Every year for the past 25 years, I have continued to reflect on working with the students in the school where I am and what this means for staff, parents and the wider community. What are the unique challenges, characteristics and strategies for forming relationships and fostering the education of young people?

As a parent and an educator, there are many inter-changeable strategies. We are constantly dealing with issues of both a positive and negative nature.

I constantly ask myself, how do I effectively address issues without damaging the relationships with students, staff and indeed sometimes, parents.

I have a philosophy with students and colleagues of trying to build an emotional bank account. If I can possibly help someone or if I have the opportunity to recognise some good work or great achievement, I do. I like to think of this as making a positive deposit into a student’s or colleague’s emotional bank account. Having made these ‘investments’ I am more easily able to address issues knowing I have ‘money in the bank.’ This philosophy applies equally to family, friends, students and in the workplace.

So, when dealing with students, what are some of the strategies when addressing issues openly and honestly?

Walk and Talk – This is particularly helpful with boys but often with adolescents in general. We are often more likely to communicate when moving. Kicking a footy, throwing a ball, combining in an activity tends to open up a more natural form of communication. At school, a walk to the LPAC, Taylor-Dostal Oval, roaming during morning tea or lunch time. ‘Stuff’ just comes out of our mouths when we are doing things!

Angles are important and not just in Maths – We all have this innate reaction of fight or flight. Standing directly in front of a child when addressing an issue is inherently confrontational. The reaction evoked will often be ‘fight back’ or withdraw completely from this situation. Standing side by side at 90 degrees or at 45 degrees allows the issue to metaphorically be placed in front of both parties, not between them. This again influences the tone and openness of the conversation.

Perfection is a journey –  We shouldn’t expect our kids to be perfect (nor our staff or parents). We should expect them to take responsibility.

It’s our job – As adults, it's our job to ensure we maintain, repair and form appropriate relationships with our children. Adolescents and kids of all ages do not have the maturity or skill set to do this when facing difficult situations. This they learn from their elders.

As I reflect on growing up, I remember that as a young man I always told the absolute truth, never omitted anything and only gave a completely unbiased and accurate version of any negative event or learning experience I was part of... mostly... especially when there was the possibility of being in trouble... or then again, maybe not. Our kids react the same way at times. Our kids have well developed self-protect buttons, often pressed after they’ve used their self-destruct ones. I reflect that these buttons sometimes stay with us for life!

In reality, an important part of growing up and learning was understanding true accountability and taking responsibility for actions. Parents and the College, when working in partnership on these characteristics, form the most powerful foundation for the development of children.

Simon Edgar
Head of Junior School

Year 4 are exploring the First Fleet as part of our current Humanities and Social Sciences unit. To help students gain a stronger understanding of what experiences and challenges the convicts faced upon their arrival in Australia, at the end of Week 3 we headed off on an excursion to St Helena Island. The Island is located just four kilometres away from the Brisbane CBD, in Moreton Bay. The Island has a fascinating history. Its most significant period was when it functioned as a high-security colonial prison from 1867.

We travelled to and from the island on the Cat o’ Nine Tails Ferry, on which our guides informed us that we were all now prisoners! We then spent a fantastic day roaming the island and engaging with its rich history via role play.

We found out that each prisoner had a different job to do. Some were the bakers who baked bread, salted and smoked meat and made hominy porridge. Others spent hours chopping sugar cane in the fields. If you were a trusted prisoner, you could have what was described as the best job: a domestic servant for the warden. To become a trusted prisoner, however, we learned that you had to be on the island for a minimum of 14 years with a good record! If you misbehaved on the island, punishment was harsh, varying from being whipped with a cat-o-nine tails to being locked in solitary confinement for up to three days.

We had a fascinating day learning about the past.

These are some quotes from our Year 4 students, who were treated like prisoners during the excursion: 

"Life is hard on such an island but in times I know, it seems like home."

"Saint Helena’s work is torture but when you think about it, it seems worse."

"Sometimes I wonder on such an island, why I was here in the first place."

"Work is hard through day and night, but I still regret what I did."

- Kira, Yufei, Alyssa

"As you leave the world behind, don’t forget to leave your worries behind."

"Never forget your mistakes and learn that you were wrong."

- Emily , Lunabelle and Saavi

"St. Helena Island was a trap for us prisoners."

- Khloee, Maria and Scarlett

"Prisoners had a very harsh and difficult life back then and were mistreated. Punished for doing naughty things, you would get lashes and worst of all they got solitary confinement for up to 28 days. Prisoners only got a tiny bucket to pee in. People had to share a small space with about 12 people. Vinegar, pea soup and stale bread doesn’t sound like good food, but it was back then. The only good food then was pudding and you only got that on Christmas. That’s why the prisoners had a cruel life."

- Jessie, Isla, Riaz and Nikita

St Helena
The place you would never want to be…
St Helena, the harshest jail in AUSTRALIA.
You would have a torturing time.
Children’s graveyards were ALWAYS on display.
Punishments would be whips and solitary.
You would never want to hear the sad lives of the prisoners.
The revolting foods they give to prisoners would make you vomit.
The prisoners would not want you to see them being tortured.
At St Helena Island….

- Aarya, Abby, Aanya and Hannah

"Dear Diary, I am currently aboard a filthy boat that will take me to St Helena Island. I am also squished between two hardened criminals and I wonder if I will ever survive 7 years of this awful godforsaken place. Soon enough we will get to St Helena and we will be chained together. I can practically see my family on the dock waiting and now I wonder why I even committed any crimes. When I see the cemetery, it reminds me of my little boy. I hope he will not follow in my footsteps as a criminal."

- Zara & Eric

"Learning about history is always a mystery."
"It is better on St Helena than other places for you won’t get executed."
"Money is sometimes earned by transporting prisoners."

- Lucas W, Benjamin and Lucas L.

"If you were caught escaping from St Helena Island, there was hell to pay."
"St. Helena Island was impossible to escape from."

- Liam, Ethan and Sahishnu

Year 4 Teachers
Tiffany Henry, Liam Burke, Kathleen Richardson and Zoe Truss-Michaelis

What an entertaining couple of weeks! Our Year 6s have returned from their fantastic trip to Winton and have briefly returned to the classroom and had a few days of Online Learning. We have been very impressed with how seamlessly the cohort transitioned to online learning and have worked to submit work of a high standard. It has been rewarding to witness students take responsibility for their learning and assist their peers if experiencing any difficulties.

We are delighted to have our students back in the classroom and are ready to engage in ‘hands on’ activities throughout the term.

In Science this week, the students were able to experiment with electrical circuits which complemented their theoretical understanding of this subject. 

Students submitted a variety of poems demonstrating their understanding of figurative language by responding to a stimulus picture on bridges. Please enjoy this poem written by Seyara Welagedara (6M):

A straight bridge, a dark path,
Where all sorts of dangers roam,
Why ever did I come here?
Now I just want to go home.

Lost in the forest,
With only one straight path,
Now all I could do
Is prepare for its wrath.

Creak, crumble, crack,
This bridge is bound to snap,
I could be walking into
Any scary and malicious trap.

- Seyara Welagedara, 6M

Please see some of the Year 6 student reflections on the first few weeks of Online Learning below:

"Some of the pros of online learning were that I liked making the poem about Winter and being able to play with my dog during the brain break. I also enjoyed making my friends laugh with the knock knock joke on Teams. A con was that I didn't get to see my friends." - Chelsea Rayner

"I really enjoyed making my talking dog because I thought it was really fun to give my brain something to do other than school work (even though technically it is still wellbeing)." - Max Buchannan

"I enjoyed Art because it was fun planning out how I would like my mosaic to look and also colouring it in and writing because I found the correcting punctuation fun. Also, completing my poems because it was nice to use my imagination in the poems as they were based on a bit of a fantasy scene." - Olivia James

Year 6 Teacher
Kerrie Moore, Tim Collins, Judy Russell and Hannah Caspen

Families new to our College may have noticed a unique uniform proudly worn by a select group of A.B. Paterson College students, and wondered 'what is the meaning behind the Red Hoodie?'

The following story is an excerpt from an article, originally published in a 2018 Issue of Vision Splendid, outlining how the Red Hoodie came about, and the dedication to training required to earn one.

You can find out more information about criteria for the Red Hoodie on our website, or by contacting Acting Director of Activities, Mr Stopel mstopel@abpat.qld.edu.au

6am on a chilly Winter’s day is a very unsociable hour, especially if you spend it with your head underwater, pushing through lap after lonely lap, or pounding the footpaths of your suburb, driven only by your personal desire for sporting success.

For the student who arrives at A.B. Paterson College to attend those early morning APS training sessions wearing a personalised Red Hoodie, they are cloaked in so much more than warm fabric.

The A.B. Paterson College red hoodie first made an appearance in 2016. The inspiration of Interschool Sports Coordinator, Mr Matt Stopel, the unique red hoodie identifies those students who demonstrate a commitment to the APS Squads in the lead up to the major APS carnivals – Swimming, Cross Country or Athletics.

A red hoodie must be earned, and it is no easy feat.

During the lead up to the APS Swimming Carnival in Term 1, Cross Country in Term 2 and Athletics in Term 3 our coaches offer at least five additional school training sessions a week. To be eligible to purchase a red hoodie, a student athlete must complete an average of three training sessions per week, at least, during the relevant season.

During the APS send-off, if a student has attended the required number of sessions during a season, they will be presented – in front of their peers – with a personalised letter, signed by Director of Activities, Mr Ian Taylor, and Mr Stopel, entitling them to purchase a red hoodie from the Uniform Shop.

“We are seeing the little ones – from Years 1 to 3 – getting involved in things like Running Club and Swimming Club, and they are quite blown away when they see what our exceptional Seniors can do. Then they see them in the hoodie and think, ‘how cool is that! I want to be like them when I get older.’ "

By pulling on a red hoodie, you are immediately part of something bigger than yourself – you are part of a team of dedicated athletes, who share a passion for sport, and who spur each other on to greater success.

“Training for these individual sports can be lonely. We think it is important for those students to remember that they are part of a team, and the red hoodie gives them that identity,” Mr Stopel says.

For our coaches, the rewards of the red hoodie incentive go beyond impressive APS Carnival results.

“Seeing great numbers at training and seeing students passionate about doing well at sport is definitely more important than results,” Mr Stopel says.

“It all starts with culture. It is so rewarding to see this magnificent, and growing, A.B. Paterson College sporting pride and culture.”

Tamara Hamilton
Manager of Marketing & Public Relations

Read the full article here.

College families will no doubt recognise the name 'Rickard', as in the Rickard Administration Centre and Rickard Courtyard, also The Alan Rickard Scholarship awarded each year at Speech Night to the person best exemplifying and epitomising the values of A.B. Paterson College. 

Students will recall Mr Alan Rickard (pictured above in 1952 at Labrador State School, 2nd from left, back row) is honoured every year during Founders' Day as we pay tribute to those who made their dream, of a truly independent private school on the northern end of the Gold Coast, into a reality in 1991.

An article recently published in the Gold Coast Bulletin offers a greater insight into the man behind the name, tracing Mr Rickard's history and achievements from a young shoeless boy attending Labrador State School in the 1950s to the office of Gold Coast Deputy Mayor and a passionate advocate for the Gold Coast Broadwater - a fascinating read.

Congratulations to our Week 5, Term 3 Bumper Sticker Winners!

Lea Peterson

Jessica Schultz

To be eligible to enter, simply get the new College bumper sticker from Administration, place it on your rear window and register your car in the competition here:

collegebumperstickercompetition@abpat.qld.edu.au

Include your car registration number, name, email and phone number.

Our lucky winners each receive $100 off their school fee invoice for the following term! At the end of Term 3, all of our weekly winners will be invited to an afternoon tea where one of our lucky Term 2 and Term 3 weekly winners will win FREE* tuition for their eldest child for Term 4 2021! 

Don't delay, get your bumper sticker today!

(*tuition fee only)