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A community for all (cont’d) Two new members joined the College Board at the recent Board retreat – Dr Catherine See and Mr Tim Connolly. Catherine's business and strategic consultancy background - she also is chair of the Terrace Timor Network - and Tim's town planning and organisational skills will be very valuable additions to the Board. Former much-loved and respected Director of Culture Ms Vicki Sargent was in our thoughts last Tuesday as our College was inundated with young musicians who later that night performed at Brisbane Boys' College. The Junior Music Day of Excellence and Vicki Sargent Concert provided an opportunity not only to remember Vicki but also for talented young students from 10 other schools across Brisbane to regale our Spring Hill campus with their music and voices as they prepared for the concert. Over the last few weeks I have been privileged to spend time with 35 young men to whom I am an academic mentor. In sharing their stories, one young man revealed the method behind an astounding 5-point improvement in his projected OP score. He has put it down to five things: Friday Roll Call (students will know what that means) Planning and organisation Finishing assignments before time Committing to logging study hours Joining study groups after school. What is most obvious to me from working with the boys has been their passion and desire to do better. Next week I will be spending time with a number of Year 12 students at Maroon during the last of the Kairos Retreats. It has been said many times, and I know it to be true, that this retreat is greatly valued by the Seniors, as one of the final opportunities before they leave Terrace to spend time as a group in a somewhat more relaxed atmosphere with their friends and classmates. The work done by Campus Minster Mr Paul Antenucci and Peer Ministers David Tubbs, James Herd and Sam Reiser is quite remarkable. The organisation that goes into weekend sport and culture activities, from early in the morning ‘till late in the day, is exceptional – in particular the work done by Director of Sport Mr Damian Wright and Director of Culture Mr Neil Wharton and our individual sports directors/coaches. Then there is the volunteer work provided by our parents and Old Boys, at the barbeque, canteen, putting up banners and flags, scoring, refereeing and more. Organised sport and activities don't just happen…unless there is someone to do the organising. This weekend there will be Basketball and Rugby away at Toowoomba Grammar, CIC Tennis at Nudgee, CIC Track and Field and tomorrow (Friday) night there will be CIC Basketball and GPS Chess. Debating also is into the finals with five of our teams winning through to the next stage of the QDU competition last night. Congratulations to our Gymnastics Captains – Captain Tom Labone and Vice Captain Robert Hickson, who were presented at Spirit Assembly on Tuesday. Year 12 students are approaching a particularly busy and exciting period, including the Senior Formal, which is less than two weeks away. QCS Testing – which I often refer to as "the biggest team event of the year'' is early next month. Students need to keep their eyes firmly on their goal - enjoy the "down time'' but keep their priorities straight. With best wishes Peter Chapman COLLEGE PRINCIPAL STUDY TIP 10 Top Study Tips for Improving Concentration 1. Study in a quiet place – no distractions! 2. Make a schedule – for the week and then for the day. 3. Study at a time that suits you best – early morning or in the evening. 4. Make sure you are not tired or hungry when you study – you need energy! Drink water, no soft drink! 5. Don’t try to do two tasks at the same time. Concentration means focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all else. 6. Break large tasks into a series of smaller tasks that you complete one at a time. 7. Relax. It is hard to concentrate when you are tense. 8. Clear your mind. Don’t daydream. Monitor your thoughts. 9. Imagine you will share what you are studying with a friend. What would you tell them about the topic? 10.Take breaks when you feel tired. Have a short break then go back to work. Studying without real concentration is like trying to fill a bucket with water when the bucket has a hole in it! It just doesn’t work! (How–To-Study.com) Julie Dignam, HOF Exceptional Learners DATE CLAIMERS August 3 Interhouse Track & Field at Tennyson 6 Year 10 Subject Selection Evening - Campbell Ctr - 7pm 8 Feast of St Mary Mackillop of the Cross Middle School Concert - Campbell Ctr - 7pm 9, 10 Year 10 Subject Selection Interviews 11 Annual Debating Dinner 13 QCS Practice Test Day 1 Year 10 Subject Selection Interviews 14 QCS Practice Test Day 2 Year 10 Subject Selection Interviews Senior Formal - 6.30 - 11pm 15 Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary RNA Show Holiday 16 QTAC Information Evening for Yr 12 parents & students - GT125 - 7pm 17 GTOBA Annual Dinner - 7pm - Tattersall’s Club 18 Official Reopening at Tennyson 2
College Dean Mr C Mayes Year 12 QCS preparation - The QCS workshops that were set down for this Friday have been postponed due to the rescheduling of the College Track and Field carnival. This session was meant to be an SRI workshop. The students will undertake the workshop at a later date. Support for GT sport – It was wonderful to see so many young men and families supporting our Rugby teams at Tennyson on the weekend. Unfortunately the support for the Basketball wasn't as strong. It would be great for our First V team if more players could remain behind after their games to support them. This weekend we travel to Toowoomba. Whilst it is a long trip, I would ask all supporters to remain for the First Basketball and Rugby if possible. It means a lot to the Senior students. Junior Day of Excellence – This year it was our turn to host musicians from all of the lower middle years of other GPS schools. The students practised during the day on Tuesday at Terrace under the supervision of the many talented Music teachers from each of the schools. The boys then performed for parents and other interested audience at BBC on Tuesday evening. This concert is named after Ms Vicki Sargent, the former College Director of Culture. Vicki was passionate about the arts within boys' schools. The boys were fantastic and would have made her very proud. Congratulations to all of the students from Terrace and the dedicated Music and choral teachers. As always, your work is very much appreciated. Olympics – No doubt many of you have been watching all of the happenings in London since last Saturday morning. Personally, I enjoy watching most sports. As I get older, I am appreciating the efforts of each of the competitors more. I particularly enjoy watching the reactions of the athletes who do well enough to win a medal or achieve an unexpected PB. Alternatively, I get quite disappointed when I see athletes who win silver or bronze and are upset about this. I appreciate that there is a school of thought that says that all athletes should be ruthless and expect to win, however there can only be one winner. My point is that by devaluing minor placings, athletes devalue their opponents who were better on the day. We often speak to our boys about trying to the best of their abilities but also appreciating the abilities and efforts of their opponents – this is what true sportsmanship is about. Dean of Studies Mrs J Quinn Many thanks to the families who attended our Year 8 Exhibition afternoon. Our boys were enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of families and were looking forward to being proud hosts on the day. Our aim was to offer a snap-shot of a day in the life of a Year 8 student. We are indeed blessed by the presence of our Gentlemen of Terrace. Next Monday evening (6 August) is our Year 10 Subject Selection evening. The evening commences at 7pm in the Campbell Centre with a general session on Senior schooling. This session will be followed by presentations outlining information on each of the Senior subjects offered. These presentations will be repeated four times over the duration of the evening. The evening will conclude at approximately 9pm when tea and coffee will be offered in the Campbell Centre. Following this evening, students will have an interview with one of the Heads of Faculty where final discussions and decisions are made. This program, combined with the lessons in formation where SET plans are formulated, should allow informed decisions to be made. This week our Year 12 students reviewed our last writing task practice and a follow-up workshop on our last Short Response Item paper. Our boys are to be commended on their efforts to date. We continue to prepare for the designated QCS days on September 4-5, with a full practice on August 13-14. As we are now at the conclusion of Week 4, all students need to be back into the routine of ensuring time is given to homework and assignments. Planning around assignments, allowing for drafting and feedback, are essential for good outcomes. I encourage all students to ensure they are logging their study hours in their diary, completing the term planner and ensuring they do their 'Friday roll call'. Dean of Students Mr D Carroll A day in the park Rugby season is with us, the weather is beautiful and there is excitement in the air. Our teams are playing good Rugby and it is very obvious that we are more competitive across the board. Congratulations to all the coaches who have worked hard to ensure this improvement. I enjoyed last Saturday and felt that most games I watched were played in great spirit. We have been working with the boys on developing a positive attitude towards the game. In particular I have been explaining that Rugby is a contact sport . This means that the opposition is going to tackle you when you get the ball. Just because you get passed the ball does not mean that the opposition has to get out of your way so you can run and score a try. You need to expect to get tackled and abide by the referee's decision. If your son can't do that and react in a way which clearly displays this then he simply won't play. It doesn't matter what team the boy plays in, it matters how they play the game. We will continue to work with the boys and I hope you will support us at home as well. Rugby is a great game and good for young men to play to assist with their discipline. I encourage them to play but in a way that exhibits that discipline. I think you could help on the sidelines as well. If you are a yeller , what are you yelling? If it is a critical comment aimed at the opposition or the referee then please don't. Why not set an example for the boys and encourage them to remain focused, abide by the referee's decision and get on with trying to win the game. Remember they keep score and winning the game is the goal of the contest. I am happy to hear from you if you feel there are incidents that you think are inappropriate. Your eyes and ear are important for us to create a picture of how the day progresses. Inter-House Track and Field - This is at Tennyson tomorrow. It is a great day and boys need to wear their House shirt, black shorts and closed sports shoes. They will need a hat and a water bottle as well. Food is available to buy but I would pack them something as well. 3
Page 1: Henry Silvey and James Rochester, b
Page 5 and 6: Director of Culture Mr N Wharton Th
Page 7 and 8: Director of Sport Mr D Wright Twelv
Page 9 and 10: Terrace Ladies Group Mothers’ Mor

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