Last week I was honoured to be invited to Government House in Adelaide to witness Charley Ellwood (College Captain 2022) being presented the C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC. This is a prestigious award valued at up to $60,000 over three years and is one of the most generous privately funded residential scholarships available to all Australian undergraduate and post-graduate students. This is the second year in a row that one of our students has received this award, with Angelina Inthavong being the recipient for 2022.

It serves as a wonderful reminder as to the end goal of all our students – to find their place in the world beyond the classroom. Often, with the ‘day-in day-out’ routine it can be hard to remember the 'why' of study and to balance school life with sporting life, cultural life and a personal life! Seeing both Charley and Angelina receive this award I was reminded, that with determination, organisation, planning and support of a whole community this can be achieved.

I encourage all our students to reach out to various members within the A.B. Community when they need support, guidance, encouragement, a sympathetic ear or just a reminder of their purpose whilst at school. Always ask for help and let us help you. We too want to ensure you find your dream in a rapidly changing world outside of the classroom.

Belinda Pilgrim | Head of the Academic Academy

(Photography by Tom Roschi)

Congratulations to Charley Ellwood!

The introduction of new technologies, pedagogy or content has been a contentious point of discussion in education for decades. From the introduction of the lead pencil, to introducing a calculator or through the introduction of a computer to type the written word, there have always been naysayers and those who immediately see the concerns rather than consider the opportunities. In late 2022, we saw the rise of artificial intelligence software in the field of education, and the possibilities are endless.

Artificial intelligence technology is revolutionising education and the developments we have seen in the last sixth months alone have been astronomical. One of the most pertinent to education, perhaps, is that of the use of generative AI, most notably Open AI’s ChatGPT. This type of artificial intelligence is capable of creating new and original content when prompted by a question or directive. This content can be, but is not limited to, articles, images or essays and, should the result not be what you are looking for, it takes on feedback so it can improve upon previous iterations, you can even request that it provide in-text citations and to source references.

With the introduction of generative AI into the education field, it is important that we consider how this can improve our teaching and, as a result, the learning of young people to best prepare them for a future that heavily features artificial intelligence. ChatGPT is an invaluable tool that, if used appropriately, can enhance and improve how a student develops their response to an assessment.

This week all students in the Senior School have been reminded about the dangers of passing other people’s work off as their own, and how to avoid plagiarism when submitting their assessment items. Copying and pasting the content produce by ChatGPT constitutes a form of plagiarism and whilst it is an amazing tool to create content, it does not come without disclaimers.

Students were reminded that ChatGPT can generate incorrect or misleading information and that it has a limited knowledge of the world and any events that have taken place since 2021. This software is also unaware of the criteria against which assessments are being marked, so although it may generate what looks to be an in depth 800-word analysis of how the concept of guilt is significant in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, how much of this response is actually meeting the requirements of the task and the criteria on the instrument specific marking guide?

Students now have this remarkable tool available that they can utilise to help scaffold their assessments, identify an appropriate structure to their essay or simply use as a tutor to help answer questions about any misunderstood concepts. In using this tool, our advice to students is this: verify, verify, verify. Check that this information you have been provided is accurate: does it meet the requirements of the task? Is it relevant to the content you have been covering? Have you cited all sources of content in your writing? One useful way to check a ChatGPT response is to ask it to reference its sources – then students are able to judge if the information is useful or not.

Our students are growing up in a world where generative AI is becoming commonplace and is advancing every day. In order to prepare young people for this world, it is imperative they have the requisite skills in order to succeed in an everchanging workplace. These skills include the ability to make ethical decisions, to research content and their ideas thoroughly, to be creative, curious and collaborative in their approach to completing assessment and to remain adaptable. In order to remain relevant, it is important that we foster these skills within our students and ensure that the use of any new technology is approached in an ethical and responsible manner.

Charlotte Brook | Head of Senior School

Last week, A.B. Paterson College held the incredible Lawson House Talent Show that left everyone in awe. The show was organised to raise funds for our school's charity partners, Orange Sky Laundry, the Salvation Army and Youngcare. It brought together students and teachers for an unforgettable night.

The Performing Arts Centre was filled with enthusiastic supporters from Years 6 to 12, who cheered and applauded as each act took to the stage. The performances ranged from instrumentals, singing and dancing to comedy, magic and yo-yo tricks - there was something for everyone to enjoy.

The show kicked off with a stunning performance by a Year 7 rockband – the Roktobers comprised of Chloe Ward, Daniel Wang, Ethan McIntrye and Aiden McIntyre. They wowed the crowd with their singing and skills on their respective instruments.

A memorable moment was when two Year 12 students, Eric Zhou and Joe Dejima, took to the stage to sing and perform their own composition. This performance was beautiful and moved the audience, bringing many to tears. Not to be outdone, Andre Rajkumal won over the audience with his impressive rendition of Ed Sheeran’s The Shape of You.

The show was expertly hosted by two Lawson student MCs, Amity Fielding and Vipasha Rajkumar, who kept the energy high, and the audience engaged throughout the event. They introduced each act with enthusiasm and humour, and their witty banter between performances kept everyone entertained.

To wrap up the night, the A.B. Seniors got up and performed a beautifully choreographed dance performance of Shakira's Waka Waka. This performance got the entire crowd on their feet to join the Seniors in the singing and dancing.

The judging panel ensured no bias was shown, comprising of Lawson House tutors, Ms Ryan and Ms Whiteway, together with Mrs Sharp and Lawson House Captain, Magdalena Kolarich.  The Judges had a tough time distinguishing the stand-out performances and talents, however after much deliberation they came to a consensus on the champion in each category.

A massive thank you must go out to Ms Ward, Head of Lawson for organising this event, to the judges and staff who gave up their time to supervise and to the MCs for running the event.

A special mention goes to Mr Christie and Mr Robinson for helping to ensure the tech ran smoothly during the evening, and lastly, a huge thank you to the students who made up the stage and tech crew who did a magnificent job of managing the event: Dean Tuesley, Jessica Williams, Will Butler, Ashely Williams, Naad-e Ali and Marissa Dirkx.

Magdalena Kolarich | Lawson House Captain & Amity Fielding | Lawson House Vice Captain

This week, Year 3 students had an amazing incursion from Big Bang Education. We met Bridget (otherwise known to us as Bob) who came to discuss ‘Heat’ and ‘States of Matter’.

Bob showed us many different liquids, solids, and gases. She explained the differences between each and the importance of each. Bob conducted experiments showing us how solids can turn into liquids and gases. We learnt that dry ice is made from carbon dioxide and changes states but that it cannot be a liquid. It is a state of sublimation which means it goes straight from a solid to a gas. We also learnt that liquid ice is called wet ice as it can change states from a solid to a liquid to a gas.

We learnt that gas takes up space and we can’t take gas with us!! Bob used liquid nitrogen which is -200 degrees and she demonstrated how it turns into a powerful gas. When nitrogen touches anything warmer than itself, it turns to gas and can even pop lids off bottles as the gas expands and can even make a party blower blow!! There were screams of excitement as we watched a balloon pop as gas filled the balloon until it had no more room to expand.

After Bob demonstrated these experiments, we were able to do our own. It was so exciting!

We were able to:

• Use thermometers to test temperatures of different materials.
• Save or melt ice by putting it somewhere in our environment to stop it from melting or melt it quickly.
• Art using heat: friction and ice: drawing their teacher!!

Kylie Schumacher, Samantha Aplin, Reilly Young & Taryn Hanley | Year 3 Teachers

We had so much fun learning about heat and states of matter!

Our A.B. Brumbies had a great day at the APS Cross Country Carnival last week. It was a fantastic day for our runners, who not only gave everything they had on the course but also loudly and proudly cheered their hearts out for our runners throughout the day.

Our Junior Brumbies narrowly finished 5th place overall and 6th in the percentage trophy. Our Senior Brumbies finished equal 6th place overall and 6th in the percentage trophy against some quality competition.

Our 12-year-old boys team stole the show, putting on a dominate display across the 3k course to take out the top four places in their age division, cementing their place as consecutive age division champions.

Our runners collected five Age Champion Medal Winners, as well as six top three finishes across the age division results. 

Age Division Results

1st place - 12 Year Boys
3rd place - 13 Year Boys

Overall Boy/Girls Placings

Junior School:  Boys 5th place & Girls 4th place
Senior School:  Boys 5th place & Girls 8th place

Congratulations to the following runners who were selected to compete at the Regional Cross Country Carnival to be held at Rivermount College on Tuesday 30 May.

A huge thank you to Lead Running Coach, Steve Jackson and Running Club Coordinator, Mrs Tennille Mitchell, who have been instrumental in helping our runners prepare for the school cross country season. To all our parents and friends who came to out to support our runners, thank you, your support is greatly appreciated.

Sara Eade | Head of Co-Curricular Sport

What started as a chilly morning turned into a sunny day, perfect for a game of netball or two.

Congratulations to our APS Year 6 A Netball Team who participated in the inaugural St Michael’s College Primary School Cup, taking home a generous win. 

The Brumbies cleaned up with a ‘hat trick,’ followed by a win in both the semi and grand final games!

Collectively, we each took home a gold medal, certificate, drink bottle, a giant team trophy and a very generous reward of $1300 to spent on sporting equipment for our school.

All girls played amazingly and made their coach extremely proud. Special shout out to Indiana Reneke who captained the team with support and integrity. She was also rewarded as our team’s best and fairest player of the day.

We look forward to next year’s Primary School Cup and thank St Michael’s College for hosting such a fabulous day.

Sophie Wager | Year 6 Netball Coach

Last week our Open Boys and Girls Basketball teams travelled to chilly Toowoomba for the Regional Champion Schools Basketball Tournament. Both teams performed extremely well over the two day tournament, setting themselves up for a big year of basketball. The boys showed they will be a real threat this year, dropping only one game to a previous State Champion. Our girls were dealt a difficult draw for the two days but responded by improving each game showing tremendous promise for an inexperienced group.

Off the court, it was fantastic to see the team culture that these groups have built over a short period of time. The overnight trip allowed them to bond as a team and we are sure the experience will set them up for great things later this year.

A big thank you to the staff involved in the overnight trip, Mr Paul Dilkes, Miss Emily O’Sullivan, Mr Nathan Burgess and Mr Josh Wolff.

Keep your eyes out for more fantastic results from these teams and go the Brumbies!

Nathan Burgess | Director of Activities

Year 9 student, Riley Thompson went on a cricket trip of a lifetime to India over the Easter Holidays. Over the course of the trip, he played seven cricket matches, went to the Taj Mahal and visited an orphanage to donate a large amount of sports gear to those who needed it. 

Riley excelled on the cricket field, claiming the second most wickets for the tournament and winning a 'Bowler of the Match' award. 

The College congratulates Riley for his outstanding efforts!

We are excited to see you continue to develop!

Nathan Burgess | Director of Activities

Congratulations to Nolan Yu in Year 2, who has just competed in an outside school chess tournament at Somerville House. 

Nolan competed in the Beginner Division and achieved a High Achievement Prize with a score of 4.5/7. This is a wonderful achievement for Nolan and a good attempt with his personal best. 

Nolan is currently sitting at 14th place, representing the A.B Paterson College Junior Chess Club. 

Well done, Nolan!

Trent Davis | Chess Club Co-ordinator 

For a comprehensive co-curricular program listing including sports, performing arts, instrumental and other programs, please view the current A.B. Paterson College Co-Curricular Directory.

Co-Curricular Directory 2023

CLOSING SOON! 

This is your LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS IN THE A.B. PATERSON COLLEGE FOUNDATION'S 2023 INSPIRE BUSINESS DIRECTORY. refer below for booking information.

The Inspire Business Directory provides business owners and employees with an opportunity to advertise their businesses to the wider College community.

The 2023 guide will be distributed to College families and will also be available via the College and Foundation websites, regular newsletters, and the College App.

Please contact Ben Ryan from ADV Collab to make your booking or to obtain more information.

Mobile – 0432 545 995
Email – ben@advcollab.com.au