:00 – 9:00pm Thursday 6:00 – 9:30pm Friday

Town pool

Secondary Inter-School Swimming Carnival

Thursday 25th and Friday 26th February

To Be Advised by CTSHS (host school)

Town Pool


Junior School

Tina Akers Head of Junior School Welcome to 2016 The JS Staff are looking forward to welcoming all our families to School. I would like to extend a very special welcome to the Pre-preps, Boarders and those children and families who will be joining us for the first time, or are renewing their association with the School. I trust you have enjoyed a relaxing and enjoyable break with your family and friends and like the JS Staff, are now ready for the year ahead. Our teachers have been busy preparing and organising their rooms and curriculum in preparation for another successful year at Souls. Welcome back Morning Tea The JS Support Group held a ‘Welcome Back to School” Morning Tea which took place on the lawn in front of the JS Admin on Thursday 28th January. This was a social occasion for all par-ents/carers to meet new families and catch up on holiday news. Burry Work Weekend What a transformation the School took on during the Burry Work Weekend. As with every school, there is always much to be done to provide a safe and appealing learning environment and get our School all ‘ship shape’ for the start of the school year. Thank you, to everyone who volunteered their time over this weekend. The Junior School looks fantastic. Once again the wider School com-munity came together to do all those odd jobs needed to get the School ready for the start of the year: pruning, mowing, weeding, gurneying, blowing, polishing, scraping, painting, washing down, relocating old furniture, tidying up lunch tables etc. etc. Much was


the maintenance team for mak-ing the time to get this finished.

Thank you to Peta Polsen who came into school during the holi-days to relocate and organise the JS resources. Finding a place for all our reading books, curriculum resources and teacher reference materials etc. was a huge job. Now there is ‘a place for every-thing and everything is in its place.’ Thank you Mrs P you did an amazing job. Rooms 1, 2 & 3 were also paint-ed during the break which has brightened up the rooms ready for the New Year.

JS Staff This year we welcome Mrs Wen-dy Fleming and Miss Julia Maclay to the JS teaching team. Mrs Fleming will be teaching Year 3 and Miss Maclay will be teaching Music to children in Year 1 – 6 this year. Julia is not new to ASSG, she has been teaching Music in the Senior School. JS Admin Officer: Mrs Cathe-rine Shepley: [email protected]

achieved throughout the School and we are very grateful to everyone who gave their time over the week-end.

JS Staffroom’s Facelift During the holidays, Tom Hogg and his crew gave the JS Staffroom an amazing facelift. A number of cup-boards and shelves were installed to house the many resources we have in the JS. It has taken on a whole new look, but more im-portantly our resources are now readily accessed. With the many projects that were scheduled for the school holidays, my sincere thanks are extended to Tom and


Pre Prep: Mrs Tonya Peagham, Mrs Colleen Limkin & Mrs Jenelle Cragg Prep: Mrs Margaret Riddle & Mrs Vanessa Herring Year 1: Mrs Rachel Marshall Year 2: Miss Melissa Browne Year 3: Mrs Wendy Fleming Year 4: Mrs Laura Heuir Year 5: Mr Rob Roughley Year 6: Mrs Marilyn Toohey Teacher Assistant: Mrs Peta Polsen Learning Support: Mrs Martina O’Reagain & Mrs Beth Silverwood HPE: Miss Pia Taylor JS Sport Co-ordinator: Miss Pia Taylor LOTE (German): Mrs Skylea McLean Library: Beth Silverwood Music: Miss Julia Maclay Instrumental: Ms Leslie Croker Our staff are looking forward to meeting parents/carers at our Meet the Teacher-Parent Infor-mation Evening in Week 3. This evening is a good opportunity for parents to meet and hear from your child’s class teacher who will briefly outline the curriculum, class-room routines and procedures spe-cific to your Year Level. In the past it has been difficult for parents to meet with each of their children’s teachers, so this year we will endeavour to stagger the times to provide a more flexible timeta-ble. More information regarding this evening will be sent out to all JS families. ASSG Code The Junior School staff and stu-dents have developed the ASSG Code. This code helps the students to remember the important things about being a student at All Souls St Gabriels School. Each letter of ASSG represents something im-portant that we need to remember to guide us through our learning


We saw lots of happy smiling fac-es on Thursday 28th January, and look forward to your contin-ued support as we enter the 2016 academic year. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

and play: Always learning, Staying safe, Serving others and Going for-ward.

Going Forward I continue to be extremely proud of the students, staff, and commu-nity members of ASSG. Our stu-dents work hard in and out of school. Our staff endeavour to pro-vide students with quality educa-tional opportunities on a consistent basis and our community provides amazing support for our academics and extra-curricular programs. I look forward to a rewarding and productive year for students, staff, families and the wider All Souls St Gabriels Junior School community.


Head of Boarding Darren Guldbransen Head of Boarding Mobile: 0415 903 479 Email: [email protected]

Boys’ Boarding Feetham House Jake Diery Senior Resident Mobile: 0419 471 433 Email: [email protected] Page House Davin Marshall Senior Resident Mobile: 0409 071 433 Email: [email protected] Ramsay House Brendan Travers Senior Resident Mobile: 0400 751 433 Email: [email protected]

Girls’ Boarding Alban House Narelle Kelly Senior Resident Mobile: 0419 771 433 Email: [email protected] Becket House Teneil Smale Senior Resident Mobile: 0407 142 493 Email: [email protected] Chad House Yvonne Schaefer Senior Resident Mobile: 0439 764 638 Email: [email protected]

Dormitory News Dormitory News Head of Boarding Darren Guldbransen Welcome back to all new and re-turning boarders and their families. 2016 promises to be another excit-ing year in boarding. Whilst we are proud of all our graduating Year 12 students, we are particularly proud of our Year 12 boarders who have contributed greatly to the boarding environment over the years, and who are now making their own way in the world. There must be something that makes past students want to return to contribute to the well being and development of the next generation. This year we welcome Mr Jake Diery as the Feetham Senior Resident who replaces Mr Chris Lerch. We thank Chris and his family for all they have done in boarding, and wish them all the best in their new business.

Feetham Dormitory Supervisor Jake Diery

Jake is a previous school Captain (2005) and boarder. Since school, Jake has worked as a carpenter and builder, and has a great deal of ex-perience working with people, an essential skill as a residential carer. Jake joins a strong team of resident staff and assistants who take pride in making boarding at ASSG an en-joyable experience where lifelong friendships are formed.

Page House Davin Marshall Senior Resident Welcome back to all boarders and parents. For the new parents to Page Dorm my name is Davin Mar-shall and I am the Senior Resident for 2016. This year will be my 5th year as a boarding supervisor and I live with my family in the senior residence attached to the dormito-ry. We have a strong Senior group in the dormitory this year and I am anticipating a great year in all as-pects of boarding life. It will be a busy start to the year as always with the Inter House Swimming Carnival coming up quickly and the Year 7s going on camp to The Fairbairn Dam. The boys will be busy and hopefully the new board-ers will settle in quickly and feel part of our boarding community. Homesickness is always a part of life for our new boarders and re-turning boarders. Please feel wel-come to call me if you have any concerns about how your son is coping with life in the dormitory.


Staff Profile

Staff Name: Josie Stainkey

Duties at ASSG: Year 7 English and

Humanities Teacher

How long you have been at ASSG? This is my first year.

Where you are from? Originally from Charters

Towers and have been living in Townsville for the

past four years.

Something people may not know about you: I used to be a dance teacher

What encouraged you to do this job? Having just finished studying at university, I was

looking for a job which would challenge me, but

would also be enjoyable and fulfilling. When the

job at ASSG was advertised, I thought it would be

perfect.

What work did you do before coming to ASSG? I have been studying fulltime at university

and working at two after school care centres

in Townsville.

What is your favourite aspect of your job? Working with children and being involved in

extra-curricular activities.

And your least favourite? Trying to learn everyone’s names!

What was your favourite subject at school? English

What was the most important part of your education? Making sure that I always had a go at

everything which was offered to me.

Which person (or thinker) has had the greatest influence on your life? My mum and dad

What would you never do, no matter the price? Definitely support NSW in State of Origin

If you had a motto, what would it be? Always try to become the best possible version of

yourself and not of someone else.

If you could choose, what would you have for your last meal? Lamb chops and cookie

dough ice cream.


From our new Head, Darren Fleming

Whilst unpacking books onto the bookshelf, I reacquainted myself with a book entitled “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Some of these ideas are shared below:

Six ways to make people like you 1. Become genuinely interested in other people. 2. Smile. 3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any

language. 4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. 5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests. 6. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Be a Leader A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behaviour. Some suggestions to ac-complish this: 1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation. 2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly. 3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person. 4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders. 5. Let the other person save face. 6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation

and lavish in your praise." 7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to. 8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct. 9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People 1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain. 2. Give honest and sincere appreciation. 3. Arouse in the other person an eager want. Whilst the language used may be a bit old fashioned in parts, the simple messages hold true today. In fact the book was written by Dale Carnegie in 1936. The ability to communicate with people of all ages is as important today as it was then.

headmaster contents - all souls st gabriels school · 2016. 8. 29. · assg is called prep. years...

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