Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am thrilled to share some exciting news with all of you.

We are proud to announce the appointment of Ms Charlotte Brook (current Head of Secondary School) as the incoming Deputy Principal of A.B. Paterson College. Following an extensive six-month search, which drew in 39 applicants from across the nation, including several international candidates, we have identified the ideal candidate for our executive leadership team. Charlotte brings a wealth of experience in the field of education, a profound understanding of our school's culture, and a vision that harmonises seamlessly with the values and objectives of our College. Her unwavering commitment to the growth and development of our students, coupled with her dedication to her own professional growth, is readily apparent. We are confident that she will make an immediate and substantial impact in her new role, commencing in January 2024.

The high calibre of candidates who expressed interest in the Deputy Principal position truly reflects the College's outstanding reputation. In this quest to find the right candidate, we were pleased to discover exceptional talent within our own College community. The internal candidates who stepped forward not only showcased their deep devotion to A.B. Paterson College but also their steadfast commitment to our students and our mission. Witnessing the depth of talent within our organisation reaffirms our belief in nurturing and advancing talent from within.

In light of this announcement, we will now be recruiting for the Head of Secondary School for a 2024 start.

Join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Charlotte Brook on her well-deserved appointment.

Joanne Sheehy | Principal

The Queensland Evatt Competition is a Model United National Competition designed to empower Young Australians. More than 2000 students from across Australia compete in this competition. The competition aims to engage high school students from Years 9 to 12 in world affairs and issues through debating mock Security Council resolutions from the position of an assigned country.

Three teams entered the Preliminary Rounds of the Queensland Evatt Competition on Saturday 13 August. It is wonderful to share that two teams made it through to the semi-finals held at the St. Lucia University of Queensland campus on Saturday 2 September. 

Finlay Proverbs (Year 10) and Nevindu Dammannagoda (Year 10) represented Albania, and Chloe Ward (Year 11) and Charlotte Squire (Year 12) represented Japan. 

It was a long day of debating and negotiating focusing on international legislation surrounding social media, retirement, and insurrections. Both teams showed skill and proficiency in all areas of the competition, and we are thrilled to share that Charlotte Squire and Chloe Ward were successful in securing one of the fifteen spots available to compete in the Queensland Grand Finals
of the Evatt Competition. 

They will be competing on Saturday 16 September at the St. Lucia University of Queensland campus, representing the United Kingdom. 

We wish them all the best for the Grand Final!

Belinda Pilgrim | Head of Academic Academy

While many students are starting to wind down for the end of term, 37 of us getting prepared for the trip of a lifetime. At 3:45am on Sunday 10 September, we will meet in the College car park and say a final 'sayonara' to our families before boarding a bus bound for the Gold Coast Airport.

Leading up to the tour, students initially had monthly meetings, but this term we have met every Thursday to organise and prepare for the culture shock. Sometimes we have practiced being okay with a tiny amount of personal space (like on trains) and exiting from a crowded space with the consideration of others. We have also worked in groups to determine the best ways to move from point A to B to C to D and even E in one day of travel in a single town. We have also worked with the Technology Faculty (thank you Ms Ross) to design the plaque we are leaving at the Hiroshima Peace Park along side our beautiful origami cranes in the hope of spreading the message of world peace. We have also been practicing our Japanese phrases and trying to work out the most important information to communicate in our introductory letter to our sister school host families.

Over the 15 days of the tour, we will visit Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo. Our sister school Honjo Higashi High School, is in Tokyo, and they will be our final stop. For most students, this is the part they are most nervous about. They wondered if they have studied enough (students, you can always learn more words in another language) and if they will be comfortable in another house, but inevitably it is the best part of the tour.

For the community back home, do not be too jealous that we are eating beautiful sushi, patting the wild Bambi and travelling at warp speed on the bullet train. We will be sending back pictures of our trip and ensuring our connection with Honjo Higashi High School is reignited after COVID.

Sue Walduck | Japan Tour Co-ordinator & Director of Teacher Development & Effectiveness

Earlier this term, A.B. Paterson College acknowledged Australia's National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence.

The student-led video below was created as part of this initiative was a powerful reminder of how important it is to foster a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment within our community.

It is that time of year again where we get to say thank you and celebrate our wonderful A.B. dads. Joy and excitement filled the air as students picked out the perfect gift for dad at the FAB Father’s Day stalls. From hats and drink bottles to funky socks, our wonderful dads were in for a treat! So much love and care was taken in picking that perfect something and we hope you all loved your special gifts.

Our attention quickly turned to a new event for us this year - our Father’s Day Breakfast, which was held last Thursday morning. The sun was shining, and the air was quickly filled with the sounds of our College bands and choirs. Along with some fun filled games on the Village Green and a lucky dip of prizes, it was a fun filled morning enjoyed by all. Thank you to all the dads who came out to spend the morning amongst our College community.

None of these events can take place without the continued support and assistance of our wonderful A.B. Paterson College community. 

Thank you to the following FAB committee members and parent volunteers who assisted us in creating some magical moments:

Joanna Duggan, Richard Nixon, Kristy Bracehan, Kerry Jensen, Fabienne Tillot, Phillip Mooney, Kristen Randal, Zoe Garnett-Lepellar, Belinda Enger, Naomi Favero, Mel Godden, Sarah Sun, Rebecca Kirkpatrick, Dijana Mac, Yi Zhang, Kristie Pain, Kun Huang, Svetlana Mak, Rebecca McQueen, Emma Dalziel and Melissa Nobrega.

Also thank you to our wonderful Year 6 and Year 9 students who assisted at the breakfast and at the stalls. These students were:

Dior Duggan, Seeret Arora, Jinyu Yan, Eshal Naeem, Lillian Wang, Eve Baker, Meg Payling, Isla Gharaie, Arya Rudrawar, Sofia Coelho, Ellie Hanley, Tristan Osborne, Oliver Higgins, Anthea Enger, Sophie Magee, Elizabeth Crossman, Michael O'Brien, Freya Bertsos, Khloee Bassi, Emily Corin, Lexi Duggan, Imogen Ozoux, Bennett Longhurst, Eric Zhang, Oliver Hart, Lacey Ward, Eden Nand and Jeff Liu.

We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend with their families celebrating the special people in our lives.

Kristin Higgins | FAB Chair

Congratulations to the Prep to Year 3 students who participated in the Mini Olympics on Monday 28 August. 

On Monday, 4 September and Wednesday 6 September, the Year 8 Spanish classes held their annual Fashion Parade, where students had the opportunity to model a range of creative looks in front of their Year 8 Spanish peers. 

Students were organised in small groups, and each student in the group took turns to announce what each person was wearing in Spanish on the microphone.

This was a marvellous experience, both for students and Spanish teachers alike. It is also a really fun way to finish off the term, where students learned about souvenirs, clothing, accessories and how to ask for different items at the clothes stores.

On those days, we witnessed some extraordinary costumes, great creativity, and amazing modelling. This is always a highlight in our Languages Faculty calendar, and prizes were awarded to the groups who went above and beyond the task. It was great to see everyone’s smiley faces while enjoying a fantastic fashion parade and learning Spanish at the same time.

Thank you to Spanish Teachers, Ms Jacqui Shannon and Ms Michelle Barriga for assisting with the organisation of this event.

Well done everyone!

Ursula Lindeberg | Teacher of Spanish

As we approach the end of this term, I wanted to inform you of the final Study Club session, which will take place on Tuesday, 12 September, during Week 10. We appreciate the commitment and active participation of attendees throughout Term 3. We hope that these sessions have been beneficial.

For the final session on Tuesday 12 September, we encourage you to bring any specific topics or questions you'd like to discuss or revise during this time.

If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to Year 6 Teacher, Kelly Harker - kharker@abpat.qld.edu.au.

We wish you the best in your academic endeavours.

Simon Edgar | Head of Junior School

Term 3 kicked off with a bang as the entire Year 6 cohort headed off on the trip of a lifetime out to Winton. There were many early starts, late finishes, long bus trips and cold mornings. Some stops along the way included Charleville and Emerald where students and staff spent many nights enjoying the company of others in a large shed, two amazing nights in tents along the Thomson River in Longreach and everyone's favourite place to stay, Barty’s Place in Winton.

Some highlights of the trip included:

• The official opening of Barty’s Place
• Save The Bilbies
• Tree of Knowledge Memorial
• Qantas Luminescent Show
• Qantas Founders Museum
• Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame
• Camden Park Station
• Gondwana Stars Observatory
• Australian Age of Dinosaurs
• Combo Waterhole
• Lark Quarry Conservation Park
• Waltzing Matilda Centre
• Miner’s Heritage Walk-In Mine

On 29 August, Year 6 held a Winton Celebration Evening which allowed both parents and students to celebrate the wonderful memories that were made on the Winton Camp. It was an opportunity to showcase the ten-day trip and what it truly entailed. Families enjoyed a Winton movie which incorporated a multitude of highlights from the trip, including videos, photos, student reflections and student interviews. This video illustrated just how much the students did and learnt whilst on this trip and highlighted the friendships made, the lessons learnt and the lifelong memories. It also provided an opportunity to thank all the teachers, bus drivers and parent helpers who were a part of making the camp possible.

Not only have the Year 6 students been busy with the Winton trip but they have been extremely busy this term in Technology as they have been exploring how to code and fly drones. Students have been researching how drones are used in agriculture and, more specifically, how drones can help farmers conduct jobs, such as planting seeds and herding sheep which are all jobs that can take farmers hours and sometimes days. Continuing with the Winton theme, students have been creating a flight path to water the gardens surrounding Barty’s Place at Winton. Students have applied their coding skills to program an accurate flight path for their drone. This process has been both exciting and also challenging as the students had to demonstrate the virtue of patience when connecting the drone to their iPad to test their code.

Students transported themselves to the Science labs again this term, conducting circuits to align with their Electricity Unit. Banana wires, switches, bulbs, cells and batteries were the topic of conversation and collaboration as students learnt how to assemble open and closed circuits with varying conductors and insulators. Light bulb moments continued to spark curiosity among our young scientists as they were zapped with inquiry questions, encouraging them to generate possible outcomes to solve problems. They were shocked when their understanding of electricity sources was transformed.

Tahlia Dilkes, Kelly Harker, Dean West and Hannah Caspen | Year 6 Teachers

Congratulations to Kira Russell (Year 6) on her amazing achievement at the recent Queensland School Sport Softball Championships. 

Kira represented South Coast at the tournament where they finished runners up in Queensland. Based on her performances, Kira has been selected in the Queensland team to compete at the National Championships in Adelaide.

Well done, Kira!

Nathan Burgess | Director of Activities

Congratulations to Nolan Yu of Year 2 who proudly represented the Queensland Speed Skating team to participate in the New Zealand Open Short Track Championship 2023 (2-3 September). 

Nolan achieved first place in the Primary Group (age under 9 years) by winning all four races (111m, 222m, 333m, and 500m). 

Nolan also participated in the Juvenile Group (ages between 9 and 11 years) and ranked fifth place overall.

Nolan is also looking forward to bringing the 1st place trophy back next month from the Australian Open Short Track Championship 2023 (5-6 October).

Well done Nolan!

Ashlee Lord | Year 2 Teacher

Congratulations to Amanda Chen (Year 3) who competed at the QMTA Queensland Piano Competition on the weekend.

Amanda placed first in the Duets 9 Years and Under section. 

Well done Amanda!

Sharyn Walker-Joyce | Head of The Arts

Congratulations to Emelia Wedemeyer (Year 10) who competed at the Queensland State Selections in Taekwondo on Sunday 23 July 2023.

Emelia competed in Team Poomsae (patterns) and received a Gold Medal!

She is also a part of the Queensland State Team and has been invited to compete at the Nationals in Western Australia later this year.

Well done Emelia!

Nathan Burgess | Director of Activities

Congratulations to Adam Wilkinson from Year 3, who recently participated in the Somerset Young Performers Festival, in the Solo Poem Humorous section. 

Adam performed the poem Ants, for which he received a blue ribbon. He then performed in the Group Mime section in which he won another blue ribbon for the group’s performance of The Circus. 

Adam said that he really enjoyed the experience of performing at the festival and liked listening to and seeing the other participants perform. When it came to his performances, he was a bit nervous beforehand but he told himself that he could do it and he was very happy and proud to receive blue ribbons for both. 

Well done Adam! 

You demonstrated bravery and excellent teamwork and should be justly proud of your achievements.

Sharyn Walker-Joyce | Head of The Arts

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Ashton Proverbs who has released a song on Spotify. 

Looking My way is a great summer song and it really reflects Ashton's understanding of all the compositional theory he has been learning in his Music studies. 

Ashton is a brass player but has written for a contemporary band and even laid down the vocal tracks on his own and so good on him for getting it out there!.

Please click here to listen to Ashton song in Spotify.

Well done Ashton!

Sharyn Walker-Joyce | Head of The Arts

Excitement is building! This time next week we'll be swaying to swing music at the Big Band Bash

A reminder that there will be performances by our Junior, Intermediate and Senior Big Bands, as well as a special appearance by Project Swing

Light refreshments and snacks will also be available to purchase!

Final ticket sales are happening over the next week.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

We are thrilled to once again be able to invite prospective families to experience the A.B. difference at our Open Day on Wednesday 11 October.

Open Day is a great opportunity to tour our magnificent learning precinct, The Winton Centre, visit the May Gibbs Prep Precinct and Lilly Pilly Learning Centre, and meet Principal, Ms Joanne Sheehy, members

of the Senior Leadership Team and Head of Admissions, Mrs Karen Milburn.

Bookings are essential and further information, including the booking link, can be found on the College website here - Open Days and College Tours.

To register for Open Day click here.

Please feel free to share this information with your friends and family. We look forward to welcoming them to our College!

The September school holidays are fast approaching!

Dates:  Friday 15 September to Friday 29 September

The Vacation Care Enrolment Pack includes:

• Parent information letter
• Program and activity list
• Incursion information
• Booking and permission form
• PG Movie Consent form

Find out more here.

If your family is relocating at the end of this year, written notification of student departure should be provided to the College by the first day of Term 4, Tuesday 3 October, as agreed to in the Contract of Enrolment signed on acceptance of an enrolment place. Where this notice is not provided, the College may charge one term’s fees in lieu of notice, as budgets are prepared on student numbers.

Please email Head of Admissions, Karen Milburn at KMilburn@abpat.qld.edu.au if your family will not be at the College for the start of the 2024 school year.