Illalong Newsletter - 2 June 2023 | A.B. Paterson College

Annual Business Industry Breakfast

On Tuesday 30 May 2023, our A.B. Paterson College Board hosted 53 industry leaders at our annual Business Industry Breakfast taking place at Southport Sharks. Representatives included accountants, educators and solicitors, corporate managers and financial advisors, paramedics, and entrepreneurs as well as authors and engineers. Our Year 12 students seized the opportunity to network with industry mentors and to ask advice on career pathways to enable them to flourish, thrive and stand out in a crowd beyond A.B. Paterson College.

Deputy Board Chair, Ms Nicole Kelly welcomed our students and guests and reiterated that this breakfast is more than just a gathering of professionals and students; it is a convergence of dreams and aspirations. She continued to remind students that, success is not solely defined by financial gains or professional accolades. It is about finding fulfillment in whatever you do, making a positive difference in the lives of others, and leaving a lasting legacy. It is about finding your passion, harnessing your unique strengths, and aligning them with a purpose greater than yourself. As Ms Kelly concluded her welcome address, she urged students to embrace this opportunity to help shape their future and create a world that reflects their values, aspirations, and ambitions.

As breakfast was served, our special guest speaker, Karen Phillips, Executive Director of the Women in Business Awards of Australia and Women in Business Australia, spoke of the importance of becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, particularly with the developments we have seen in the Generative AI field. Ms Phillips’ speech highlighted that only three professionals in the room, of the 53 in attendance, had careers in the same field in which they initially started. This exemplified how, in today’s world, our professional journey changes over time and the initial goals that we had whilst studying at school, although valuable, often change.

The guest panellists: Ryan Kogelman (former owner of RDK Sports Management), Scott Williamson (Domestic Regional Manager at Bond University), Sarah Jane Gourley (National Disability Service - Project Leader for the Community Services Gateway to Industry Project) and Charley Ellwood (2022 graduate and College Captain of A.B. Paterson College, also shared their insights into their own journey and imparted their wisdom and guidance through sharing their own experiences since leaving school. A common theme that was highlighted throughout the morning that Ms Sheehy reiterated in her closing of the event, was to take every opportunity available. Ms Sheehy urged the students to use the remainder of the event to seek out those mentors in the room, to make connections and seek their advice and guidance; to use this opportunity to their advantage.

As the event drew to a close, the atmosphere in the room was buzzing with stimulating conversation whilst students sought to absorb valuable advice and quiz our guests about their career pathways and professions, ultimately making vital connections within our community. Our annual Business Industry Breakfast was thoroughly enjoyed by our students as they head into their final six months at our College.

Charlotte Brook | Head of Senior School

Reflection from Founder's Day

Last week, we celebrated the College’s Annual Foundation Day. As always this was a wonderful time to reflect on the past, being grateful for the vision and tenacity of those who founded the College in 1991. I have attended many such ceremonies over the years, both here and at other schools and always find this a time to also reflect on my own contributions and appreciation of colleagues and students. In my time at A.B., I can honestly say there have been very few days when I have woken up with a feeling of “Oh no, I’ve gotta go to work!” Usually there is an air of expectation about each day – knowing the qualities of the staff and students that I am about to spend my time with.

But, as with most things in life, there are those days which don’t appear as bright. Often these kinds of days have nothing to do with how I am feeling personally. They are more to do with how I am affected by others in the school – those who may be feeling that not everything is going 100% according to plan.

From my life experiences to date, I can assure you all that not everything will go according to plan. We can’t always get full marks, or an A, in every test or assignment. We can’t be best friends with everybody. Nor can we always agree with what others think or say. But we can all learn to be tolerant and respectful of others. We can all be friendly towards others.

And we can all aim to do our very best in the classroom and understand that no teacher will sit an exam or write an essay for you – it must be done by the individual student themselves.

Today, it seems that sometimes we are too quick to blame others for our own shortcomings. As mentioned previously, not everything in life goes according to plan – therefore it is imperative that we all develop resilience and a hard-working attitude and accept our individual responsibilities and gain a better self-belief.

At A.B., we have a culture in which hard-work and effort provides the results that allow us each to achieve our very best. We want students to have the desire to improve; to ask questions; to seek answers and to be responsible for their own future.

And our very purpose is to provide not only the educational foundations for our students, but to prepare them as individuals for the challenges and experiences that life will offer.

I searched and searched for some words of inspiration to back up this point. And no, I haven’t chosen one of my well-worn sporting quotes. I have chosen the words of the late Steve Jobs, founder of the Apple Company:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Tim Grosser | Director of Operations and Planning

National Reconciliation Week

Reconciliation means to say sorry, to not do it again and to be friends.- Year 2 student.

Be a Voice for Generations! The theme encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives- where we live, work and socialise. National Reconciliation Week - 27 May to 3 June - is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

College Devices

Across the College we acknowledged this week in many ways. As a College community all device login screens were changed to the 2023 National Reconciliation Week banner. This encouraged conversation amongst staff, students, and families.

Lunch time Screenings

Years 4-6 students also attended a lunch time screening of the My Place - Apology episode in the Billabong. This series has links to the Australian Curriculum, ACARA, and touched on the significance of the apology made by Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on behalf of all Australians. This date is recognised nationally on May 26 every year.

First Nation Authors

Prep to Year 3 students explored First Nation authors with our Year 6 Library Leaders in the Lilly Pilly Learning Centre. It was fantastic to see children sharing and enjoy literature from First Nation authors.

Choir Performances

The Boys’ Chorus performed From Little Things Big Things Grow at the Years 4-6 Assembly. This song was originally performed by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody. Initially released in 1991, it tells the inspiring story of the Gurindji people’s struggle for equality and land rights.

Across the College, classrooms have continued to embed ATSI perspectives, and many teachers placed an emphasis on First Nation culture throughout Reconciliation Week.

Together we can make a difference!

Baugull Wanyi (Thank You)

Samantha Middleton | Year 2 Teacher

News from the Year 6 Classrooms

It has been a busy term for the Year 6 cohort with Winton preparation well underway! Students have been preparing for the traditional Year 6 annual Winton Performance which aims to showcase some of Andrew Barton Paterson’s most famous poems. Of course, the performance would not be complete without a cohort performance of Waltzing Matilda, I am Australian, and for the first time ever, a dance known as the Queensland Backstep. Students have been coming together to rehearse and practice their renditions of these famous works.

Another important item on the calendar is the Year 6 Bake Sale which was a huge success!

Students raised a whopping $2000 for the Save the Bilby Fund.

Peggy from the charity was overjoyed to hear of the ongoing commitment to this cause. There were minion cupcakes, cake pops and Harry Potter adorned muffins. Every delicious item was sold out by morning tea – a new record! Next year the Year 6s will have to bake double to feed the hungry A.B. community!

Amongst the Winton preparation, this term Year 6 have been studying natural disasters for an integrated English, Science, HaSS, Technology and Visual Art unit. Students were required to research a common natural disaster and become experts! They needed to explain how the structure of the Earth contributes to its formation and the impact their disaster can have on the communities affected. Students explored a range of humanitarian aid organisations who can assist after their natural disaster has occurred. Whilst researching, students needed to identify safety and prevention measures and how the use of technology can help save lives. They were required to use their mapping skills to correctly label a map and include any supporting data to show where their natural disaster mostly occurs. After all their information was gathered, students needed to create a website using Sway to demonstrate their understanding. A range of various digital platforms were incorporated into their finished product, including photos, videos, podcasts, annotated images and their artworks which depicted their natural disaster.

A focus for the term has also included building leadership. On Monday 24 April, the Year 6 cohort were empowered to step up, step back and encourage others during the annual workshop led by Character Builders. Students were pushed out of their comfort zones in a series of team leadership activities. They learned to work together, developing perseverance, determination, resilience and perspective. This assisted them in overcoming challenges that tested their physical and mental strength. Students achieved a greater sense of connection with each other, realizing the significance of individual skill sets, values, characteristics and strengths. The experiences shared during this workshop have laid the foundation for approaching future challenges and successes.

Kelly Harker, Daisy Ross, Dean West and Hannah Caspen | Year 6 Teachers

2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge

The 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is underway at A.B. Paterson College.

The PRC is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, between 8 May to 25 August. The reader record form for students to record the number of books they have read can be found in our libraries or online at:

https://readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au/register/Documents/non-state-school-reader-record-form.pdf

To complete the challenge:

Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books
Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books
Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2023 challenge is to encourage students to make time to read.

Key Dates	Activity
8 May to 25 August	Reading period for Prep to Year 9 students
28 August	Student reader record forms submitted to teacher
30 October to 10 November	Premier's Reading Challenge celebration weeks

For suggested books or for more information about the PRC, please visit: readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au or contact our Library Team in our space or at librarystaff@abpat.qld.edu.au.

Every student who completes the challenge and returns the completed record reader form and consent form, will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier. We look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible take part in the 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Consent form and third-party providers for the Certificate of Achievement

This section is to inform you about how the department will use, record and disclose you and your child’s personal information. The department, as the PRC organiser, often works with third-party providers which may involve disclosing personal information to those parties.

Due to the high volume of reader entrants in the PRC, the department utilises a third-party organisation (Median Technologies Pty Ltd) for collecting the reader entries, printing the individualised certificates and mailing them to schools.

The department needs to receive consent in writing before it uses or discloses an individual’s personal information or materials to a third-party organisation.

By completing and returning the reader record form and the signed consent form to us, you agree to your child/children participating in the PRC and their personal information (their first and last names, year level, class name and school name) to be collected, used and disclosed by the department for the purposes of registration of their entry in the PRC, and printing and issuing a Certificate of Achievement to your child. This information is collected and disclosed to Median Technologies and held for a period of one (1) year in their online database (https://prc.median.com.au) which is based in Australia (using local Microsoft Azure Cloud Services). Any data held by Median Technologies is deleted within one (1) year after the PRC is completed.

Duration of consent

The consent lasts for one year. If you wish the department to update or remove your child’s/children’s data before one year has expired, you can contact reading.challenge@qed.qld.gov.au or call 07 3328 6628. For more information, please see section 3 of the consent form, our Terms and Conditions at https://readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au/how-to-register/terms-and-conditions and our Data Collection Notice available at http://prc.median.com.au.

We look forward to seeing a large number of A.B. Paterson College students from Prep to Year 9 receiving this prestigious certificate, signed by the Premier of Queensland!

Happy Reading!

The Library Team