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The OracleIncorporating the Collegian Communicator Semester Two Edition 2010ormistoncollege.com.au

The OracleOrmiston CollegeOrmiston College reflects the individualspirit, integrity and values of aco-educational, independent, nondenominationalChristian school,catering for students from Prepthrough to Year 12. The College hasthree major intake levels at the start ofthe academic year, Prep, Year 6 andYear 8. Individual enrolments mayoccur throughout the year at variouslevels.The Early Learning Centre, PugglesBurrow, offers day care for childrenfrom 15 months to 5 years in a safe,caring environment.Enrolment applications for all yearlevels are accepted from birth. Parentsare advised to make application forenrolment well in advance of therequired year of entry.Scholarship information andenrolment application forms may beobtained from the Registrar.P +61 7 3821 8999E registrar@ormistoncollege.com.auOrmiston CollegeDundas Street WestOrmiston Queensland 4160AustraliaPO Box 1835Cleveland DC Queensland 4163AustraliaABN 96 010 613 135AdministrationP +61 7 3821 8999F +61 7 3821 1311E admin@ormistoncollege.com.auVisit our website atwww.ormistoncollege.com.auOracle Editor:Valerie WarwickPrepress/Layout/Production:Kersive Creative (www.kersive.com)Nadia GaySonya DewarPhotography:Staff, Students, ParentsQUT – Faculty of Built Environmentand EngineeringDiving Australia/BrobesSporting Images AustraliaMathematics TrustPrinting:Fergies Print and MailContributions welcome - pleaseemail Valerie Warwick, Director ofMarketing and Public Relations atv.warwick@ormistoncollege.com.au2 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

From TheHeadmasterFrom The EditorWe all love success stories and thatis one thing I am never short of whenit comes to writing articles for theOracle. Hardly a week goes by whenwe do not celebrate an achievementof some kind. We see whole yearlevels receiving accolades for nationaland international competitions, wehear about team wins and individualaccomplishments, both inside andoutside of school.We cannot be called boastful forcontinually bragging about ourstudents because everything that iswritten here is true. It may sounda bit of a cliché to say “OrmistonCollege students live by theirschool motto” Seek to Achieve, butthat is exactly what they do. Theycontinually strive to achieve theirgoals and the following pages willillustrate the spirit and perseveranceof our tenacious students. Enjoyreading what I have enjoyed writing.A very happy New Year.Valerie WarwickEditorReading through the pages of the Oraclemakes me appreciate just how far ourstudents have come in the period of oneschool year. None more so than ouryoungsters in the Early Learning Centre,many of whom were only 15 monthsat the beginning of the year but nowrun around as confident two year olds.The growth that has occurred in motorskills, oral language and independencein our toddlers and Pre-Preps is trulyremarkable.Our Prep students however, started the year full of excitementyet somewhat wary of their fellow acquaintances and their newsurroundings. Now they are social little people who have completelytaken over the Prep area and turned it into their very own space. OurPrimary Students have also progressed. I see growth in children fromYear 1 through to Year 7, not only in knowledge but also in socialbehaviour. Our teaching has shown them to be more enquiring, moreassertive and through their learning they are experiencing rewardingresults academically and in sport, music, art and drama, creating ahappy, healthy working environment.Our Senior Students have advanced in both studies and maturity.Throughout the year they have taken on new challenges withenthusiasm and vigour. Our Year 12 graduates took on board all theadvice they were given at leadership camp and proved themselves to begreat role models working tirelessly in their final year.The photographs and articles are evidence of the growth andaccomplishments our students have experienced over the period of ayear. I hope you enjoy reading the following pages and that you mayshare in the pride I hold for our students.I wish all families a safe and relaxing break and a very happy New Year.Brett WebsterHeadmasterSemester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 3

At the start of Term 4, Mrs LeeCatterall took up the position of Headof Junior School and spent a busyfew weeks getting to know students,staff and parents as well as takingon her new role. Mrs Catterall bringswith her a vast range of experiencehaving taught in both the State andindependent sectors in Queenslandand in New South Wales. MrsCatterall comes to Ormiston fromFraser Coast Anglican College whereshe had worked for fourteen years,firstly as the inaugural Head ofEarly Childhood, then taking on theposition of Deputy Head of the JuniorSchool, a position she held for nineyears. Joining Mrs Catterall at theCollege is her son in Year 3 and herdaughter in Year 8.“In my short time here I have beenable to observe student success inacademic competitions, success onthe sporting field, performances atconcerts, presentations on assemblyand the list goes on. I have maderegular classroom visits and haveobserved the wonderful work ourteachers are doing and have beenable to witness first hand a largenumber of confident, well-organisedstudents who are committed to theirstudies.Term 4 has been really exciting forme and many plans for 2011 arealready in place.“The Junior Arts Centre is nearingcompletion and will be a fantasticaddition to the College. It will beequipped with a lecture theatre whichwill seat 150 students, an art anddrama room plus numerous musicpractice rooms which will be able toaccommodate all of our music classesand co-curricular tuition students.“We will have a number of newstaff joining us in 2011 due to theadditional Prep and Year 5 class thatwe are to welcome in January. Wewill also see some staff movementacross the grades. This is particularlyimportant for the continuedprofessional growth of our staff.“As we move towards implementingthe Australian National Curriculumwe will focus on ProfessionalDevelopment for staff in this area.Part of this development will bethrough the Dimensions of Learning(DOL), the planning framework thatintegrates the best teaching practicesand strategies that can be used toimprove the quality of teaching andlearning. Teacher Aides as well asJunior School staff will be involved inthis ongoing program.“Our Early Learning Centre is oneof the few early childhood servicesin the State to have been approvedto pilot the government’s plannedkindergarten program that is to beimplemented in 2014. The working ofthis program will be of great benefitto both our early learners and thestaff involved.”“I am already so proud to be part ofthe Ormiston College community inmy role as Head of the Junior School.Above (l-r): Sandra Jamieson (Assistant Deputy of Junior School), Lee Catterall (Head of Junior School),Phillip Makridakis (Deputy Head of Junior School), Sandra Sheahan (PA to Head of Junior School).4 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

What was Mr Wise up to atthe start of Term 4?A different teacher greeted the studentsof 6JW at the start of Term 4 - wherewas Mr Wise?Mr Justin Wise, a member of theQueensland Mixed Indoor NetballTeam, who has a host of Queenslandand Australian titles under his belt, hadtaken a leave of absence to compete inthe National Titles held in Brisbane.Mr Wise, who has been a representativeplayer for about 15 years, finishedhis round matches on the top of theladder and played two heart and gutwrenching finals to be knocked out ofthe Grand Final by two goals. However,good news followed when Justin wasawarded Player of the Series and madethe Australian Team. He was alsoawarded Mixed Player of the Year ‘Bestand Fairest’.The students of 6JW enjoy the humourof their classroom teacher, Mr Wise,but outside the classroom the studentsare able to benefit from his expertise ofthe game. Mr Wise coaches our Year 6students in the Junior School and the10A team in the Senior School. Thisseason the Seniors finished third, thebest ever for Year 10 and the childrenin Year 6 went undefeated. Mr Wiseis to be congratulated on his personalachievement and for his part in therewarding year our netballers haveexperienced in the game.New Head Swimming Coach for HSSStudents are looking forward to the commencement of the 2011Ormiston College swim season at the HSS, under the instruction ofour new Head Coach, Mr Craig Davidson.Mr Davidson’s most recent coaching position was in Sichuan,China but Mr Davidson has coached in various States of theUS as well as Australia. Mr Davidson has held the position ofmanagement and coaching in the Queensland Secondary SchoolsSports Association systems as well as with the QueenslandAcademy of Sport. Having been selected as a Scholarship Coach,he has worked alongside some of the leading Australian Coachesand has been instrumental in training some of our upcomingOlympic hopefuls.Mr Davidson brings with him over 30 years of experience, both asan instructor and an athlete of competitive swimming, nationallyand internationally.Semester Two Two Edition 2010 2010 The Oracle 5

Special AchievementsRepresenting Australiain the CommonwealthGames, IndiaJames Connor (pictured below):James, Year 9, competed in theCommonwealth Games trials heldin Perth in July and was selectedto represent his country in the 10mplatform diving event. He was theyoungest Australian participant atthe Commonwealth Games andthe youngest Australian male diverto represent his country in the10m platform event. James did hiscountry proud, in his first dive hescored straight 9s and at one stagewas standing 5th in the competition.James was up against WorldChampion, Tom Daley and AustralianOlympic Champion, MatthewMitcham and finished a respectable9th in this world class field. Well doneJames, we know you have a brightfuture ahead of you.Ormiston College also had twoother elite divers, Matthew Barnardand Gemma Allinson, also fromYear 9. Matthew, along with James,represented Australia in the 18th FINAWorld Diving Championships heldin Tucson, Arizona. Congratulationsand well done, James, Gemma andMatthew.James Connorphotographs bykind permissionof DivingAustralia/BrobesSwimming at theAustralian Institute ofSport, CanberraTaylah McDonnell(pictured right): Dueto her outstandingperformance inswimming this year,Taylah, Year 8, wasselected into theJunior PlatinumSquad which comesunder the banner ofthe Australian Youth PerformanceSquad through SwimmingQueensland/Swimming Australia.As a member of the Junior PlatinumSquad, Taylah was invited to swimat the Queensland Academy ofSport, Canberra, where she attendedtraining sessions and had her strokefilmed above and below water. Taylahalso had the opportunity to meetwith former and current members ofthe Australian Swim Team. Excellenteffort, Taylah.Competed in theSwimming Australia AgeNationals, SydneyCharlton Otene(pictured right):Charlton, Year 9, hasbeen awarded theDistrict Age Championfor three years in arow and this yearwas selected into theSwimming AustraliaYouth DevelopmentSquad. Charlton has won two GoldMedals, one for BSA Open WaterAge Champion for his 1 km swimand the second Gold for his 3 kmswim. He also received a BronzeMedal in the Secondary School StateChampionships. He is a recipient ofa local individual sporting grant fromAustralia Sport and this year qualifiedand competed at the SwimmingAustralia Age Nationals in Sydney.Well done, Charlton.Tom Waller-Brown, anamazing all rounderTom Waller-Brown, Year 5, won theMet East Tetrathlon, a multi disciplineathletic event which includes 800m,100m, shot put and long jump,breaking the record by an amazing169 points, which resulted in himtravelling to Townsville to competein the three day Queensland PrimarySchools Athletics Championship. Inthe finals Tom came fourth overall inQueensland for the finals of the multievent.It has been a big year for Tom, whomade the semi-finals in the 200m,came fifth in the Queensland AllSchools Cross Country, made it toMet East Swimming and went on towin Junior Cricketer of the Year athis local club. Tom was also namedBest and Fairest Rugby Player in the10 Years East Team and ended theyear by being named in the 12 Years(and he is only 10) Redland DistrictIan Healy Cup Team, to play in theQueensland Development Carnival inJanuary 2011. A terrific year of sportTom, congratulations.Photo above: Tom competing in Townsville. Photographby kind permission of Sporting Images Australia.6 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

MathematicsRated among top threeschools for numeracy.The Australian, 1 May 2010Our students continue toblast their way towardsthe top of the ladderFollowing their success in theMathematics Team Challengeearlier this year, students fromboth Junior and Senior Schoolprogressed to even greater heights,claiming additional recognition inthe prestigious annual mathematiccompetitions.Australian Mathematics Competition:Excellent results were achieved inthis competition for the WestpacAwards. Our students received 8 HighDistinctions, 30 Distinctions and 15Credits. In addition, the College hadtwo student prize winners, MatthewVonk in Year 9 and, for the fourthyear in a row, Sarah Nguyen in Year12. Sarah also received the PrudenceAward.Who said maths is notFUN? Just ask our Year 8sabout ‘tummy buttons’Mathematics may well have a seriousside and results are all importantbut the activities that bring aboutresults certainly find OC studentsenjoying their lessons in ways thatare somewhat different from thenorm. Our Year 8 students showedgreat enjoyment in measuring theirheight and tummy button heights,calculating the average ratio which,strange though it may seem, turnedout to be close to the famous ‘GoldenRatio’ which occurs in many areasof nature, architecture and art. Howmysterious are the connections inmathematics that the average heightof our Year 8s, divided by theiraverage tummy button height, turnedout to be the same as the lengthdivided by the width of a rectangledrawn around the face of the MonaLisa? Who would have thought it?The Mathematic Department isextremely proud of its students fortheir combined effort, plus their greatcontribution to Ormiston Collegebeing rated amongst the top threeschools for numeracy in the Stateand in the top one percent of schoolsacross the nation.This year, under the helm of IanThomson, Head of Department, theMaths staff have extended theirexisting skills by participating in arange of professional developmentactivities. They have learned aboutnew styles of teaching and learningassociated with the Dimensions ofLearning framework (DOL) and theyhave continued to lead the Statein the use of tablet computers andadvanced types of calculators. TheSenior Mathematics team is madeup of Mr Ian Thompson (HOD), MsSarndra Bown, Mr David Bunting, MrChris Challen, Ms Helen Glasson, MrMichael Hiratos, Ms Shannon Milton,Mr Kris Peterman, Mr Ivan Silvey,Ms Jenny Vaughan and Ms AnnetteWindows.Sarah Nguyen and Matthew Vonk with Professor HelenMcGillveray at the AMC Awards Ceremony held at QUT.Photos by kind permission of the Australian MathematicsTrust.International MathematicsCompetition: This Competitionhas our students competingacademically against the highestachieving students in Australia andinternationally. Outstanding resultswere reached by our JUNIORS(Year 4 to Year 7) who received 15High Distinctions, 43 Distinctionsand 91 Credits and our SENIORS(Year 8 to Year 12) received 12 HighDistinctions, 114 Distinctions and 170Credits.University of QueenslandMathematics Competition: In anextremely challenging competition,Andrew Williams (Year 12) receiveda Prize and Ashleigh Peters (Year 8)received a Commendation.The Titanic, Cooking theBooks, Coca Cola, SecretCodes = MATHEMATICSSome students investigated thepassenger list of the Titanic tofind who had the greater chanceof survival, a first class femalepassenger or a third class malepassenger? A spreadsheet analysisproduced some surprising results.Other students used logarithmic lawsto do some forensic accounting, usingmathematics to detect if someonehad been ‘cooking the books’.Meanwhile our Year 12 studentsapplied their knowledge and skillsof calculus to produce a copyrightspecification of the curves that makeup the dynamic ribbon on the CocaCola logo. Some students appliedmatrices to crack secret codes whilstothers were out and about on campustaking measurements with tapes andclinometers. There is never a dullmoment in the OC Maths classrooms.10 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010Junior School Australian Mathematics Compeition HighDistinction winners

EnglishCreating an interest in reading andcreativity in writingQueensland Reader’s Cup ChampionsEarlier in the year Ormiston College teams enteredthe fierce, highly competitive Reader’s Cup and weresuccessful in winning their Regional Round, a first forOrmiston College.This took them on to the State Championships wherethe competition was even more rigorous. The Year 8/9Reader’s Cup requires the teams to read five novels andwork through five rounds each with ten questions. TheOrmiston College Team was made up of Georgia Dawson(Captain), Lily Greer, Helen Walker and Yasmin Akhtar.The four girls were extremely diligent in their preparation,meeting twice a week for two hourly sessions and alsoreading individually at home.Their hard work paid off, the girls were victorious,returning home as the 2010 Queensland Reader’s CupChampions. On congratulating our winning students,the Compare noted the outstanding scores the girls hadachieved in their Championship win; out of a possible15 points per round the team had scored 14, 13, 15 (aperfect score), 14 and 12, well ahead of the runner-upteam. Congratulations to the girls and to their mentor andcoordinator, Mrs Jo Waller-Brown.International English CompetitionEnglish offers many opportunities for students to displaytheir creativity, one being the International EnglishCompetition, undertaken by our Year 4 to Year 7 students.This Competition tests skills in Reading Literacy, ReadingFactual, Textual Devices, Syntax and Vocabulary. Thisyear our students received three High Distinctions, 35Distinctions and 75 Credits.Junior Literary AwardsOur upper primary children have the opportunity to testtheir writing ability and their creative skills in the JuniorLiterary Awards which are held annually. The entry mustbe their own work with the stipulation that is written,edited and corrected at school.This year’s winners were Joshua Burton for his workentitled The Wolf War, runner up Annaliese Maslen for ThePocketwatch and third, Kyla Bailey, The Leopard’s Journeyto Freedom. A great effort by all.Senior Literary AwardsThe Steve Littleton Literary Prize is aprestigious Ormiston College awardpresented annually to encourage thecreative writing talents of our Senior Schoolstudents. This year student entries werejudged by professional author Pat Flynn,who has written many successful novels foradolescents.The first place was awarded to SiobhanReynolds for her short story entitled ‘PleaseDon’t Take My Sunshine Away’. Runner-upwas Jake Longton for ‘There Again, OneLast Time’. Third was Amber Preiksa for herwork ‘The Divide’. Two Highly Commendedstudents received recognition, Nick Walkerfor ‘Let There Be Light’ and Ashley Stewartfor ‘Mian-Jin’. Well done to our authors.Semester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 11

Ormiston'sTertiary LinkA tertiary link between our Business Department andthe Queensland University of Technology, Schoolof Accountancy, has been working successfully forour students since 2007. Again this year our Year 12Accounting students were invited to enrol as universitystudents through the ‘Start QUT Program’. On successfulcompletion of their tertiary unit of study they gained credittowards a Bachelor of Business Degree or similar course.The 11 students involved in the 2010 program are to becongratulated for applying themselves to the Universitycourse in addition to their six other subjects, as well asmeeting the co-curricular demands of the College.This tertiary link offers many advantages to our students.As the course is free, there is a considerable financialsaving to families. It not only allows our students togain credit directly if they choose to study Business orindirectly if they select it as an elective but also the coursecan be used to gain recognition of prior learning. Thetertiary link also introduces our students to universityexpectations and the examination process as well asextending, refining and challenging the students, usingknowledge in a meaningful way. The result of their studyis recorded on their Queensland Certificate of Education(QCE). The ‘Start QUT Program’ was recently modified andas a result this educational opportunity is only offered toAccounting students attaining overall results in the VeryHigh Achievement or a High Achievement band.Mr Damian Molyneux, Business Academic Coordinatorsaid “I wish to thank Ms Ros Kent (Program Coordinatorand Senior Lecturer) for her constant support of OrmistonCollege and its students and her tireless efforts incoordinating the program. A large vote of thanks mustalso go to our Mr David Garnett for his coordination,organisation and teaching of the university course, as wellas Mrs Clare Tyler also for her excellent teaching of theuniversity course to her students."To build upon this firm link between QUT and OrmistonCollege, in 2011 with the ‘START QUT Program’, OrmistonCollege will provide our Year 12 Legal students attainingresults within the VHA and HA bands, the opportunityto study the unit BSB111 Business Law and Ethics, inSemester One. Similar to the Accounting course thestudents will undertake this study in their own time andattend the university for the required assessment. Alsosimilar to the Accounting course, students will be offeredafter school tutorials by staff to aid them in their academicprogress."As Business Coordinator, I view these two opportunitiesas an educational benefit to the relevant students now andin their tertiary academic futures. I also view it as a clearexample of supporting the College ethos and a practicalexample of the Dimensions of Learning Framework."Lastly I wish to express my utmost appreciation to theHeadmaster, Head of Teaching and Learning, Head ofSenior School and the Dean of Studies for their constantsupport over many years of these new initiatives of theBusiness Department.”Second SemesterSuccessüScienceOur Senior Students participated with approximately halfa million students across Australia, New Zealand andthe Pacific region in the Australian Science Competitionwith excellent results, seven High Achievements, 80Distinctions and 147 Credits.Our Junior Students (Year 4 to Year 7) had rewardingresults from their participation in the InternationalScience Competition, receiving eight High Distinctions,47 Distinctions and 84 Credits.ChemistryThis year 98 students from Year 10, 11 and 12,participated in the National Chemistry Quiz along withover 115,000 students from over 1,400 schools acrossAustralia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the Pacificregion. Our students achieved excellent results, beingawarded 22 High Distinctions, 23 Distinctions and 14Credits.NAPLANOrmiston College students consistently achieve abovenational benchmarks in the National AssessmentProgram for Literacy and Numeracy. Last year theCollege was recognised as one of the State’s Top 8achieving secondary schools in terms of the NAPLANscores. The record of achievement continued in 2010with the College named as one of Queensland’s Top5 schools, in terms of the percentages of secondaryschool students who are achieving above the benchmark.Our 2010 NAPLAN performance represented the bestresult for our College to date, placing us as the highestachieving primary school in the Redlands.TechnologyOur Year 8, 9 and 10 Students sat the AustralianComputer Competition resulting in six High Distinctions,30 Distinctions and 67 Credits.Laptop ProgramProviding good access to technology is an ongoingpriority for Ormiston College with the emphasis on themeaningful use of ICT’s to enrich learning experiencesand enhance student outcomes. This year has seen apilot of Apple ipads in the Junior School with the focuson improving literacy and numeracy. The College hasalso seen the successful start of the Senior School LaptopProgram. In Term 3 our Year 9 students, very excitedly,received their Ormiston College laptop and could be seentapping away feverishly in a variety of lessons across thecampus. In Term 1 next year more students will becomea part of the Laptop program with Year 8 and 9 studentsreceiving laptops. The use of ICTs across the campus isincreasing every year.12 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

New Arts Centreto open January2011Construction is in full swing on a$3 million Arts Centre which willprovide improved learning spacesfor the Junior School Music, VisualArts and Drama programs. The newbuilding, funded through the FederalGovernment's ‘Building the EducationRevolution Program’ will also housea 150 seat lecture theatre surroundedby six additional music practicerooms which will greatly assist inmeeting the strong demand forprivate tuition in music and drama.The existing building which haspreviously housed the Junior SchoolMusic and Art classrooms is nowundergoing refurbishment, alsofacilitated by the Federal GovernmentFunding Grant, and will provideadditional classrooms for theexpansion of the Junior School. Newclassrooms will be ready for use inTerm 1, 2011.Semester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 13

REDBACKS REDBACKS REDBACKS40 Champion TeamsAn Incredible PerformanceIn 2009, the Ormiston College Redbacks produced morechampion teams (37) than any other in the history of theCollege, a benchmark many argued would stand for along time but, not to be outdone, the Redbacks boasted40 Champion teams in 2010, an incredible performance.• The OC swimming team again dominated at TASwinning ten trophies: Champion School Trophy, BoysAggregate Trophy, Girls Aggregate Trophy (for thefirst time), both the TAS Boys and Girls PercentageTrophies and Under 14, 15 and Open Boys and theUnder 13 & Open Girls Age Championships.• The OC swimming team created history by winningthe Bayside District and TAS championships in thesame year.• The Redbacks won five Trimester 1 seasonpremierships: Years 9 and First Grade Volleyball,Year 10 Girls Tennis and Year 9 and Year 10 Cricketwhich ranked OC as the TAS Champion school forthe season.• The Redbacks were Bayside District Cross CountryChampions with the Under 16 Boys and Girls AgeChampions.• The Redbacks were second in TAS Cross Country,their best result ever, with the Under 16 Girls, Under14 Boys and Under 13 Girls, Age Champions.• The Redbacks won four Trimester 2 seasonpremierships: First Grade Tennis, Year 10 Rugby andYear 8 and 2nds Red Hockey. An overall strike rateof 65% made this the most successful Trimester 2season for the Redbacks in TAS history• The Redbacks won for the first time the BaysideDistrict Athletics Carnival Championships.• For the first time the Redbacks won the BaysideSwimming, Cross Country and AthleticsChampionships in the same year, an amazingeffort given OC’s comparatively smaller studentpopulation.• OC AFL enjoyed their best season ever winning threepremierships: First XVIII, Years 10 and 8 with theYear 9s runners up.• The Redbacks broke through for their first TASAthletics crown winning the Co-educational andGirls Aggregate and the Under 16 and Open GirlsChampions trophies. A historic day for the Redbacks.• The Redbacks won six Trimester 3 seasonpremierships: First and second Grade Softball andFirsts, Seconds, Seconds Red and Year 10 Volleyball.Winners of the following prestigious 2010 awards were:• Most Improved Team of the Year: First Grade BoysTennis• Champion Team Award: TAS Athletics• Most Improved Sport of the Year: Girls Basketball• Most Successful Sport of the Year: AFL• Sportsman of the Year: Stan Meissner• Sportswoman of the Year: Breanne GoschnickAn amazing and extremely memorableyear for the Redbacks!Junior School Tennis UndefeatedChampionsThis year’s Junior Tennis trials saw dozens of enthusiasticcompetitors eager to display their talents. Selecting only15 to make up three teams was extremely difficult.Our Blue Level team members were Kevin Penney, AidenElliott and Brent Neale from Year 7 and Layton Matthewsand Andrew Fowler, Year 5, whose consistent play sawthem through as undefeated champions.We had two Red Level teams, Team 1 members were JoelKesur and Conor Grimes, Year 7 and Christopher Schmidt,Anakin Thornton and Julius Lang, Year 6. Red Team 2members were Lauren Kritzinger, Stephanie Charly, PatrickO’Callaghan, Ryan Lago and Alex Muirhead all from Year7. These two teams did exceptionally well and were bothonly defeated once in the entire season and on bothoccasions by a very small margin.Mrs Sandra Jamieson, the Junior Tennis Coordinator,said “Our three teams enjoyed a highly competitiveand successful season, with great team spirit andsportsmanship. Training was always enthusiastic and funfor all.” Mrs Jamieson went on to say “It was a pleasureand privilege to be associated with these enthusiastic, wellmannered children and I look forward to next season whenour Year 5 and 6 children will once again play, joined by anumber of newcomers.”Miss Andronikos and Miss Gresty were very impressedwith the level of tennis and sportsmanship they witnessedeach week and they are to be thanked for their help andsupport throughout the tennis season.14 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

An Absolute Gold Rush....5 AFL Premiership TeamsWhat a great AFL season. Our boys went undefeatedclaiming three Premierships, Year 8-9, Year 10-12 and ourOpen Team.At the annual TAS Carnival the girls took out a further twoPremierships, making it the fifth year in a row that ourYear 8-9 girls team have claimed the Premiership, followedby our Year 10-12 girls, who premiered for the third year insuccession.Congratulations must go to Mr Shaun Griggs for hisinspirational coaching and to AFL Coordinator, MrsBarbara Wortley.Bugsy MaloneOur Year 7 Drama students gave up their lunchtimes,weekends and after school time in order to presenttheir own special version of Bugsy Malone. Theirdedication and commitment was evident to theiraudience when they presented their colourful,New York, gangster style performance. The actors,backstage team and the sound and lighting crewworked together to produce a magnificent, fun fillednight of comedy. Congratulation cast, crew and ofcourse, director, Ms Marianna Psaltis.Ms Barbara Wortley and BlakeGrewar, Captain of the Firsts atSports Awards Night16 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

African EquityAt the end of Term 4, the Collegewelcomed six African children tothe school, creating a wonderfulopportunity for cross-cultural sharingwith our students. Riley Anderson,Year 7 and Conal Grewar, Year 6,acted as guides to our visitors.Their first day was spent in the JuniorSchool visiting Mrs Creadie’s Year 2Class, Ms MacDougal’s Year 5 Class,Mrs De Wet’s Year 6 Class and MsBowker’s Year 7 Class. The childrenshared their language, interests andculture as well as joining togetherin various classroom activities and aspecial scrumptious morning tea.On the third day they returned toschool and were introduced to MrWebster and then attended Fridaymorning Assembly, where they tookto the stage and performed twotraditional songs and traditionaldrumming to the delight of thestaff and students. It was a reallyenjoyable and valuable experience forour students and our African visitors.On the second day the visitors metwith Mr Gillette in the Senior School.Once acquainted, they attended oneof Mr Gillette’s biology classes. Atlunch the visitors were escorted tothe rugby fields where the rugby boyscooked them a special lunch andpresented them with mementos ofOrmiston College.Shoes for FoodHeroes of the NationFor some months now ourstudents have been gatheringtogether shoes that their familiesno longer require and shoes thatstudents have grown out of, fordonation to the ‘Shoes for Food’drive. The donation not only helpsto break the cycle of poverty forthe African families who re-sellthem in micro-businesses, butjust 2 container loads also feeds,educates and houses every oneof the 530 children in the ‘Herosof the Nation’ orphanage for twowhole years. The sale of just onepair of shoes will buy one family15kg of maize, enough to feeda family for a week. Ormistonstudents have been strongsupporters of the cause and intendcontinuing in 2011.18 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

Art Students Support‘ACT FOR KIDS’It was the decision of our students tocommit the 2010 Art Show to ‘ACTfor Kids’, which is an initiative of theAbused Child Trust. Our studentswanted to share this event in order tobroaden awareness of this Australiancharity that runs a free service to treatand prevent child abuse.The exhibition centrepiece was aninstallation designed by studentsin the Senior Art Club, made fromold wardrobes and toys. Guestswere invited to visit the specialcollaborative art installation and bydonating a gold coin, they couldcreate a colourful paper ‘helpinghand’ to attach to its inside wall.Several members of ‘ACT forKids’ attended the Art Show andMiss Karyn Lambert, on behalf ofthe organisation, addressed theaudience, thanking them for theirsupport and commenting on thehigh standard of art work producedby our students. Ms Lambert alsoannounced that she was delightedthat the Art Department and studentshad shown their desire to build upa stronger relationship betweenOrmiston College and “ACT for Kids’.Ms Lambert also announced that our2010 Art Dux would be invited toexhibit a piece of work at their major2011 Art Show fundraiser.weeks of hard work to get it to thisstage. What you don’t see is the yearround dedication and commitmentof our art staff. I am not just talkingabout their excellent work as teachersbut the way in which they inspireour children to draw on their owncreative talents, allowing them tothink imaginatively and innovativelyto become expressive communicatorsthrough their own artwork. It takesvery special people to do this.” Hethen presented a bouquet to MrsJulianne de Lange, Art Coordinator,who in turn thanked staff Mr DavidVial, Ms Jenny Furlong, Mrs KateStimson and the many invaluablevolunteer helpers.We look forward to future fundraisingevents so we may continue to assistin helping ‘ACT for Kids’.The Gala Opening of our spectacular2010 Art Show was attended bymany hundreds of parents, andstudents and several special guests.The exhibition, which displayed over1,000 pieces of student art work,represented creative items from theEarly Learning Centre through to Year12.Mrs Merilyn Walsh, Head of Teachingand Learning, presented each of ourYear 12 Art Students with flowersand thanked them for their specialcontribution to the event. TheHeadmaster, Mr Brett Webster, thenwent on to say “As you can imaginean Art Show of this magnitude takesa lot of organisation, planning andSemester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 19

Pilot Kindergarten ProgramOrmiston College Early Learning CentreResearch proves that when childrenparticipate in quality early childhoodeducation it lays a solid foundationfor their future success in learningand life. That is why the Queenslandand Australian Governments areinvesting up to $889 million to deliveruniversal access to kindergartenmaking this the single largestinvestment in kindergarten inQueensland's history.By 2014 the Queensland Governmentaims to ensure that every four yearold (the year before attending Prep)has access to a quality kindergartenprogram run by a fourth yearqualified early childhood teacherfor at least 15 hours a week for 40weeks of the year. Currently only32% of age appropriate childrenaccess a kindergarten program. Withthe introduction of the kindergartenprogram into long day care centresthis will rise to 95% by 2014.As part of the roll out of thiskindergarten program thegovernment have selected long daycares centres who meet the strictcriteria set down by the governmentto pilot this scheme. The OrmistonCollege Early Learning Centre isone of the early childhood servicesthroughout the state that has beenapproved to pilot this kindergartenprogram.What this means for our Centreis that the children who are ageappropriate (that is in the year beforeattending Prep) will be able to be partof this kindergarten program. FromNovember 2010 this program hasbeen introduced in our Pre Prep 1 &2 groups during the morning sessioneach day, with Mrs Helen Colemanworking alongside the educators inthe room. Mrs Coleman who holdsa Master of Learning Innovation(Early Childhood Teaching) will alsocontinue as the qualified teacher toimplement the program in 2011.The children will still learn througha play based program as this ishow these young children learnbest. For example when childrenplay with the blocks, puzzles, sand,water they are learning the basis oflogical and mathematical thinking,scientific reasoning and cognitiveproblem solving. When they areinvolved in dramatic play they arere-contextualising what they havelearned from personal experiences orstories. During group play activitieswith their peers they are buildingrelationships, combining ideas,compromising, learning to take theperspectives of others and so on.Therefore play is important for theseyoung children and must be valued.In many early childhood settings weare seeing a pushed down curriculumwhere younger children are engagedin structured activities, worksheetsand stencils. When children’s playis devalued in this way, when adultscontrol and organise all the activitiesrather than providing opportunitiesfor free and creative play, children aredeprived of so many opportunities totake on new challenges, to problemsolve through trial and error, to makemistakes, to take responsibility fortheir own actions to be resourceful asthey make something out of nothingand to have fun.The Queensland KindergartenLearning Guideline, which is alignedwith the Early Years LearningFramework, is used to guide theprogram. This curriculum focuses onbuilding the children’s confidencein their own abilities, extendingtheir knowledge and skills throughmeaningful experiences, enhancingtheir creativity, making them moreindependent and self disciplined,developing their social skills tocooperate and collaborate with theirpeers and making them self reliantand resilient. This kindergartenprogram will also help children tolearn early literacy and numeracyconcepts as well as communicationskills that will assist them when theybegin to read and write.The Ormiston College Early LearningCentre’s educators already use theEarly Years Learning Frameworkas the guideline for the programbut with the access to another staffmember who is a qualified teacher20 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

we aim to develop a kindergartenprogram which is of the highestquality. What must be remembered isthat the purpose of this kindergartenprogram is to enhance children’soverall development, not to rushthem into academics at an earlierage. Mrs Coleman along with theother dedicated educators, especiallyMs Michelle Tone and Ms RoseCloherty, will work together withparents and families to develop andimplement this program.It is another exciting phase for ourCentre and we are looking forwardto the challenge of continuingto provide an environment andresources that evoke the children’scuriosity and inspire them to exploreand find out more. As teacher andeducators it will be our role toenhance the children’s learning anddevelopment by creating supportivelearning environments, designing andimplementing learning experiencesand activities that engage thechildren and provide direction andintentional teaching, so the childrenbecome successful, independent andinterdependent learners.Being part of the pilot program weare also looking forward to providingfeedback to the government tohelp shape the ongoing roll-out ofkindergarten programs in long daycare services.Photos: Kindy Educators: L to RMichelle Stone, Helen Coleman(Director), Rose ClohertySemester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 21

POPSParents of Past StudentsThe Parents of Past Students (POPS) continues tosupport the school and is considered an importantpart of the Ormiston College community. Not onlyfor its financial support but also for assisting theschool in keeping up to date with careers, travel,marriages, births and the current happenings of our OldCollegians.On the second Thursday of each month POPS meet ata nominated restaurant in the Redlands or occasionallyfurther afield. This is a casual, friendly evening spentchatting over a nice meal. Venue, dates and times canbe accessed by visiting the website:www.ormistoncollege.com.au/studentsandparents/popsor by telephoning Mrs Glynis Hendricks at the Collegeon 3821 8951 or by emailingg.hendricks@ormistoncollege.com.auPhoto above: Clare Taylor (Question Master) and JudgesMembership to POPS is automatic upon a son ordaughter graduating from the school, regardless ofthere still being other siblings attending the College.Parents of students who attended Ormiston College butleft prior to graduation are eligible and most welcome.There is no membership fee.22 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

Christmas in JulyThe POPS Annual Christmas in July TriviaNight was held again this year. As inprevious years, the Hall of Fame was fullto capacity. Tables were strewn with tinseland baubles, Christmas trees, snowmenand reindeers. Many teams went togreat lengths to win the Best DecoratedTable prize, this year won by the team‘Santa’s Flashing Balls’. The Best DressedTeam stood out with their red tops andMarx Brothers moustaches. Clare Taylor,traditionally referred to as ‘QuestionMaster Extraordinaire’ had the participantsup and dancing to the music questions,scratching their heads at science questionsand cheering at the sporting questions.The atmosphere was certainly one ofcelebration. The team winners were, first‘Candy Canes’, second ‘Santa’s FlashingBalls’, third was a tie between ‘Braindeers’and ‘Run with It’. The Booby Prize was wonby ‘Beauties and the Geeks’.We thank Mrs Clare Taylor and her familywho act each year as our wonderful Judges.From the event an amount of $3.000 wasdonated to the Library Resource Centre forthe purchase of additional furniture in thenewly designed ‘Futures’ area. POPS alsodonated the Junior and Senior Citizen of theYear Awards at the 2010 Speech Night.Please use the above contact if you wishto be placed on the POPS monthly email.We hope to welcome you to one of ourrestaurant gatherings in the future.Semester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 23

Ormiston College FoundationLaying the foundation for lifelong achievementFoundation Salutes Year 12sThe final term of the year commenced with a cocktail party, hosted by the Foundation, for theparents of our Year 12 students. It was our way of extending appreciation to these families for theirsupport over the years.The occasion provided the opportunity for the Headmaster, Mr Brett Webster, to give a shortaddress where he highlighted the gratitude of the College to the parents for the many and variedways in which they had contributed to the richness of College life.During the evening, one of our Year 6 teachers, Mr Leon Iconomidis, made a surprise appearance.He entertained the gathering with excellent renditions of pop/rock songs from the 1970s and 80s.There was a truly appreciative response from the parents as they were not previously aware of MrIconomidis obvious vocal and guitar-playing skills.The social function was followed with an appeal to support the Valedictory Gift. This is a wonderfulscheme whereby Year 12 families are asked to contribute funds to support the purchase of librarybooks in the names of their sons and daughters.In its own way, it is a type of legacy. The Year 12s know that, while they will not use these resourcesthemselves, they are leaving a gift to further the education of the students who follow them.Finally, the Valedictory Register was completed for 2010. The beautiful book is housed in a glasscabinet at the entrance to the Library Resource Centre. Inscribed in detailed calligraphy are thenames of all the students who have graduated from Ormiston College. We are proud to have addedthe names of the Seniors of the Class of 2010.Bruce J. Howden, OAMDirector of Development97 Dundas Street Ormiston Q 4160 T (07) 3821 8999 F (07) 3821 1311 www.ormistoncollege.comOrmiston College Foundation Limited ABN: 91 050 542 964 PO Box 1835 Cleveland DC Q 416324 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

Collegian CommunicatorReceiving news of careers andaccomplishments from past students,interstate and overseas, is alwaysa pleasure and it certainly barestestament to the fact that OrmistonCollege offers an education for thereal world. We are extremely proud ofour Old Collegians and delighted thatthey continue to look upon OrmistonCollege as ‘their school’.Making his ‘Mark’ at QUTOn graduating from OrmistonCollege, Mark Broadmeadow (Classof 2005) was offered a Dean’sScholarship at QUT to study for aBachelor of Engineering. Dean’sScholars are a small, elite group ofstudents with top OP scores andhigh levels of school and communityleadership. Graduates of the Dean’sScholarships program are recognisedas potential future leaders inengineering.As part of the QUT Built Environmentand Engineering advertisingcampaign, Mark was featured as theface for the Dean’s Scholars Program.The following is a quote from Mark,which is included on the QUT poster.“The Dean’s Scholarship Programprovided me with the opportunityto access and network with keyindustry contacts. It also allowed meto study the subjects I enjoyed, at achallenging pace, with a great mix ofmechanical, electrical and IT topics.The Dean’s Scholarship Programhas propelled me into an excitingcareer at the forefront of powerelectronics research and developmentwith Surtek, a leading Australianelectronics manufacturing company”.Chelsea is the Third-Ranked Goal UmpireNationallyChelsea Roffey (Classof 1998 and SchoolCaptain) has lead anextremely busy andvaried life since herdays at OrmistonCollege. She completeda music degree at QueenslandConservatorium before going on tofurther studies in Journalism at QUTand completing an ABC internship.In 2004, Chelsea was listed with theAFL as a goal umpire and workedfull time for the Queensland Policemedia department for three yearsprior to a shift into marketing forMaritime Safety. Chelsea then movedto Melbourne in 2008.Since arriving in Melbourne, Chelseahas worked as a magazine andweb journalist for Mega Giants, acompany based in Richmond andumpiring in Victoria-based AFLmatches. Last year Chelsea umpiredin the pre-season NAB Cup GrandFinal and did three season finals,finishing the year as the third-rankedgoal umpire nationally, earning aspot on the bench as a third scorer/emergency for the AFL Grand Finaland the replay the following week.Chelsea loves living in the Melbourneand enjoys the vibrant cultural andsocial scenes and yes, even theweather. She has also managed tofind time to travel overseas duringthe past few years with trips to SouthAfrica, New York and San Francisco.Above: Chelsea officiating in the AFL preliminary finalbetween St Kilda and Western Bulldogs.Left: Chelsea outside the famous Seinfeld’s diner, Tom’sRestaurant.Honeymoon in Cambodia,Bangkok and PhuketMichael Bruderer (Class of 1999)a Foundation Student, marriedMonique at the beginning of theyear. The ceremony was at St John’sCathedral in Brisbane followed bya black tie reception at the VictoriaPark Golf Club. Michael and Monique(a Redlands girl) honeymooned inCambodia, Bankok and Phuket. Thepair now live in Milton.Michael has an extensive workinghistory since leaving school. He spentsome time on contract work in PNG,Naru and East Timor, several yearsin hotel management during whichtime he undertook further study, aBachelor of Business majoring inAccountancy. He has currently movedinto the financial sector which he isthoroughly enjoying.Over the years Michael and Moniquehave travelled extensively throughoutthe USA and Europe. Michael stillenjoys his sport, keeping fit andactive participatingin cycling, soccerand golf and isplanning to take upAFL next year.Semester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 25

GOSSIPY SNIPPITSA Wedding Planned forLate 2011Samantha Bruderer (Class of 2003).Samantha went right through Juniorschool and left Ormiston College atthe end of Year 8, graduating fromBrisbane Girls Grammar in 2003,she still keeps in touch with friendsfrom her year group and would liketo hear from others as she has manyfond memories of OC. Samantha hasrecently become engaged to Brad andthey plan to marry in November atthe Albert River Winery at Tamborine.Samantha is just about to completeher Bachelor of Social Work andworks primarily in child protection,Brad is also in the same field. Theycurrently reside in Coorparoo but arehoping to resettle on the SunshineCoast.Air Magic Skippers on Topof the WorldCleveland’s Air Magic teamdominated the World Rope SkippingChampionships at LoughboroughUniversity in the UK. Luke Boon(Class of 2008) took out the openmale world champion title for arecord fourth time, making him themost successful male competitor inthe history of the sport.Bonnie Somers (Class of 2003) alsocompeted in Luke’s team which wasplaced in each of the six events,resulting in an overall gold.Birkdale Flower FarmSharon Sachdeva, nee Sihota(Class of 1997) is now married andrunning the Birkdale Flower Farmand creates the most beautiful floralarrangements. Sharon’s daughter,Erynveer, will become a secondgeneration student when shecommences Prep at Ormiston Collegenext year.New House in AdelaideLachlan Mitchell (Class of 1996) hasrecently moved to Adelaide workingas a Senior Underwriter. He is reallyenjoying living in a brand new housethat is only 10 minutes from the CBD.He says “Life’s good.”Importer and ExporterRhys Mc Tiernan (Class of 2001)attended the Ormiston College RaceDay this year and guarantees he willbe there for the 2011 event. Rhys isnow working in Brisbane for World-Link International as their Export Air/Sea Supervisor.Off to Canada Next YearAmelia Stewart (Class of 2009) wonthe George Alexander FoundationScholarship which goes towards herUniversity accommodation at theGold Coast for a three year period.Amelia is at Griffith Universitystudying Physiotherapy and is inthe Honours College Program whichassists students to study overseas.Amelia is planning to go to Canadafor a whole semester in 2011.Accepted in to theGraduate School ofMedicineHaddijatou Hughes (Class of 2008)After an intense two hour interviewHaddy was accepted to study at theWollongong University GraduateSchool of Medicine. The Universityplaced emphasis not only on hergrades at Ormiston College but alsothe post school studies at BondUniversity. Haddy is the youngestperson ever to be accepted into theGraduate School of Medicine.Meet the Tooth FairyErin Casey (Class of 2009) hasalways loved her art and it is notsurprising to see that she has alreadycontributed to the illustrations ofthe recently published book entitled‘Meet the Tooth Fairy’. Erin attributesmuch of her achievement to theefforts and mentoring of formerOrmiston College Art Teacher, MsMichelle Bugler, with whom she isgreat friends.OOCA on FacebookLooking for a school buddy fromdays gone by? Can‘t find their phonenumber or email address anymore?With over 500 past students alreadymembers, the ‘Ormiston OldCollegian Assoication’ Facebookgroup is a great way to stayconnected with your old schoolfriends and your College.Simply search for ‘Ormiston OldCollegian Assoication’ from withinFacebook and join. Membership isfree and is a great way to reconnect.Members will also be kept up to datewith upcoming OOCA events andfunctions. Go on... join now!26 The Oracle Semester Two Edition 2010

Congratulations to VictoriaVictoria Hudson (Class of 2008) is tobe congratulated for being namedDux of her year in the Navy. Victoriawas studying to be an AviationTechnician in Wagga and has nowbeen posted to Narra.2010 Speech NightRecognises 2009 CollegeDuxIt has become College tradition toinvite the Dux from the previousyear to attend this event in order toreceive an award for outstandingperformance. The 2009 recipient wasEmma Stratford, an OP1 student,who is currently at the University ofQueensland studying for a Bachelorof Engineering, majoring in Chemicaland Biological Engineering.Ormiston College has experienced anexceptional performance by its girls,with 45% of the graduating femalesreceiving an OP score in the topband of 1 to 5. This result surpassesthe achievement of every single-sexprivate girls’ school in Queensland,reflecting the quality of teaching atthe school.Inaugural JazzPak CharityEvening a great success‘Thank You’, Alex Burchell Class of2003Current and past students ofOrmiston College rallied togetherensuring the success of the inauguralJazzPak Charity Evening. The eventwas planned as a fund raiser topublish bereavement packages forthe Royal Brisbane and Woman’sHospital. The evening was thebrainchild of Alex Burchell, a paststudent from the Class of 2003, whois a member of the all-saxophoneensemble Bird’s Apprentices.Ormiston College Bird’s Apprenticesfirst started fund raising at theRBWH back in 2003 after a movingexperience playing in the BoneMarrow Transplant Ward to criticallyill patients. Over the years they haveraised thousands of dollars which hasmade a significant difference to manypatients.Headlining the evening were somebrilliant performances by theOrmiston College Jazz Band, ablysupported by the two other Collegegroups, the Yardbirds and theup-and-coming blues trio Enversity,the Bird’s Apprentices and DJ DougBrennan. An audience of well over300 were entertained by a variety ofmusic ranging from swinging bigbandclassics to jazz-funk and pop.The local community supportedthe new charity initiative withmany major sponsors from acrossthe Redlands. Mr Ross Birkett andMs Sheridan Davis-Stoutjesdickfrom the Royal Brisbane Women’sHospital Foundation thanked allwho were involved in the event.The support raised approximately$5,000 on the night which will ensurethe bereavement packages will beavailable for social workers at thehospital in the coming months.Photo: The Headmaster, Mr Brett Webster and 2009 Dux,Emma StratfordSemester Two Edition 2010 The Oracle 27