Principal’s Report 2018
Contents 2
The School in 2018
3
The Academic Life of the School
6
The Co-Curricular Life of the School
8
The Arts
11
Community Service
13
Student Leadership
14
Pastoral Care at Townsville Grammar School
15
Junior Schools
18 Boarding 18
IT Infrastructure
19
Past Grammarians
19
Parents Network
19
Black and Gold Committee
20
Staff Movement
21
Senior Management Team
21
The School’s Board of Trustees
22 Conclusion
Principal’s Annual Report 2018 In a wide-ranging speech Mr Gallop surmised that ‘an educated person has met high standards in knowledge acquisition and cares for its validity. He or she has practical wisdom bred of self-awareness and respect for the context in which we apply our knowledge. There is an open and inquiring mind and a capacity to adapt and innovate – in other words a creative capacity – in the face of change. Each of these is then wrapped up in a commitment to an open society and to the rights of all human beings.’
Mr Chairman, Trustees and members of the Townsville Grammar School community, it is my privilege to present the School’s 2018 Annual Speech Night report. In this, my first year as the 12th Principal of this wonderful School, I thank all of the community for their support throughout the year – your collegiality and optimism has been so greatly appreciated. For me, to be in a position to lead and to serve the Townsville Grammar School community is a great privilege and honour.
On further reading, some other defining characteristics of an educated person include:
2018 marks the 130th anniversary of Townsville Grammar School and I wish to report that the School has enjoyed another successful year across all facets of its operations. In doing so I wish to acknowledge and sincerely thank the School’s 11th Principal, Mr Richard Fairley for his fine leadership over the previous 20 years. I would like to express my gratitude for his assistance and support during the transition process. In my initial communication with the School community earlier this year, I outlined my objectives as Principal. I wrote that, as Principal of Townsville Grammar School, I seek to achieve the following:
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The provision of a stimulating, balanced and inclusive educational environment where the students are comfortable to take appropriate risks to challenge their intellectual, physical and personal growth.
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The development of a resilient and empathetic school culture that is characterised by positive, supportive relationships, respect and mutual understanding.
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Work with staff to develop and implement innovative and forward-thinking programmes that meet the needs of the students in preparing them for life after school.
Does being educated mean being prepared to join the workforce?
To be educated is to be humbled by the enormity of the world and the limits of even the most talented individual.
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Educated men and women are not always smarter, but they have a richer and more complex understanding of their surroundings.
The Grammar Schools in Queensland, of which Townsville Grammar School is one, have sought to educate in this manner since the late 19th Century. In fact, in Resolution 13 of the founding Queensland Grammar Schools’ Conference of 1908 the following was stated about the role of Grammar Schools in providing an education: We believe that Grammar Schools should, above all other things, aim at spreading a good general culture and public spirit among those who will thereafter be leaders in their professions, the public services, in commerce and in industrial and pastoral life. At Townsville Grammar School, we seek to respond to the challenge of developing educated young people by offering an education that is broad and liberal, where students can experience a diverse range of intellectual, pastoral and physical challenges. The School aims to deliver an education that is comprehensive, balanced and essentially academic, so that each student has the opportunity to progress toward their full potential as an individual and as a member of society. As a result, the educational programmes delivered by the School are wide-ranging and rigorous, designed to develop the minds of the boys and girls both academically and morally. Alongside the academic development of the students, we also see a large part of the educational process as being devoted to developing the personal qualities of our students so that they demonstrate the highest levels of integrity throughout their lives.
As a school community, this complex question is one that we must continually ask ourselves as we seek to educate the young men and women in our care. Tied in with this question are many others that could be asked, such as:
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The educated person knows many things, but they recognise there are many things they do not know.
To be educated is to appreciate, and ultimately benefit from, the many colours, shapes and sizes of the human experience. Rather than to consider education as a mere qualification or result, education can be considered as a value or aspiration. Idealy education needs to be seen as a lifelong journey which, as Gallop purports, ‘invites us to continuous improvement in our knowledge base, our investigatory skills, and our awareness of self and the world in which we have to adapt and innovate.’
Develop a school environment that nurtures young people of character through a well-disciplined structure and clearly articulated and enforced expectations. In doing so, considerable focus is to be placed on students gaining a greater understanding of self, the valuing of difference and diversity, leadership as a form of service, and care for others as an action. Throughout the course of this year, I am of the view that progress has been made in the School’s offerings across each of these domains. To clarify my own thinking about how to provide this most effectively, I find myself regularly asking the following question: What is an educated person?
Where does education occur?
The educated person is self-reflective and self-aware.
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What do you need to know to be considered educated? What level of qualifications do you need to possess to be considered educated?
The breadth and depth of the opportunities offered to our students as we seek to best further them on their educational journey are well established throughout this Annual Report.
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Are there certain authors or composers you need to read or listen to to be considered educated? At a recent Australian College of Education Leaders (ACEL) conference, former Western Australian Premier and now Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney, Hon Geoff Gallop AC, sought to answer this question. 1
The School in 2018 • •
The introduction of the Poetry Slam competition.
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My visits to meet TGS families in Mt Isa, Cloncurry, Julia Creek, Clermont, Collinsville, Airlie Beach, Bowen, Weipa and Hong Kong.
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The introduction of Year 12 academic mentoring by Senior staff.
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The level of commitment demonstrated to Club Sports with good results in Netball, Rowing and Rugby Union.
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The very strong academic performance of the 2017 cohort who produced a range of ‘best ever’ academic results for the School. The School ranked 10th in the State using OP 1- 5 percentages as an indicator. This is even more impressive as this figure did not include the Year 12 IB results.
Increased House representation with the introduction of a House Activities Day in Term 3.
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Successful tours to Melbourne (Year 7 Trip), Singapore (Year 10 STEM Tour), New Zealand (Year 12 Ski Tour) and Canberra (Middle School Sports Tour).
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Ongoing renovations to the boarding precinct and to School House.
2017 Dux of the School, William Price, receiving a Queensland Certificate of Education Achievement Award. William was one of only 32 students in the state to receive this recognition.
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An outstanding Middle School Production with over 160 students involved – supported by numerous staff.
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The commitment of so many students to fine behaviour and to doing their very best they can in all areas of endeavour.
We opened the year with a School community of nearly 1,000 families, totalling 1,277 children across three campuses including Day and Boarding families. During the course of 2018, it has been gratifying to observe a small increase in our numbers. Whilst enrolment numbers have remained relatively strong during a prolonged period of economic downturn in Townsville, there will be a further decline in enrolments in 2019. This is mostly as the result of the School farewelling a record number of Year 12 students with this cohort replaced by a smaller number of Year 7 students in 2019. Grammar will, as always, provide the best education possible to each child within the School community. For me, when reflecting on just some highlights of the year these include:
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The reinstatement of the singing of the School Song at assemblies.
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The celebration of academic success and endeavour at the annual Scholars, Cum Laude and Pro Diligentia assemblies.
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The outstanding NAPLAN results from our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students. TGS was the only school outside of Southeast Queensland in the top 20 performing schools in Years 5, 7 and 9.
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The passionate speech of Past Grammarian, Jack Growden (12/2013), at Assembly when speaking about his involvement in service to PNG students and the change each individual can make.
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The School’s inaugural Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp.
The year-long celebration of the 130th anniversary of the School, including the Founders’ Day Assembly, Black and Gold 130th Anniversary Mothers’ Day Luncheon, Denim and Diamonds 130th Anniversary Celebration of Boarding, 130th Anniversary Reunion and Grammar@ Home day, and the Black and Gold 130th Anniversary Secret Feast. Whilst this list is by no means exhaustive, I congratulate all who have contributed in these many sporting, cultural, academic, service and community events and am genuinely excited at the thought of all those to come in 2019. 2
The Academic Life of the School
key study success factors of self-management, research skills, and the ability to communicate effectively in an academic environment and to critically analyse rather than just accept what is presented. Over our short history as an IB World School we have seen our students consistently outperform state, national and international benchmarks. Once again, our 2017 graduates performed admirably with six of the class, Matthew Maguire, Min Jin Oh, Jisu Park, Brendan Pierotti, Tasnim Zaman and Bo Wei Zhang, earning an OP1 equivalent score.
The students of Townsville Grammar School have a long history of performing at a very high level academically. This does not occur by chance but rather as a result of a range of influences carefully aligned to ensure our students are given the very best possible environment in which these academic achievements can be achieved. These influences include the School’s committed and highly qualified teaching staff, the evidence of a disciplined and structured learning environment, the essential influence of our parents who support the culture of valuing education, a culture within the School of acknowledging effort and an expectation of personal best for all. We see evidence of this when we consider the academic results of our students in relation to State benchmarks, academic competitions and in the final Year 12 results and university placements.
Queensland Certificate of Education Achievement Award In February of this year, 2017 graduate and Dux of the School, William Price, was awarded a coveted Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) Achievement Award. Of the 53,000 Queensland students who graduated Year 12 in 2017, only 32 were awarded the prestigious QCE Achievement Award for their outstanding academic achievement.
Since my arrival at the School, I have been most impressed by the professional attitude and caring nature exhibited by all members of the School staff – academic and support. By placing the academic and pastoral needs of students at the centre of their decision making, a positive and supportive environment has been developed by staff. I wish to extend my gratitude to all staff for their contribution to the success of the School this year.
NAPLAN 2018 In May this year, our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students sat the annual round of NAPLAN testing. Students were tested in the areas of reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. The performance of the students tested this year was exceptional. Over 98.5% of our students performed above the National Benchmark. When comparing our results, we were unrivalled in North Queensland. Our overall performance across all indicators placed TGS in the top 3% of all schools in Queensland. In the initial reading of the Queensland preliminary data released to date, Townsville Grammar School has ranked 29th in Year 3, 4th in Queensland in Year 5, 16th in Year 7 and 12th in the state in Year 9. To put this in perspective, there are 1,216 schools in Queensland who offer Year 5. Across Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9 Townsville Grammar School is the only school outside of the south eastern corner of Queensland to feature in the Top 20 schools in the state and does so consistently across these three grades – making it amongst one of the top performing schools in Queensland. These results are continued evidence of our students’ application of the “personal best” motto we all seek to follow.
Academic Performance Year 12 2017 Our 2017 Year 12 school leavers performed extremely well, achieving some of the School’s best OP results rankings across several domains since the implementation of the OP system in 1992. Several of the School’s ‘best ever’ results included OP 1-3 (27.6%), OP 1-5 (a staggering 43.8%), OP1-8 (59.0%) and OP1-18 (100%). Congratulations are extended to our five OP 1 students: Lauren Jones, William Price, Cain Varoy, Jessica Wilkins and Yan Ting (Alysia) Wu. The International Baccalaureate (IB) was first introduced to Townsville Grammar School in 2010 and this year we will graduate our eighth cohort. The IB programme at Townsville Grammar School is a programme that welcomes and encourages inquisitive learners, students who do not just accept the status quo but who do and will always question the who, why and what. The breadth and depth of the curriculum is recognised by universities as well as the
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Cum Laude Awards
Art
The 21st Annual Cum Laude Ceremonies were a wonderful celebration of the dedication to their studies of our award winners. The highly regarded Alan Morwood Awards were presented to 25 students who have achieved a Cum Laude Award in each of their five years at Grammar. Six students, Claire Dowling, Sul-Gi (Stephanie) Kim, Finn Newsway, Sachin Patel, Adele Pickering and Max Tory (12/2018) received the special distinction of gaining their Morwood Award with a Maxima Cum Laude in each of the past five years. Other Morwood Award recipients were: Dylan Anger, Campbell Briggs, Michael Carroll, Lillian Carson, Fiona Crowe, Lara Gilbett, Brianna Hodsdon, Julia Jacob, Arushi Joshi, Sean Kavanagh, Riley O’Kane, Nickia Olsen, Diya Patel, Dennis Perez Castillo, Tara Rane, Paris Reeves, Manya Tripathi, Kirsty Welch and Priscilla Zhong (12/2018). Thanks must also be extended to Past Grammarian and former Vice-Captain of the School, Dr Elizabeth Stalewski (12/1998), who addressed both Cum Laude Assemblies. Her humility and sincerity impressed everyone fortunate enough to be in attendance.
Students across all year levels entered a variety of art competitions and exhibitions with success. Matilda Robinson (12/2018) was the youngest person to have her work hung in The Percivals, an open competition for Australian artists who engage in portraiture. Matilda Robinson and Makenna Short (12/2018) were also selected to have their work hung at the North Queensland Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art and Design Regional Exhibition at Pinnacles Gallery, with Matilda receiving an Excellence Award. Her work will now be featured at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, as part of the 2019 exhibition.
Business and Humanities This year, Business and Humanities students have had the opportunity to engage in activities that allow them to experience real world applications of their studies. Geography students investigated sustainability by visiting dairy farms on the Atherton Tablelands, the coastal system at Rowes Bay, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), James Cook University and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to learn more about the implications of global warming and climate change. Congratulations to Tara Rane (12/2018) for being awarded a High Distinction in the Australian Geography Competition.
Pro Diligentia Awards The long-standing academic culture evident at the School is clearly illustrated by the number of students receiving Pro Diligentia Awards. These awards are not based on academic achievement, but rather, on academic endeavour. This year, 345 received a Pro Diligentia Award. The determined approach of so many students to their academic studies, regardless of achievement, results in a positive environment in each and every classroom.
Students studying Economics benefited from attending presentations by guest speakers and listening to their experiences as leaders in government and business. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Honourable Curtis Pitt MP, spoke to the group about his role as Treasurer in the Queensland Parliament and the importance of economics in shaping government budgets and policy. Dr Shane Oliver, Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist with AMP Capital, provided insight on the state of the North Queensland and Australian economy. Budding entrepreneurs provided inspiration and shared the challenges of breaking into the market place at the North Queensland Local Heroes Design Awards.
ICAS This year, a large number of students sat the ICAS Exams in English, Science and Writing. These exams are run by the University of New South Wales and attract over one million entries from schools in Australia and New Zealand. Many of our students received Merits, Credits and Distinctions. A number of our students also received High Distinctions for placing in the top 1% of students in the competition for their respective Year levels. In English, these students were: David Golledge (3/2018), Aaratrika (Ranu) Khanna (4/2018), Isabella Morris (5/2018), and Poppy Costello (6/2018). In Science, Abdullah Al Itmam, Oscar Caniato, Samuel Monk, Rohan Nalavade, Jason Wang (5/2018), Maher Zulfiquer (7/2018), Sul-Gi (Stephanie) Kim and Max Tory (12/2018) performed exceptionally well. In Writing, Brandon Lindsay (8/2018), Phoebe Evans, Leo Fairley (9/2018), Emily Price (10/2018) and Alyssa Lee-Knauer (11/2018) received High Distinctions. In addition to receiving a High Distinction in the Writing Test, the following four students had the honour of receiving the top score in the competition for their respective Year level. Phoebe Evans, Leo Fairley (9/2018), Emily Price (10/2018), and Alyssa Lee-Knauer (11/2018).
Year 11 Legal Studies students undertook Mock Trials at the Townsville Law Courts with support from the local judiciary and legal fraternity, whilst three of our Year 12 Legal Studies students participated in the Bond University National High School Mooting Competition where they received an Honourable Mention. Benjamin Wollschlager, Pratibha Raut and Emma Ryan (12/2018) are to be congratulated for their efforts in this competition.
English Students’ creative writing skills are recognised across both campuses during Townsville Grammar School’s annual Writing Competition. The Junior School Medal is named after Colin Bingham, a Past Grammarian who entered the School as a young boarder in 1913 and went on to be a prolific writer, poet and editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. Bingham was nurtured as a young writer by his Headmaster at the time, P.F. ‘Boss’ Rowland. At the Annandale Campus, the following students were awarded the Colin Bingham Medal as the best boy and girl writers for 2018: Poppy Morris, David Golledge (3/2018), Aaratrika (Ranu) Khana, Joshua Dreyer (4/2018), Isabella Morris, Oscar Caniato (5/2018), Myeisha Avenido, and Jonathan Davis (6/2018).
In the ICAS Science Competition, 83 TGS students from Years 7 to 12 participated. Of special note were the three students who received High Distinctions placing them in the top 1% of the State. High Distinction recipients were Maher Zulfiquer (7/2018), Sul-Gi (Stephanie) Kim and Max Tory (12/2018). A further 19 students received Distinctions and 27 students received certificates of Credit. The following section of the Annual Report is focussed on the various academic successes of our students, particularly in external competitions, as well as detailing some academic events of interest occurring throughout the year. Whilst the academic achievements of these students are highlighted in this section, I do stress that, as a School, we are committed to both academic excellence and effort as we encourage all students to achieve their personal best in all they do.
The North Ward Campus Writing Competition is now in its 19th year and, fittingly, the medal is named after Bingham’s mentor, P.F. Rowland. The following writers were awarded a P.F. Rowland Medal in 2018: Freya Boggild, Gabriel Reidy (7/2018), Luka Fon, Tejal Pillai (8/2018), Samuel Brooks, Aimee Smith (9/2018), Sarah Timothy, Lachlan Williams (10/2018), Alyssa Lee-Knauer, Tin Pham (11/2018), Sul-Gi (Stephanie) Kim and Max Tory (12/2018).
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Modern Languages
Students enrolled in Year 10 English Extension had the opportunity to participate in the Brisbane Writers Festival Microfiction Competition. Khai Nguyen Tri and Emily Price (10/2018) were both shortlisted, with Emily Price winning First place in the statewide competition.
In the Education International Queensland StuditaliA Competition for Italian, Dylan Anger and Lillian Carson (12/2018) participated in the rigorous application and interview process to win two coveted positions for a tremendous travel and learning opportunity to Italy. Dylan and Lillian were presented with their awards in Brisbane in August and will be travelling for a month in Italy for a language and cultural tour in November 2018 with all expenses paid.
ICT In November 2017, three teams of students ranging from Year 5 to Year 11 attended Townsville’s inaugural First Lego League competition at CQ University and competed against schools from across the region. This international STEM competition requires students to design, build and programme a robot to interact with a range of Lego mechanisms as well as complete and present a research activity. The theme of the competition was “Hydro Dynamics” (problems surrounding the use and transportation of water). All three teams performed very well on the day, with one particular team, comprising Harley-Darren Brockie, Luke Carroll, Aaditya Chavan, Reilly Latouf, Jasper Naessens, Ashmith Sivayoganathan and Thomas Browne White (8/2018) and Daniel Lee and Oliver Livingstone (9/2018), being presented both the Robot Performance Award and overall Regional Champion’s Award.
In this year’s Alliance Française Poetry Recitation, our students exhibiting outstanding French accents and pronunciation won a clean sweep of all contested sections in Years 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10. First place prize-winners were David Szabo (6/2018), Wouter Teunisse (8/2018) and Millie Andrews (9/2018). In the Alliance Française Schools’ Competition for the Julie Ratliff Essay Prize the Middle School Prize-winner was Emma Paas (8/2018). This is a named prize in honour of our former Townsville Grammar French doyenne, Madame Julie Ratliff, who commenced teaching French at our School in 1974. The French Speech Competition results were suitably impressive with students winning 15 prizes across Years 6 to 12. Students prepared their own speeches based on a format for Years 6 to 9 and the Senior School were given a choice of topics to present a speech and respond to questions. First place winners were Ina Singh (6/2018), Aimee Segal (7/2018), Barnabus Juhasz (8/2018), Neshi Weerasooriya (9/2018), Sophy Barlow (10/2018) and Vrinda Baveja (11/2018).
Mathematics A number of students have been involved in Mathematics Enrichment activities in 2018. Emma Zischke (11/2018) has been accepted to join elite mathematicians from around Australia at the National Mathematics Summer School, to be held in Canberra in January 2019.
In the Townsville and District Japanese Speech Competition, Year 8 student Suin Yu (8/2018) was awarded First place and the prize for highest point scorer across the Junior Secondary Division. Additional First place prize-winners were Year 9 Daniel Lee (9/2018) and Year 10 Sarah Hultgren (10/2018).
Congratulations to Max Tory (12/2018) for his First place in the UQ/QAMT Problem Solving Competition, and Sul-Gi (Stephanie) Kim (12/2018), who received a Commendation. The following Year 10 Mathematics C students attended the 2018 QAMT Mathematics Camp on Magnetic Island in August: Amy Cummins, Adam Fittler, Mathishi Gamaetige, Diya Iyer, Khai Nguyen Tri, Felix Pountney, Sarah Timothy, Riya Urkude, Job (Joe) Verkuijl and Lachlan Williams (10/2018). The aim of the annual camp is to foster an interest in Mathematics amongst particularly talented students and to expand their horizons.
Stephen Terry (11/2018) won the Japanese Iwaki-Townsville Sister City Exchange Competition and, as his prize, travelled to the north of Japan in the September holidays to attend school, stay with a host family and be an ambassador for Townsville at various city events with all expenses paid. Our Shinjo East High School visitors, who visited Townsville in July 2018, worked with our classes and provided invaluable interactions in learning Japanese. Our students were greatly enriched by this experience.
Several of our Year 8 elite mathematicians had the opportunity to participate in the JCU MEOW (Mathematics Explains Our World) workshops during Term 2.
Science
Also, in Term 2, 50 students from Years 7 to 10 completed the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians, a problem solving competition for elite mathematicians. The results were very pleasing with one High Distinction, six Distinctions and seven Credit certificates awarded. Our High Distinction winner was Riya Urkude (10/2018) and the Distinction winners were Maher Zulfiquer (7/2018), Daniel Kim, Kevin Wang (8/2018), Mathishi Gamaetige, Chelsea Smith and Sarah Timothy (10/2018).
Thirty-two enthusiastic Year 10 students attended the Science and Engineering Challenge held at James Cook University in April. This competition takes place each year throughout Australia and this was the first year that Townsville Grammar School had entered a team. The challenge encouraged students to explore scientific principles for themselves and to consider a future in Science and Engineering. Our Scientist In Schools programme is in its eleventh year of collaboration with research scientists Professor Natkunam Ketheesan (Immunology), Dr Jane Mellors (Aquatic Ecosystems) and Professor Mohan Jacob (Biomaterials). With programmes for Year 10 Natural Sciences students on Immunology, Year 11 Biology students on Aquatic Ecosystems and Year 11 and 12 Physics students on materials development, this outstanding programme has given our students an insight into the world of research scientists. We really appreciate the time, energy and enthusiasm that these volunteer scientists give to our students.
The QAMT Year 7/8 Maths Quiz Competition was held in Townsville in Term 3, with both of our teams making it through to the regional final. Team A, consisting of Maher Zulfiquer (7/2018), Dylan Rao and Luka Fon (8/2018) were Runners-Up and Team B, consisting of Thomas Rimmer, Nils Cumming (7/2018) and Kevin Wang (8/2018) finished Fourth. In Term 3, 59 students from Years 7 to 12 completed the Australian Mathematics Competition with one Prize, five High Distinctions, 23 Distinctions and 19 Credit certificates being awarded. Our Prizewinner was Maher Zulfiquer (7/2018), High Distinction winners were Hai Dang Le Cong, Leo Fairley (9/2018), Max Tory and Sachin Patel (12/2018).
The National Youth Science Forum continues to be a highlight for our talented Year 11 Science students. This forum is aimed at students who are interested in careers in Science or Engineering. It gives them an opportunity to meet with scientists, researchers, 5
academics and industry representatives during a two week programme in January. It also provides students an opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals and make friendships outside their own school, city and state. The selection process is highly competitive as there are only a limited number of positions available. Well done and congratulations to Kimberley Brown (11/2018) who has been selected to attend the 2019 Forum. In September this year, Tisshapaa Sivagnanan (12/2018) furthered her NYSF experience when she attended the 60th London International Youth Science Forum. Here she attended forums, workshops, lectures and visits to world class scientific and research facilities across the UK. This programme is supported by some of the world’s best universities: Cambridge, Oxford and the Imperial College London.
in Business to name a few. In addition to this, three Year 11 and four Year 12 students have committed to completing a School Based Traineeship or Apprenticeship in areas such as Hospitality, Business, Childcare and Metal Fabrication. In terms of tertiary education options in 2018, we have had five students in Year 11 and three in Year 12 successfully complete tertiary education courses while still at school, providing them with direct entry and extra bonus OP points to gain entry into any university. Over 150 students in Years 10 to 12 have also taken the opportunity to explore the world of work by undertaking Work Experience. This is a flexible programme where students are able to organise experience through an employer at a time convenient to all parties. This year students were placed with employers in the fields of IT, medicine and allied health care, dentistry, optometry, physiotherapy, law, engineering, automotive services, veterinary surgeries and the Defence Force.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Science programme at QUT during the September holidays has, again, attracted the highest achieving Year 11 Science students from across the state. The STEM programme selects students to attend a fully funded project where they work on cutting-edge Science projects with leading academics. Our School was very fortunate, this year, to have two students selected to attend: Christofer Moores and Rachel Pierotti (11/2018).
The Co-Curricular Life of the School
Careers
Sport
This year, our Career Advisor, Ms Beth Gilpatrick, has consulted with almost 400 students across Year 10 and Year 12 for either subject selection, future pathways planning for tertiary education or alternative training. In addition, over 200 students from Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12, as well as their parents, have sought advice, being individually case managed in terms of guidance for future directions. This advice ranges from prerequisite subject choice and subject selection to assisting students in making accurate career choices, to ensuring they are making good decisions for further education and training.
Townsville Grammar School has a competitive and increasingly diverse sporting programme which forms an essential part of School life. Director of Sport, Mr Peter Christie, is very well supported by Director of Rowing, Mr Corby Green, Director of Rugby, Mr Giles Derrett, Director of Netball, Mrs Prue Watson and Sports Assistant, Mrs Rachael Reeves. This year, students and coaches have represented TGS in numerous competitions and tournaments at Club, Interschool, and Regional level. Housemasters Ms Kelly McBean (Hodges), Mr Laurence Page (Miller), Ms Naomi Adams (Rowland) and Mr Paul Rimmer (Whight) have shown wonderful leadership of, and enthusiasm for, their respective Houses through exciting and competitive Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics Carnivals and the Activities Day.
Two Career Development programmes were implemented in Term 3 this year. Year 9 completed the “Discover my Future” programme and Year 10 completed the QTAC My Path and My Career Match programmes, as well as career development activities using the resources from our new TGS Career Website. This culminates in better decision making processes when choosing subjects for next year.
Throughout 2018, there have been many sporting highlights with TGS celebrating good success at all three TSSS Carnivals. In Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics, numerous students won individual events and were selected in Townsville and North Queensland representative teams. We also saw a number of TGS students winning age groups across these tightly contested competitions.
Students are also guided in Year 10 to explore alternative pathways, including TAFE and University subjects as part of their Senior Education and Training Plan. This year we have 11 Year 12 and two Year 11 students completing Vocational Education Pathways through TAFE or other institutes, completing Certificate courses in Construction, Engineering, Animal Studies and a Diploma
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In Club Netball, Grammar 15 and 16 were Premiers and in Club Rugby, the U13 team finished Second. In 2018, our Rowers had a successful year, punctuated by Grammar victory in the Boys Open Four and the Girls Open Single at the Head of River Regatta.
The Interhouse Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals were all very exciting contests, and gave our students an opportunity to display their competitiveness and House spirit. Rowland was First in the Middle School Swimming Carnival, while Hodges was victorious at the Senior School Carnival. In the Cross Country, it was Miller House who reigned supreme, while Whight House claimed First place at the Athletics Carnival. Overall, it was Miller House who won the Grimsey Cup for Champion Girl House, the Duffin Shield for Champion Boy House and also, the Robertson Shield for Overall Champion House.
2018 was also a very successful year for Grammar students representing their region, state and country. Four students gained selection into Australian teams. Shirley Alcock (12/2018) in Athletics, Campbell Corrigan (9/2018) for Indoor Cricket, Samuel Lavender (12/2018) for Indoor Rock climbing, and Mitch McGrath (9/2018) for Futsal.
The 2018 Sports Awards Assembly recognised individual students for their North Queensland, Queensland and Australian representation. The Assembly also recognised the TGS TriRepresentatives (students who represented Grammar in Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics). In 2018, the major individual award winners were:
A number of Grammar students also represented Queensland this year. Molly Ballantyne (8/2018) Water Polo, Thomas Bow (8/2018) Football, Lachlan Carey (10/2018) Touch Football Referee, Brittany Courtney (9/2018) Swimming, Claire Dowling (12/2018) Swimming, Ethan Harris (9/2018) Cycling, Thomas Hultgren (7/2018) Inline Hockey, Barnabas Juhasz (8/2018) Indoor Rock Climbing, Phoebe Lavender (10/2018) Indoor Rock Climbing, Lara Leong (12/2018) Swimming, Surf Lifesaving and Pool Rescue, Madeline Mathews (8/2018) Touch Football, Declan Marchioni (10/2018) Triathlon, Nikolas Mitchell (10/2018) OzTag and Rugby Union, Ashleigh Richardson (10/2018) Indoor Rock Climbing, Ashmith Sivayoganathan (8/2018) Table Tennis, Owen Spanswick (11/2018) Hockey, Lachlan Vowell (10/2018) Swimming, James Wang (6/2018) Table Tennis, Jason Wang (5/2018) Table Tennis, and Lochlan Ward (11/2018) Swimming.
Dylan Anger (12/2018) - Pierre De Coubertin Award, Lara Leong (12/2018) - Principal’s Female All Rounder, Declan Marchioni (10/2018) – Principal’s Male All Rounder, Brittany Courtney (9/2018) - Middle School Sportswoman of the Year, Leo Fairley (9/2018) - Middle School Sportsman of the Year, Shirley Alcock (12/2018) - Davida Tucker Sportswoman of the Year, Nikolas Mitchell (10/2018) - Bill Tucker Sportsman of the Year.
Rugby
At a regional level, TGS supplied more than 40 sportsmen and women who represented North Queensland.
In Club Rugby, the School fielded seven teams with 142 registered players in the Townsville and District Rugby Union Competition. 7
Although cumulatively, Grammar did not achieve the success of previous years in terms of competition points, we were well represented in most age groups and our senior players represented North Ward Rugby Club in the U18 competition. Our most successful team this year was the U13 team who reached the Grand Final of their competition.
School Male Rower - Lachlan Bell (12/2018), Best Senior School Female Rower - Jessica Stobie (11/2018), Best Senior School Male Rower - Jackson Green (12/2018), Best Coxswain - Jamie Hodges (11/2018), Most Valuable Female Rower - Alice Turnour (12/2018), Most Valuable Male Rower - Gerard Hayes (9/2018).
Netball
Captain of Rugby for 2018 was Dylan Anger (12/2018). Dylan proved a committed Captain of Rugby and led our 1st XV competitively in the Interschool competition.
In Club Netball, the School had 19 teams participating in the Townsville City Netball Competition, 16 teams in competitive Divisions and three teams in the NetSetGo programme. At the end of the regular season, seven of the 16 eligible teams qualified for Semi-Finals. Ultimately, three Grammar teams progressed through to Grand Finals. Congratulations to Grammar 15, coached by Mrs Sandie Harvey, Premiers in the 11/12 C Division and Grammar 16, coached by Mrs Breeanna Lauro, Premiers in the 11/12 D Division. Well done to Grammar 8, coached by Miss Mia Ohlin, who were Runners-Up in the Inter D Division.
Congratulations go to the following students who were selected to represent North Queensland in their respective age groups this year: Will Pascoe, Reg Alcock (7/2018), Nikolas Mitchell (10/2018) and Cooper Arnaboldi (12/2018). Nikolas Mitchell was also selected in the U15 Queensland Gold Cup Squad. The annual Rugby Dinner celebrated the efforts of Rugby players over the 2018 season. The following players were acknowledged as ‘Best and Fairest’ award winners in their teams: U8 – Luke Herdegen (3/2018), U10 – Joshua Paris-Browne (4/2018), U12 – Riley Arlett (7/2018), U13 – Justin Crane (7/2018), U14 – Stanley Alcock (9/2018) and U16 – Sean Suk (10/2018).
Grammar Netball Captain for 2018 was Maggie-Rose Thompson (12/2018). Maggie-Rose has been a member of the Grammar Netball Club for 11 years, starting her netball in Year 2 in the NetSetGo programme. She has been an inspirational player and leader and well respected by team mates as well as the Grammar Netball Community as a whole. Despite suffering a season ending knee injury at the start of the season she carried out her role as Captain with enthusiasm and was a great role model and ambassador for Netball at Grammar. It was very appropriate and deserving that she received Netball’s MVP for 2018.
Nikolas Mitchell was honoured as the club’s Most Valuable Player this year for his work ethic and commitment, also acknowledging his achievements both as a representative player and referee.
Rowing The Grammar Rowing Team of 49 athletes excelled in 2018 with their season culminating in a successful All Schools Head of the River Regatta in August, followed by excellent performances at the Queensland Schools Championships in Rockhampton in September. Director of Rowing, Mr Green, was very well supported by a number of wonderfully committed parents and Rowing Captains, Jackson Green and Alice Turnour (12/2018).
Best and Fairest award recipients from Grammar 1-16 were: Emily Price (10/2018), Lucinda Carter (10/2018), Casey Winter (12/2018), Lily Reeves (9/2018), Lucy Callan (9/2018), Matilda Watson (12/2018), Emma Cursio (12/2018), Lily Bradshaw (10/2018), Millie Andrews (9/2018), Anna Child (9/2018), Lauren To (8/2018), Sophie McDarra (8/2018), Savanna Marshall (7/2018), Lily Hooper (8/2018), Poppy Costello (6/2018) and Amali Burch (6/2018). NetSetGo Coaches Awards for Grammar 17-19 were awarded to: Matilda Arnold (5/2018), Aspyn Bell (4/2018) and Matilda Munro (3/2018).
Gold medal performances were achieved at the North Queensland Schools Championships in the following events: Champion Girls Year 11 Pair - Jessica Stobie (11/2018) and Lucy Bragg (10/2018); Champion Girls Year 11 Four - Jessica Stobie, Praajna Sankar, Alyssa Lee-Knauer (11/2018), Lucy Bragg (10/2018) and Kimberley Brown (Cox) (11/2018); Champion Boys Open Four - Jackson Green (12/2018), Oliver Jhinku, Shaun Bell (11/2018), Lachlan Donnell-Wales (9/2018) and Jamie Hodges (Cox) (11/2018).
Townsville City Netball awardees for 2018 were: Casey Winter (12/2018) MVP Inter A2, Hirimaea Alphonse (8/2018) MVP 13/14 A, Sophie McDarra (8/2018) MVP 13/14 C, Poppy Costello (6/2018) MVP 11/12 C, Emily Maw (6/2018) Grand Final MVP, Sarah Marshman (5/2018) Grand Final MVP.
At the All Schools Head of the River Regatta, the Boys 1st VIII and the Girls 1st VIII both placed Second in hard fought races. In overall points scored, both the Boys’ and Girls’ team placed Third. Gold medal performances were achieved in the following events: Girls Open Single Scull - Jessica Stobie (11/2018); Boys Open Four - Jackson Green (12/2018), Oliver Jhinku, Shaun Bell (11/2018), Lachlan Donnell-Wales (9/2018) and Jamie Hodges (Cox) (11/2018).
The Arts Music Music is intrinsic to the School’s culture and sense of being. Across the three campuses, music provides students opportunities to enhance and enrich their learning for life, and allows students to become performers, composers and listeners of taste and discernment. The Music programme provides breadth and scope for a range of musical genres and styles with instrumental and vocal ensembles that perform regularly at school and community events, exhibiting the skills and talents of our students.
During the September break, TGS fielded a team of 13 Boys and 14 Girls to contest the Queensland Schools State Championships in Rockhampton. In all, our team featured in 23 events including four Semi-Finals and 10 Finals resulting in one Gold Medal performance by the Boys Open Four of Jackson Green (12/2018), Oliver Jhinku, Shaun Bell (11/2018), Lachlan Donnell-Wales (9/2018) and Jamie Hodges (Cox) (11/2018).
The Black and Gold Committee has maintained its active support of music through the generous provision of funds for the acquisition of resources to enhance musical opportunities. In 2018, this funding enabled the Music Centre in North Ward to boast state-of-the-art microphones, and portable staging.
The annual Rowing Presentation Dinner celebrated the efforts of the team for the 2018 season and gave recognition to the following major award winners: Most Improved Middle School Female Rower - Lauren Taylor (9/2018); Most Improved Middle School Male Rower - Daniel Kim (8/2018), Best Middle School Female Rower - Brianna Williams (9/2018), Best Middle School Male Rower Lachlan Donnell-Wales (9/2018), Most Improved Senior School Female Rower - Praajna Sankar (11/2018), Most Improved Senior
The Grammar community has maintained and enhanced its generous support of the international aid agency, Musicians Without Borders, with $1,300 being raised from concerts and events. 8
The annual Friends of Music Cocktail Function was attended by 120 guests, including political representatives from Federal, State and local governments, and leaders from the artistic and education communities in the city. The evening featured performances from Junior, Middle and Senior School students.
in 1791. Brandon Lindsay (8/2018) was selected to have his composition performed at the Festival by a choir of TGS students, conducted by Mr Samuel Blanch. Many students from Grammar joined the AFCM choir for a performance of the oratorio, Ahoy! Sing for the Mary Rose by Alexander L’Estrange. Michael Carroll (12/2018) won the AFCM busking competition for the second year.
The quality and breadth of Music in the Junior School has expanded significantly in 2018. At the North Shore campus, instrumental and vocal tuition is available and classroom music is a vital part of School life as the campus develops and expands.
The Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition is held annually in Townsville, and the vocal section was hosted by Townsville Grammar School. Past and present students competed in this international competition. The School congratulates Michael Carroll (12/2018) who received the Youth Development Award from the adjudicator, Piers Lane, for his performance in the schoolage instrumental section.
Music Tuition at the Annandale Campus School remains popular with over 200 lessons taking place weekly with the fifteen tutors who visit the Annandale Campus. This tuition also enables excellence in our ensembles. In 2018, a range of instrumental ensembles with strong membership regularly demonstrated emerging musical skill. The well attended recitals at Annandale were of a very pleasing standard. The choral tradition continues to remain strong with Junior School Choirs performing regularly.
Aimee Segal (7/2018), who plays bassoon, was selected to record for the Australian Music Examinations Board online orchestra. The AMEB online orchestra comprises students, teachers and beginner musicians from all over Australia who appeared in a video. Aimee was the only bassoonist selected for this project.
The observance of the solemnity of ANZAC Day is a high priority at Townsville Grammar School. This year, the School presented its ANZAC Ceremony with carefully chosen music to enhance the occasion. This year we were delighted, once again, to have our own piper to enhance the ceremony. Macey Bennett (10/2018) played Amazing Grace on bagpipes for the arrival of the official party. Grammar Singers, Middle School Boys’ Choir and the Symphony Orchestra presented John McRae’s World War I poem, In Flanders Fields. The Orchestra accompanied Adele Pickering (12/2018) and Sarah Hultgren (10/2018) as they sang Abide with Me during the laying of wreaths. The Last Post and Rouse were poignantly presented by Lachlan Carey (10/2018) on trumpet. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Symphony Orchestra played a rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda.
Participation in the Townsville Eisteddfod saw Grammar students receive an array of individual specialty awards. Emily Lafferty (10/2018) won the Susan Grinsell Trophy for the most promising Vocalist age 12 to 18 years. Daniel Lee (9/2018) was awarded the Mona Ward Trophy for most promising pianist age 13 and over. Caden Browne White (7/2018) won the Vocal Encouragement Award age 13 and under and Lily Munro (6/2018) won the Vocal Encouragement Award age 11 and under. Once again, our Middle School Choir, Grammar Mezzo, won the Junior Secondary Choral Championship. Other Grammar ensembles which won First prize in an Eisteddfod event were Celtic Strings, the Junior School Concert Band and the Junior School Recorder Ensemble.
Individual student and ensembles have performed at functions such as Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day, Prospective Parents’ Function, the Black and Gold Secret Feast, Friends of the Theatre and concerts at St James’ Cathedral. In 2018, Celtic Strings had the honour of being selected to perform at the Palm Creek Festival for the second successive year.
The School congratulates the following students who received First place in a Music section at the Eisteddfod: Junyu Fan (1/2018), Priya Anand, Lily Foreman, Myn Jeong Kim, Matilda Munro (3/2018), Joel Brandi, Febisola Kazum, Kenadi McGeachie (5/2018), Ned Fairley, Lily Munro, Asha Patel, James Wang, Isabella Wong (6/2018), Isabella Baker, Georgia Gardiner, Caden Browne White (7/2018), Luke Carroll, Kevin Wang (8/2018), Daniel Lee, Thomas Gray, Charlotte Meade (9/2018), Emily Lafferty, Macey Bennett (10/2018), Jessica Aslin and Michael Carroll (12/2018).
Composition is a facet of musical creativity and skill which is growing in the School. Thomas Gray (9/2018) was selected as a finalist in the Queensland Music Festival Film-scoring (composition) competition, Score It! (Years 7 to 10 section). Thomas, who was the only finalist from North Queensland, was highly commended at the awards in Brisbane and received a substantial prize. Thomas also received Second prize in the Australian Society of Music Educators Young Composers’ competition.
The School was substantially represented at the three Queensland Conservatorium State Honours Ensemble Programmes (SHEP) in Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane. This highly prestigious programme provides young musicians the opportunity to work with their peers in an intensive environment of musical excellence. Michael Carroll (12/2018) was selected to participate in the extension of SHEP, the Australian Pacific Honours Ensemble Programme.
The School community congratulates Shimmer Hinchy (11/2018) who was selected to participate in the Commonwealth Games Combined Schools Choir which performed in Townsville. Shimmer was a fine ambassador for the School, in a performance screened to the whole Commonwealth.
The Grammar community is very proud of Luke Carroll (8/2018) who has been selected by the Queensland Conservatorium to travel to Seattle, USA for the Pacific Ensemble Programme in November. Luke, who plays Flute, was chosen from among students throughout Queensland who participated in State Honours Ensemble Programmes. This is the third successive year in which a Townsville Grammar School student was offered a place. Luke is exceptionally young for this programme, as most of the participants are in the senior years of secondary school.
Our annual Grammar Sings and Ensembles Showcase Concerts provided opportunities for our choral and instrumental ensembles to present their achievements to the School community. Each concert had a capacity audience. Townsville Grammar School’s established collaboration with the Australian Festival of Chamber Music is now in its twelfth successive year. In 2018, the School remained a Silver Sponsor of the Festival, hosting the Winterschool masterclass with Czech violinist, Pavel Fischer, and sponsoring the Australian guitarist, Ms Karin Schaupp. The School’s involvement with the AFCM included a collaboration with Portsmouth Grammar School in the United Kingdom in the composition of sea shanties. The AFCM commemorated the sinking of Henry VIII’s ship, Mary Rose, and the sinking of HMS Pandora
Leadership through service is an important maxim that the School observes. The Music Leaders in 2018 have made a wonderful contribution to the morale and tone of Music. We thank the Junior School Music Captains, Lily Munro and James Wang (6/2018), the Middle School Music Captains Phoebe Evans and Thomas Gray (9/2018), and the School Music Captains Jessica Aslin and Michael Carroll (12/2018) for their conscientious leadership and role 9
modelling. The ensemble leaders, Annika Belward, Anoj Sabesan, Max Tory and Niki Wrigglesworth (12/2018) have each enhanced the status of the ensembles.
and Transition” where young adults access new life skills to become more independent by being actively taken into the community for training. In September, they returned to the School as part of the Year 10 community volunteer programme and Drama students, Alyssa Binder, Eliza Keats and Ruby Kenway (10/2018) were able to lead the workshop.
Drama In May, 160 Middle School students staged “East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon” an exotic collection of folktales, for their Middle School Concert. The students were introduced to innovative theatre techniques such as slapstick, physical theatre and epic storytelling while gaining a personal insight into the cultural traditions of China, India, Russia and Australia.
The School congratulates the following students who received First place in a Music section at the Eisteddfod: The Shakespearean Championship 17-18 years was won by Leah Mustard (12/2018) for her interpretation of Viola from Twelfth Night. Leah also won the Solo Drama 15-18 years. Alice Bosanquet (11/2018) won the Shakespearean 15-16 years with her rendition from The Taming of the Shrew. Charlotte Meade and Sophie Trayner (9/2018) won the Duologue section 13-15 years. Three TGS students won all the Drama bursaries at the conclusion of the Speech and Drama sections. The Joan and Rex Prior Drama Bursary was won by Leah Mustard, the Magic House Speech Bursary by Alice Bosanquet with the Trinity College Trophy for Drama awarded to Macey Bennett (10/2018).
Drama students were offered an opportunity to showcase their communication skills in a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) School of Business initiative, AdSpace, where school students receive industry training through the provision of a mentor and online seminars, then compete to create the best advertising campaign for a real life client. The client this year was The Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the mock campaign brief was to design an ad to save the reef through targeting people their own age on various social media platforms. TGS had three teams entered and one of them took second place in the state. That team comprised Macey Bennett (10/2018), Ben Cocklin, Ziying Ni and Rachel Pierotti (11/2018).
The Performance Troupe also competed in the Secondary Interschool Dance Section at the Townsville Eisteddfod. The troupe performed a contemporary routine called ‘Robota’, receiving First place against other schools with long established dance programmes.
Cultural Awards
Many past and present drama staff and students recently performed in the sold out production of Les Miserables presented by The Townsville Choral Society which many of our students attended to support them.
This year, the 18th annual Cultural Awards Ceremony was held on the evening of Friday, 2 November. The presentation ceremony provided an opportunity to acknowledge our high achieving Creative Arts, Debating and Public Speaking students from Years 5 to 12. Many of the School’s outstanding young achievers were directly involved in performing or speaking throughout the year and, not surprisingly, after the success of this year’s Middle School Concert and Eisteddfod performances, there were many difficult selection decisions to be considered before choosing award recipients. Across Years 5 to 12 314 students received Cultural Awards and this year’s Perry Award recipients were Mali Thompson and Michael Carroll.
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) held multiple workshops in the Glennys Perry Performing Arts Space during the September holidays. Young acting students from all over North Queensland were able to enjoy the professional coaching in the TGS Drama facilities. The School welcomes NIDA and its acting tutors each year with support and sponsorship. Many TGS students spent the first week of the holiday attending these workshops to hone their skills. In February, past student and support worker, Adom D’Amico (12/2009) brought 11 young adults and seven support staff from Cootharinga North Queensland Ability First to enjoy a life skills drama workshop with Head of Drama, Ms Fiona Perry, and Dance teacher, Miss Jacinda Laing. It was part of their programme “Skills
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Debating
In July, our Silver candidates completed a sailing expedition on board the Queensland Sailing Training vessel The South Passage. For four days and nights the candidates became part of the crew learning how to sail and navigate a working tall ship around the pristine waters of the Palm Island Group and the Great Barrier Reef.
Debating has continued to be a popular and worthwhile co-curricular activity at Townsville Grammar School. Over 50 students, across 11 teams, have participated in the Townsville Regional Debating Competition, this year.
Gold candidates completed a challenging four day expedition in October that involved the exploration of historical Bullocky Tom’s Track complete with waterfalls, creek crossings, abandoned tin mines and hidden caves that are decorated with aboriginal artwork.
It is particularly wonderful to note the enthusiasm and engagement of the Year 7 cohort in this year’s debating competition. They were incredibly eager to participate in this activity, which meant that teams for this age group were at capacity. This bodes well for the future of debating at Townsville Grammar School and it will be exciting to observe the progress of these teams over the course of their schooling.
This year, Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards were presented to Ashleigh Richardson, Emily Price, Sophie de Jersey, Kasmira Mudd, Amy Cummins, Chelsea Smith (10/2018) and Tisshapaa Sivagnanan (12/2018).
Debating co-ordinator, Ms Kelly McBean, was well supported by the staff who coached teams and by captains Tisshapaa Sivagnanan and Clem Stack (12/2018).
A Silver Award was presented to Emma Robertson (11/2018) and the highly prestigious Gold Award awarded to Kirsty Welch (12/2018).
Community Service
Gavel Club and Public Speaking Our young orators have performed well in both intra-school and external public speaking competitions and in debating teams throughout the year. The Toastmasters International Gavel Club has provided a rich opportunity for students to improve their skills in the art of Public Speaking.
Service to the community is an integral component of a Townsville Grammar School education. We aim, as a School community, to personally develop students so that they become responsible, flexible and constructive members of society. Central to achieving this is increasing the exposure of students to the needs of others. This can be done, in part, by involving students in programmes of community service and therefore, hopefully, instilling a commitment to others in the broader community through displays of empathy, tolerance, compassion and kindness.
Barnabas Juhasz (8/2018) was the Junior winner of the Townsville Talks Public Speaking Competition. In the Townsville Interschool Public Speaking Competition, Barnabas Juhasz (8/2018) also won the Year 7/8 division and Miella Sartori (10/2018) won the Year 9/10 section.
One of the more significant service activities organised by the School this year was the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp. The School hosted its inaugural Camp over the first weekend of the September school holidays. At this year’s Camp the School hosted 21 children with disabilities from Townsville and outlying areas who were cared for by 44 Year 11 and 12 students. The programme kept the guests and their companions very busy with a wide range of activities such as a drama, music, cooking, STEM experiments, art and craft and, on the last morning, a visit from an Army helicopter, Sony Foundation Ambassador Johnathan Thurston and a show day with numerous show rides for the campers to enjoy.
In the Junior School Interclass Competition, Hayden Lewis (4/2018) was awarded First place in Year 4, while Sarah Marshman (5/2018) and Asha Patel (6/2018) were awarded First place in Year 5 and Year 6 respectively. 2018 saw the inaugural Poetry Slam, ‘Word Circus’, staged at the School. Miella Sartori (10/2018) won First prize from a very competitive field. Alyssa Binder (10/2018) won the North Queensland division of the Australian Poetry Slam. The School also had the opportunity to engage with our counterparts in Portsmouth, England, in the Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s poetry competition. Sophie Kent (10/2018) was awarded first place for her poem, which she presented as part of the Festival’s programme.
At the end of each day of the camp, time is spent debriefing with the companions. At this time what became evident was the impact that the Camp experience was having on each of the companions. To a person, they agreed that they initially found the idea of the Camp to be somewhat daunting, that they had been physically and emotionally challenged, but they had grown from the experience and touched by the young guest they were looking after. It was impressive to see our young men and women step up and clearly put the needs of another person before their own – a positive learning experience. It is hoped that the experience and skills gained during the Camp can be carried across into other aspects of their lives.
Duke of Edinburgh Award Recognised around the world as a challenging and rewarding selfdevelopment programme, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award distinguishes young people from all walks of life. The Award encourages young people to challenge themselves as a way of learning, achieving and contributing to their community. Participants push themselves beyond their individual comfort zones and, in turn, build the confidence and skills to make a difference to their own lives and to the lives of others. This year, Townsville Grammar School has over 60 students who have enrolled in the programme. In order to achieve this Award, students need to participate in some form of physical recreation, learn a new skill, perform community service and complete an adventurous journey.
The School has continued its annual contributions to worthy causes in 2018 with a number of community service groups supporting a wide variety of charities and community minded initiatives. The Interact Club held its Annual Food Appeal. This appeal involved students from all campuses of the School donating over 3,000 non-perishable food items to Food Relief NQ for distribution to needy people in the Townsville community. Furthermore, the Interact Club again prepared 200 birthing kits for the Townsville Zonta Club, to help the safe and healthy delivery of newborns in third-world countries. Other initiatives have involved Relay for Life and volunteering for the Sanitarium Weet-Bix TRYathlon.
To prepare for their Adventurous Journey, all candidates participated in a Training Day in March where they spent a day at the North Ward campus learning about camp craft, navigation and expedition planning. A Bronze Practice Expedition was conducted in May in the stunning Running River Gorge and Puzzle Creek area near Hidden Valley. A Bronze Qualifying Expedition was then completed in September and saw students trek through the magnificent rainforests of Mt Spec National Park near Paluma. 11
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The strong SunSmart message on Jillian’s Day continues to raise awareness of the prevention of skin cancer for students from PrePrep to Year 12 on all three campuses of the School. This SunSmart dress day also attracts generous donations from students and provides much needed funds for the Queensland Cancer Council.
Arage, the Junior School’s Ethiopian foster child. Pre-Prep held Jeans for Genes Day and Day for Daniel in support of these charities. Other community service activities and fundraising included the Year 6 Community Clean Up and the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal Congratulations to our 2018 Interact Office bearers on their excellent leadership in the area of Community Service: Fumbi Kazum (President), Perrie Moller (Vice-President), Emma Robertson (Secretary), Cherrie Gali (Treasurer) and Directors: Sally Jones, Kimberley Brown, Dimanthi Gamage, Alexander Miley and Charlotte Darley (11/2018).
Students in Year 10 and their Form Teachers fully immersed themselves in their annual Community Service Project Day. The projects this year included volunteering at Blue Care, Landcare Australia, Endeavour Foundation, Cootharinga NQ and Townsville Foster and Rehoming Animals. The Music Faculty has continued to support Musicians Without Borders as its charity. Donations received at Music functions, Grammar Sings and Ensemble Showcase evenings are used by this charity to develop projects that use music for healing and reconciliation in areas torn by war and conflict.
Student Leadership An important element of a Townsville Grammar School education is the development of the students’ leadership skills and competencies and, since its foundation in 1888, Townsville Grammar School has a long history of producing fine men and women who go on to lead in all areas of our society. At Townsville Grammar School the model of leadership we seek to encourage embodies the following:
The Boarding community rallied together to raise funds for Dolly’s Dream and headspace at the Denim and Diamonds Function as part of the 130th Celebration of Boarding. Both charities assist in the mental wellbeing of young people.
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Many farmers in outback Australia are feeling the effects of severe drought conditions. A free-dress day was organised to raise money for the Drought Angels. Year 1 at Annandale took the initiative to organise a Sunflower Challenge, with all proceeds going to Aussie Helpers to help farmers affected by drought. The students of the Annandale and North Shore campuses continue to embrace community service opportunities. The annual visits of students to the Villa Vincent Nursing Home and the Good Shepherd Nursing Home are always warmly received and welcomed by the residents. The proceeds of the annual Disco, Bring Your Own Backpack Day and Funky Hair Day were used to support Temesgen
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Leadership is about relationships. Leaders are servants to their community. Leadership is unavoidable. Leadership is doing what is right when no is looking. Leadership is about influence not authority. Leaders communicate well and they listen to others. Leaders set their own standards high and do not compromise them.
Pastoral Care at Townsville Grammar School
Senior School The School Captains for 2018 were Monica Hasa and Dylan Anger, the School Vice-Captains were Lara Gilbett and Finn Newsway and the School Boarding Captains were Priscilla Zhong (Bowen) and Johnty O’Brien (Normanton).
One of a school’s unquestioned fundamental responsibilities is to enlarge and to strengthen the intellectual abilities of its students. However, this alone is not enough. The formation of character must occur alongside the academic development of students. Schools should not only resolve to develop the mental and physical talents of their students but also those attributes which are not tested in examinations: truthfulness, integrity, compassion, humility, perseverance and all those other intangibles which result in a strength of character. Excellence in academic, cultural and sporting activities should be relentlessly pursued, but this must be coupled with the development of strong moral and ethical frameworks. A positive and safe school culture, structured and sequential pastoral, service and leadership programmes, and positive role-modelling are all significant contributors to the formation of character. It is on this basis that the School’s pastoral care programmes are founded and then tailored to suit each year group.
The School Prefects for 2018 were Cooper Arnaboldi (Jericho) (Hodges House Captain), Molly Bradshaw (Winton), Campbell Briggs, Lillian Carson, Jemma Green (Cloncurry), Brianna Hodsdon, Sean Kavanagh (Normanton), Benjamin McEwen (Whight House Captain), Leah Mustard, Riley O’Kane , Ravisha Perera, Dennis Perez Castillo, Adele Pickering, Pratibha Raut, Makenna Short (Whight House Captain), Tisshapaa Sivagnanan, Max Tory and Kirsty Welch. Other Leadership positions were ably held by: Shirley Alcock (Rowland House Captain), Nicholas Avery (Hodges House ViceCaptain), Jordan Blatchford (Rowland House Captain), Claire Brooke (Whight House Captain), Jackson Green (Rowland House Vice-Captain), Jasmine Jones (Hodges House Captain), Lara Leong (Miller House Captain), Webley Ly (Whight House Vice-Captain), Sophie Renton (Hodges House Vice-Captain), Clem Stack (Miller House Vice-Captain), Brittany Thompson (Miller House ViceCaptain), Caillin Vener (Ayr) (Rowland House Vice-Captain) and Sebastian von Mellenthin (Miller House Captain).
Senior School The School’s Pastoral Care Charter states that “a child’s personal growth and wellbeing is best enhanced by a safe and caring environment where each individual is accepted, respected and valued”. Pastoral Care is a core component of the School and all staff are expected to nurture every student in their care. This is demonstrated by the ongoing day-to-day pastoral and compliance management of students and strengthened further by Form teachers, Year Level Co-ordinators, Heads of School and the School Psychologist.
Swimming Captains were Lara Leong and Campbell Briggs, Cross Country Captains were Shirley Alcock and Max Tory, Athletics Captains were Lara Gilbett and Benjamin McEwen, Rowing Captains were Alice Turnour and Jackson Green, Netball Captain was Maggie-Rose Thompson; Rugby Captain was Dylan Anger, Debating Captains were Tisshapaa Sivagnanan and Clem Stack, Music Captains were Jessica Aslin and Michael Carroll, Choir Leaders were Annika Belward and Max Tory, Symphony Orchestra Leader was Jessica Aslin, Celtic Strings Leader was Michael Carroll, Big Band Leader was Niki Wrigglesworth and Hospitality Leaders were Molly Bradshaw and Lachlan Bell.
Service Learning project design and implementation continues to be an engaging and productive element of the Year 10 Pastoral Care Programme. In 2008 Students were again offered options as to projects they might undertake at the end of Term 1. They then spent Term 2 planning their projects. The culmination was a day where different classes headed out to undertake the practical component of their project work. The projects included volunteering at TCC Land Care and Conservation Volunteers Australia, Cootharinga NQ - Activity and Respite Centre, Townsville Foster and Rehoming Animal Shelter, Bolton/Clarke Aged Care Facility, Ronald McDonald House and the Endeavour Foundation.
Middle School The 2018 Middle School Leaders were: Leo Fairley and Sarah Jacob (Captains), Daniel Lee and Millie Andrews (Vice-Captains) and House Captains: Mitch McGrath and Lily Reeves (Hodges), Aidan Dohnalek and Erin Keogh (Miller), Angus Bell and Ashani Hazratwala (Rowland) and Max Miller and Regan Short (Whight) (9/2018). The Middle School Music Captains were Thomas Gray and Phoebe Evans (9/2018).
Year 11 is a year where students are required to adjust their academic mindset to accommodate future goals and aspirations and an increase in academic rigour. The pastoral care programme in Year 11 highlights these social and emotional challenges and adjustments and responds accordingly through focusing on Positive Accomplishment. Year 11 continues to be a period of fine-tuning and self-reflection as young 15 year olds semi-mature into forward thinking, future School leaders while simultaneously deliberating over tertiary options and future career paths. Much of the cohort’s self-doubts are appeased by attending and participating in the Year 11 Leadership Conference experience.
Junior School The School commends the following Year 6 students on their achievements in 2018: Junior School Captains - Ned Fairley and Ashna Sabesan, Music Captains - James Wang and Lily Munro, Community Service Captains - Angus Richardson and Ina Singh, House and Vice Captains - Thomas Mahne, Poppy Costello, Liam Clements and Myeisha Avenido (Hodges), William McDarra, Cadence Courtney, Duke Flemming and Emily Maw (Miller), David Adebiyi, Yasmin Eaton, Joel Koen and Tanvi Yadav (Whight), Dylan Carey, Cate Rose, Jackson Lawty and Asha Patel (Rowland). The Community Service team comprised of Yumindi Bandara, Amali Burch, Jonathan Davis, Ludivin Gray, Piper Hamilton, Yanique Kinobe, Naomi Kutash, Aiden Malone, Sienna McCallum, Daniel Moore, Sam Teunisse and Isabella Wong.
Year 12 Pastoral Care is about being aware and appreciating what ‘school’ has given you and preparation for life beyond school by devoting as much time as possible to serving the School and developing resilience skills. A particular focus on the ‘here and now’ was practised through mindfulness and journaling activities, coupled with creating a gratitude habit in Form classes and Year Level Assemblies. Students were also encouraged to be proactive rather than reactive with their intellectual, social and emotional well-being and reflect on their values and morals to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and to manage and mould their reputation to become the best that they can be. 14
Middle School
against Radford College, St Edmunds/St Francis Xavier College and Canberra Grammar School. They enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) meeting with AIS athletes and coaches. The students also went on a tour of the Australian War Memorial and spent a morning at Questacon.
The Middle School has a large chalkboard for the purpose of allowing students to express their ideas on any aspect associated with Positive Education and Themed Weeks. The chalkboard is on display as one enters the Middle School from Paxton Street. Each Middle School Form Class is scheduled to share their views on a particular topic of their choice associated with the Theme of the week. This was displayed on a weekly basis on the School’s Facebook page.
Year 7 Melbourne Tour At the start of the September holidays, 40 Year 7 students ventured south for the Melbourne Tour accompanied by four staff. The tour included visits to a number of famous Melbourne landmarks. Students visited the Old Melbourne Gaol and explored a little of the city at night. There was a trip to the Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks and a day trip to Sovereign Hill and Werribee Zoo. They also visited the famous Luna Park and had a guided tour of Etihad Stadium.
The Year 9 Committee system continued to provide a means for all Year 9s to exercise servant leadership in the Middle School. A Leadership Training Day at the start of the year provided the incentive and trigger to drive Committee involvement. The Buddy Programme (Years 7 and 9) aims to provide opportunities for students to connect in order to strengthen relationships between students in the Middle School. The programme ties in strongly with the Middle School values of Positive Relationships and Mutual Respect. The buddies are organised within their House and all Year 7 students and Year 9 buddies meet up at special assemblies during the year. A number of joint activities occur throughout the year to help build relationships between the buddies.
STEM Tour This year saw the introduction of a STEM Tour with 32 Year 10 students and four staff members embarking on a nine day tour of Singapore with highlights including: The S.E.A. Aquarium, Gardens by the Bay, Night Safari, ArtScience Museum, Fusion World, Singapore Science Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore Discovery Centre and Universal Studios. All of the venues provided educational programmes as well as time to wander through the superb exhibits at leisure. The tour was informative, interesting, fun and highlighted some of the wonderful work being completed in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Themed Weeks The inclusion of several focused themed weeks into the School calendar has provided the whole School community the opportunity to take part in many socially challenging topics, in and out of the classroom. Topics such as Bullying, Alcohol and Drugs, Mental Health, SunSmart and Road Safety enabled many staff, students and parents the opportunity to engage in, what would normally be, difficult conversations.
Ski Tour 34 Year 12 students headed off for the School’s annual pilgrimage to the snowfields of New Zealand in September. Based in Methven, this group, under the care of four teachers, enjoyed a number of days skiing and snowboarding at Mt Hutt, along with many other exciting activities such as Alpine jet boating and the Adrenaline Forest high ropes course. All returned with memories they will cherish for many years to come.
Positive Education As our Pastoral Care and Wellbeing programme has demonstrated, our students appear to be reaping the benefits of our Positive Psychology and the Positive Education strengths-based approach to wellbeing. We are in our sixth year of implementation and the programme now sits comfortably as the School’s Pastoral Care Framework, as does its language on the lips of our community.
Junior Schools
All TGS staff and students continued to develop their understanding of character strengths, with Middle and Senior School students completing the VIA Institute Character Strength Survey. The Junior School classes have focussed on articulating and embedding the 24 Character Strengths into their daily routines while Years 7 to 12 continue to concentrate on the six Educational Domains. Our Whole School Positive Education Scope and Sequence document continues to evolve and articulates not only the topics and initiatives covered within the framework but also captures the framework’s resource links.
2018 saw the North Shore Campus in its second year of growth. With three classes operating this year, the atmosphere can be described as intimate. All students from Prep to Year 3 ate lunch together, played together and thrived in their purpose built, modern facilities which truly come alive as the children step through the gate each morning. It has been wonderful watching all of the students grow in confidence in the small North Shore community and thrive in an environment where everyone, staff and students, feels closely connected. The campus certainly has its own special feel and the small community has led to some special events shared with the North Shore EEC. It is events such as the Easter Bonnet Parade, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day and Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day when the School had the opportunity to celebrate with their wider community.
Tours School tours provide an opportunity for our students to experience the world beyond the familiarity of their daily lives. Touring, particularly internationally, allows our boys and girls to interact with students from within Australia and beyond enabling a better understanding of different cultures, behaviours and values, and provide a greater comprehension of the benefits of diversity. A brief description of the 2018 tours is below.
Pastoral Care The Positive Education programme continues to mature as the framework for our School’s Pastoral Care programme. The children and staff continually use the explicit language of the programme and highlights of each weekly Assembly are the Positive Character Strength Certificates presented to a child from each class. Meditation, mindfulness exercises and journaling are regular features the children are involved with.
Middle School Sports Tour The biennial Middle School Sports Tour (Rugby and Netball) departed for Canberra at the start of the June holidays with 30 students and four staff in the touring party. The touring teams played 15
The Academic Programme
University, Townsville Gem and Minerals Club and the CSIRO is an enriching aspect of this programme.
The Junior School continues to focus on the key learning areas of English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, STEM and the integration of ICT across these areas. Classroom teachers use a variety of strategies aimed to enhance the implementation of the curriculum and engage students with their learning.
The use of ICT within the classrooms continues to strengthen and become an integral part of many subject areas. Students have had opportunity to develop ICT skills and create multi-modal presentations. The expansion of the STEM programme has also opened opportunities for further implementation of the Technologies curriculum within the Junior School.
The offering of the STEM Programme for Years 1 to 6 on a fulltime, weekly basis has been a wonderful success for all children at the Annandale Campus. The programme aims to connect with and extend units of work that are occurring in the general classroom. The students are involved in a combination of projects, with the focus on the cyclical process to: Define, Discover, Dream, Design, Deliver and Debrief. Drawing on community relationships with organisations such JCU, Townsville STEM Club, Townsville Bird Watching Association, Townsville Geology, Central Queensland
2018 has seen the successful extension of French at the Annandale Campus for Years 3 to 6 and for students at North Shore, with students participating in French from Prep to Year 3. The goal of the programme has been for students to be able to introduce themselves and their family as well as having the basic skills to communicate in the classroom environment.
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Music
Recognition of the French course has seen students in Years 5 and 6 invited to participate in both a French Speech and French Poetry competition. For the third consecutive year, our students placed First, Second and Third in both competitions.
Instrumental enrolments remain strong with approximately 200 lessons occurring each week with the visiting tutors. Students from these lessons feed into the Band, Andante Strings, Recorder and Guitar Ensemble and the Saxophone, Clarinet and Flute Trios.
Sport
The Year 3 Strings Programme has welcomed the provision of B2 which is situated close to the Year 3 classrooms and gives a welcome home to all things string in the Junior School. The Chamber Strings Group was also involved in the AUSTA Celebration of Strings Weekend Workshop in October. This year the Strings programme was also introduced at the North Shore campus.
2018 saw students from Pre-Prep to Year 6 involved in a full complement of sporting activities. In our House Sport competition, students had the opportunity to participate in Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics carnivals with fierce competition between each of the House teams. Hodges were the champion House for Swimming and Athletics whilst Rowland took out the Cross Country. Three students represented North Queensland at the State Swimming Championships this year: Angus Richardson, Cadence Courtney (6/2018) and Isabella Morris (5/2018). Tri-Representative medallists who represented the school at all three Interschool carnivals were: David Szabo, Angus Richardson, Ned Fairley, Lily Bragg, Cadence Courtney, Ashna Sabesan, Jackson Lawty (6/2018), Taylor Livock, Christopher Taylor and Audrey Bartsch (5/2018).
Choirs continue to be well attended with 30 in the Minors’ Choir (Years 1 to 3), 40 in the Boys’ Choir (Years 3 to 6) and almost 60 in the Majors’ Choir (Years 4 to 6). Our choirs have performed at School functions throughout the year and their voices enhance every classroom lesson and year level choir. It is satisfying to see a number of Year 6 students selected to attend SHEP each year and invited to be members of Middle and Senior School ensembles. AMEB exams continue to be well subscribed across the instruments and the Board has made use of our facilities over five weekends this year to serve the region.
Students in Years 5 and 6 competed on a weekly basis as part of the Townsville School Sport (TSS) Interschool Sport Competition. This gives the Junior School students the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports in which they may not normally get the chance to play. Townsville Grammar School is one of the few schools who participate in all available sports each week.
Chess TGS, once again, performed strongly at the NQ Chess tournaments held this year. Of the three tournaments, Townsville Grammar School placed First in all three for the sixth year in a row, and earned a place to represent North Queensland in the State Titles, held in Brisbane. Poppy Costello, Ned Fairley, Mir-Almaz Hira and Madhava Vyas (6/2018) are to be congratulated on their strong showing during the NQ competitions and their commendable effort during the State Finals. Three of our girls also accepted the offer to participate in the Girls’ State Chess Tournament. Mysha Jain (3/2018), Sydney Gilbert (5/2018) and Poppy Costello (6/2018) travelled to Brisbane to compete against girls from across Queensland.
To conclude a successful year of Sport our younger students, Prep to Year 2, had the opportunity to participate in a fun, theme based Athletics carnival and a Swimming carnival as a culmination of their Term 4 swimming programme.
Public Speaking This year the Intra-school Public Speaking Competition was hotly contested and our qualifying Year 4, 5 and 6 students delivered confident and well considered speeches. In all three age groups the standard of speaking was very high and, consequently, the student adjudicators had a very tough task splitting such a talented pool. Our North Ward student adjudicators did a fantastic job and we thank them for their consideration on the night. Congratulations to our winners this year: Asha Patel (6/2018), Sarah Marshman (5/2018) and Hayden Lewis (4/2018).
Mathematics Olympiad A number of Year 5 and 6 students participated in the Mathematics Olympiad Competition throughout Terms 2 and 3. The Mathematics 17
Olympiad is challenging and provides students with an opportunity to use mathematical skills beyond those in their regular classes. Naomi Kutash (6/2018) and Jason Wang (5/2018) received High Distinctions with 18 students receiving a Distinction. All students should be commended on the effort, enthusiasm and persistence that they demonstrated toward Mathematics.
mental health, Dolly’s Dream and headspace. The culture of Personal Best learning has become endemic in boarding. As more of our boarders role model academically effective behaviours, the more deeply this attitude has become entrenched. The support of the academic staff of the School in terms of tutoring the boarders after school hours has played an important role in perpetuating and reinforcing the School’s philosophy of Personal Best. Fifteen of our academic staff regularly facilitate after hours tutorials for boarders in their specialist subject areas.
Performing Arts All students from Prep to Year 6 enjoyed attending Performing Arts lessons throughout the year, looking at all facets of this discipline. Throughout the year, students studied topics including poetry, Greek theatre and William Shakespeare, in addition to a range of theatrical techniques and knowledge. Drama Club also ran throughout the year, catering to groups of students from Years 1 to 6, examining a range of improvisation skills and scripted work.
The upgrading of the Parker Hall Building facilities is continuing to be supported by the Board of Trustees. This ongoing, significant investment in boarding began last year and works have continued this year, with a busy summer break ahead. Major works on the bathroom facilities, a new entrance, stairwell and lift to the Parker Hall Houses and the development of a boarding administration hub, which will see the Head of Boarding being relocated to the Parker Hall precinct in 2019.
Opti-MINDS
With our Head of Boarding, Mr Chris Wilson, retiring at the end of this year, Mr Jaye Beutel will assume the reins of boarding at Townsville Grammar School as Head of Boarding in 2019. Mr Beutel brings with him a wealth of boarding experience, having worked at the Rockhampton Grammar School, The Southport School as well as being the inaugural Head of Boarding at John Paul College. Mr Beutel will relocate to Townsville, with his young family, later this year and we are looking forward to the vibrancy and enthusiasm he will bring to the role.
During Term 3, two teams of students proudly represented Townsville Grammar School in the Opti-MINDS Challenge. Each team comprised seven students from Years 5 and 6. Opti-MINDS encourages excellence in creativity, thinking strategies, problemsolving, teamwork and communication skills. Team 1 entered the Language/Literature category and were required to re-write Roald Dahl’s classic novel Matilda, updating the characters, themes and events to make them more relevant to the 21st Century. Team 2 entered the Science/Engineering category and were required to design and build a MECH-30 device that, when triggered, would begin a fictitious 30-year celebration involving a ping-pong ball, can of tuna and a AA battery.
As a boarding school, I consider it essential that we remain physically connected with our boarding community by spending time visiting our major catchment areas. In March this year, I spent time with current parents in Hong Kong. This was timed with a schools’ expo where we also had the opportunity to meet with prospective families. I have also had the opportunity to travel to a number of areas this year including Weipa, Mt Isa, Cloncurry, Julia Creek, Richmond, Clermont, Airlie Beach, Collinsville, Bowen and Winton, where we attended the State ICPA conference. Spending time with our boarding families allows us to understand the world in which our boarders live when they are not at school. I wish to thank all boarding families who made us so welcome throughout the year.
Both teams performed exceptionally well on the day. Team 1 won their event and were invited to compete in the State Finals in Brisbane where they represented North Queensland admirably.
Boarding Since its foundations 130 years ago, Townsville Grammar School has proudly been a boarding school. The School’s service to, and connection with, boarding families is an integral component of the School’s offerings. For 38 weeks of the year approximately 125 boarders call Townsville Grammar School home. Our varied boarding community always has and will continue to add to the diversity of the School. With boarders from Hong Kong, PNG, China, Korea, Fiji, Dubai and even Germany this year, melding with our Queensland and interstate boarders and day students, this international demographic adds value to the lives of all of our students. Such a mix of cultural backgrounds allows students to build a deep understanding of intercultural difference which will stand them in good stead as they move forward into our increasingly interconnected ‘global village’.
This year has also seen the commencement of a Boarder Parents Support Group. Meeting at the end of each term, the formation of this group enables boarding parents to meet with Senior staff to discuss and formulate ways that our boarding students can be best supported.
IT Infrastructure The introduction of Microsoft’s Office 365 suite offers a comprehensive set of productivity and collaboration tools, and our students across the Senior and Middle Schools, and the upper Junior School, now have access to this. OneDrive offers cloud file storage, removing the need for students to use USB drives and email to pass files between home and school. Our IT infrastructure will continue to use a hybrid approach, with a combination of on-site and cloud technologies for system hosting and file storage.
At Townsville Grammar School, an approach is taken to provide opportunities for the holistic growth and well-being of all students. This is clearly evident in our boarding community where we strive to provide a healthy, balanced lifestyle encompassing social, physical, cultural and creative activities. To support the personal growth of our boarders, our weekend activities programme is diverse in the range of opportunities offered. Our programme allows the boarders to spread their wings, challenge themselves and experience an enjoyable, interesting, exciting and stimulating range of activities.
Collaboration and file sharing play a large part in the modern workforce, and we are able to introduce these concepts within our students’ education through the use of Microsoft Teams. Teams allows groups of teachers and students, whether in traditional class groupings or in specific projects, to work together in collaborative workspaces. This also provides a safe way of interacting with teammates and staff, away from the classroom, on project work.
The boarding mantra in 2018, ‘Look after yourselves; look after others’ has seen innovative boarder-initiated events to support a variety of worthy causes. An example of this was the donation of funds raised from our very successful 130th Anniversary Denim and Diamonds Dinner to support two organisations focused on youth
The rollout of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) has continued at our North Ward campus, with the Rheuben Science block now 18
Parents Network
online. This system continues to prove its worth in ensuring the safety of our boarding students and protecting the value of our assets. In conjunction with this, keyless entry through swipe cards has been further implemented to improve security and streamline access.
In 2018, the Parents Network continued to provide services such as organising and staffing canteens at the Senior School Sports Carnivals, graduation gifts for departing seniors, and a very popular second-hand textbook shop.
Internet access is available to our students on their own devices through our BYOD network. A flow-on effect of equipment upgrades that took place during 2018 is that the login process for students to access our BYOD network has been simplified. In addition, printing to School printers from personal devices is now possible through Mobility Print, removing the need to access a School computer just to print.
Following on from providing specialist equipment to the Junior School STEM Programme, the Network has funded the acquisition of equipment for the Middle School STEM Programme. The Network has also funded a new classroom set of microscopes for the Science Faculty. These replace old equipment that was no longer serviceable. Members of the Parent Network enjoyed a visit to the Science rooms to view slides through these new microscopes.
Classroom technology continues to progress. Touchscreen interactive displays are now installed in all Junior School classrooms, and in a number of Middle School and Senior School classrooms. In an existing move towards “untethered teachers”, wireless projection devices are being trialled in some classrooms, allowing teachers to be mobile around the classroom while controlling the display on the projector. Students are able to contribute to the display in a structured and collaborative manner.
This year, the Network also held a highly successful Trivia Night, providing the opportunity for parents and staff within the Grammar community to network and socialise.
Black and Gold In 2018, the Black and Gold Committee came together again to raise funds to help support the musical and cultural faculties of the School through their “friendraising” events. These took shape in the form of a 130th Anniversary Mothers’ Day luncheon at A Touch of Salt in the city. Mums, and a couple of brave dads, from all three campuses were pampered and entertained for lunch and into the afternoon as they were all invited to a “Celebration of Motherhood”. In August, the Black and Gold Committee continued the 130th Anniversary theme with a Secret Feast. Ash Ede from Secret Feast catered for the “Winter Wonderland” event as guests celebrated the School’s 130th year, entertained by the Grammar Big Band and later by Miella Sartori (10/2018). The Wintery theme was topped off by a five metre snowman surrounded by snow who intrigued the children of North Ward for many days after the event. The Black and Gold team are to be congratulated on bringing these events to our community and providing an opportunity for parents to connect and enjoy each other’s company.
Past Grammarians The Past Grammarians of Townsville Grammar School were highly engaged this year in the School’s 130th year. In July, I had the pleasure of joining the annual lunch of the 1958 cohort in Brisbane, and then renewed that acquaintance as they travelled north to Townsville to swell the numbers at the Grammar Reunion Dinner in August. Greg Hayden, School Captain of 1958, addressed an enthusiastic group of 145 Past Grammarians at the Reunion dinner, held in the Perry Performing Arts Space. The crowd gathered to celebrate not only their own 10, 20, 30, 50 and 60 year reunions, but also the anniversary of 130 years of TGS. These celebrations were completed by the much anticipated attendance of former Deputy Headmaster, Mr Bill Muller, who remains actively involved in the School in the capacity of Secretary and Treasurer of the Past Grammarians Association.
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Staff Movement Staff new to Townsville Grammar School for 2018: •
Matthew Bell, DipAppSc, BAppSc, (UQ) GradDipEd (UVic), to the position of Design and Technology teacher.
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Ross Carless, Cert III Electrical Fitter/Mechanic, to the position of Teacher Aide in Design and Technology.
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Jake Fleming, BInfTech (JCU), to the position of IT Aide.
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Belinda Goldsworthy, BEd, BLang (JCU), to the position of part-time Japanese and Humanities teacher.
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Robyn Johnson, BEd(Hons) (JCU), to the position of Mathematics teacher.
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Timothy Kelly, BEcon (UQ), BBus(Acc) (QUT),GDipEd, MEdSt (UQ), MACE, MACEL, to the position of Principal.
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Michelle Livingstone, DipTeach(Primary) (BCAE), to a part-time position as Music teacher in the Junior School.
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Charlotte Merrick, BEd/BSc (JCU), to the position of Mathematics and Science teacher.
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Jody Murray, Cert III Local Government (TCC), to the position of Receptionist at the Annandale Campus.
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Mia Ohlin, BMmJ, GDipTeach (JCU), to the position of English and Humanities teacher.
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Kelsie Preston, BExSc/BEd (QUT), GradCertEdLead (ACU), to the position of Year Level Co-ordinator.
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Joanne Stockwell, DipChiS (TAFE) to the position of Outside Hours School Care Co-ordinator.
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Katie Watson, BEd (JCU), to the position of International Baccalaureate Co-ordinator.
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Yvonne West, BA, DipEd (UQ), to the position of Coordinator of Student Wellbeing and Development.
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Freddie Wood, BA(Hons) (Chichester [UK]), to the position of Year Level Co-ordinator.
Long Service Leave and other Leave:
Rebecca Kent, AssocDipBus(Hospitality), DipMgt, to the position of Operations Officer.
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Donna Ardley, Cert III Education Library Support, DipChiS(EC) (TADEC), took Long Service in Term 2.
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Bianca Battoraro, BEd (JCU), took Approved Leave for the duration of 2018.
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Alana Boyd, DipTeach (CCAE), BEd (JCU), took Long Service in Term 2.
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Nicole Dunne, BA (Flinders), GDipEd (JCU), took Maternity Leave in Terms 2, 3 and 4.
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Naomi Mallory, BNM-PME (JCU), took Maternity Leave in Semester 2.
Resignations / Retirements / Extended Leave: •
Susan Ahern, DipTeach (JCU), GradCertEd(Middle School) (QUT), GradCertPosPsych (WBI) from the position of Head of Senior School and Positive Education.
Kelsie Preston, BExSc/BEd (QUT), GradCertEdLead (ACU), to the position of Year 7 and PE teacher.
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David Rawnsley, BEd (JCU), Cert IV Assessment and Workplace Training (TAFE), to the position of Design and Technology teacher.
Marilyn Buchholz, BEd(Hons) (JCU), MLearnInnov(TeachLib)(QUT), AALIA, from the position of Head of Library and Information Services.
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Max Ellis, CertResCare (ABSA), from the position of Educational Support - North Ward.
Stephen Sergeant, BPhysEd (ACPE), to the position of PE teacher.
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Cheryl Fletcher, B.Bus.(HRM) (JCU), from the position of Finance Assistant.
Madeline Steel, BEdECE (JCU) (Annandale), to the position of Junior School teacher.
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Benjamin Wallace, Cert II InfoTech (RCC), BInfTech (Support Officer) (JCU), to the position of IT Aide.
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Alison Williams, Cert III Accounting, Cert IV Accounting /Bookkeeping, to the position of Accounts Assistant-Finance.
Kerri Hill, BSc, DipEd, PGDScEd (UNSW), MSc (CUT), from the position of Head of Faculty – Mathematics. Mrs Hill has taught at Townsville Grammar School since 1995 and has been the Head of Faculty since 1996. It is Mrs Hill’s contribution to the development of many fine young mathematicians and the mentorship of the staff in her faculty for which she will be long remembered. As Mrs Hill leaves the School, I extend my best wishes to her in retirement.
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Jordan Kite, BEd(ECE) (JCU), from the position of Junior School teacher – Annandale Campus.
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Karyn Kybus, BA, BEd (JCU), from the position of Year Level Co-ordinator – Year 7.
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Adrian Moran, HDE (Edgewood C.A.E. [RSA]), Cert. Res. Care (ABSA), from the position of Head of Middle School and Assistant Head of Boarding.
Internal appointments for current Staff: •
Helen Bourne, BA, BEd (JCU), to the position of Head of Library and Information Services.
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Kelly McBean, BA (Rhodes [RSA]), PGCE (UKZN [RSA]), to the position of Year Level Co-ordinator.
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Jacinda Laing, BA (Drama), GradDipEd, (QUT), to the position of Year Level Co-ordinator.
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Laura Moran, Cert. (Secretarial), Cert.Res.Care (ABSA), from the position of Receptionist – Annandale Campus.
Michael Moores, BSc (JCU), DipEd (UQ), to the position of Head of Faculty – Mathematics.
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Andrew Pangrazio, BSc(Psych), PGradDipPsych (CQU) Assoc MAPS, from the position of Junior School Psychologist.
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Ken Schulz, DipTeach, BEd, (ACAE), BTheol (ACT), GTheol (BTCQ), PhD (CGS), VocGradCertCMT (CT), from the position of Design and Technology teacher.
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Kim Steele, BA/BBus (JCU), from the position of Enrolments and Communications Officer.
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Chris Wilson, HDipEd, BComm (UND [RSA]), MBusLeadership (UNISA[RSA]), DipResCare (ACU) from the positions of Head of Boarding and International Baccalaureate Co-ordinator.
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Lona Wilson, DipEd, HDipEd (NTC [RSA]), from the position of Junior School teacher – Annandale Campus. Mrs Wilson is retiring from the Junior School following 20 years of dedicated service to the School mostly teaching Prep. I thank her for her commitment to her students and wish her all the best for her retirement.
Mrs Susie Ahern, the Head of Senior School and Positive Education, will also finish at the School at the end of this year as she relocates to her home in northern NSW. Mrs Ahern brings great passion to all that she does and her contribution to the Senior School and to the development of the Positive Education programme will have a lasting influence on the culture of the School. Mrs Ahern’s capacity to form strong relationships with the students she is working with is one of her great strengths and her caring nature will be greatly missed. The Head of Middle School, Mr Adrian Moran, finished at the School at the end of Term 3 as he took on the role of Head of Boarding at John Paul College. This is a significant role in one of the largest independent schools in Queensland. As well as Head of Middle School, Mr Moran was also a Year Level Co-ordinator and Assistant Head of Boarding. Mr Moran always impressed with his calm demeanour and caring manner for his students and I thank him for his contribution to the lives of the Middle School and Boarding students.
Senior Management Team
The School’s Board of Trustees
The Senior Management Team of Townsville Grammar School represents the senior leadership group of the School. It comprises the Principal, Deputy Principal – Mr Steven Morris, Business Manager – Mr Greg Walsh, Director of Studies – Mr Stephen Monk, Head of Senior School – Mrs Susie Ahern, Head of Middle School – Mr Adrian Moran, Head of Junior School – Mr Noel Nethery, Head of Boarding – Mr Chris Wilson, and the Director of Enrolments and Marketing – Mrs Kristell Scott. This group meets weekly to consider the operational activities of the School with a focus on continually improving the School’s programmes. In my first year as Principal of the School, I have been fortunate to have been supported by this group of dedicated and highly capable individuals and I thank them for their counsel, patience and passion. There are three members of the Senior Management Team who are deserving of special mention as they leave the School at the conclusion of 2018.
Each of the eight Grammar Schools in Queensland is a Statutory Authority and is run by a body known as the Board of Trustees. Every Board consists of seven members who offer their services on a voluntary and honorary basis to oversee the finance, infrastructure and strategic planning of the School. As Principal, I report to the Board of Trustees. I thank the Board of Trustees for their support and guidance throughout the year. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, His Honour Judge Stuart Durward, retired from the bench earlier in the year and has been most gracious in providing me with the time required in my first year of principalship. Judge Durward completes his 24th year on the Board this year; a wonderful contribution to the School.
The Head of Boarding, Mr Chris Wilson, will retire following 21 years of dedicated service to the School. I have had the opportunity to spend substantial time travelling with Mr Wilson this year as we have met with current and potential parents to discuss boarding at TGS. He is passionate about boarding and the students who are in his care. His knowledge and understanding of each individual is one of his great strengths. The legacy Mr Wilson leaves as Head of Boarding is as a role model of what it means to be a gentleman – to be considered, polite, respectful and yet firm in one’s views.
I also thank the other members of the Board of Trustees – Mr John Johnson, Mr Grant Bell, Professor Chris Cocklin, Ms Alison Johnson, Mr Bob McKay and Mrs Debbie Rains – for their support and invaluable input throughout the year.
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Conclusion As Principal, I derive great pleasure in reporting on the ongoing success of the School. Across all indicators, the School continues to perform strongly. The academic performance of the School is unquestioned, but it is in the areas of leadership, service and spirit that I sense considerable growth. In the years ahead, we can continue to work together as a community to build upon the development of the whole person. The staff of this School seek to encourage a teaching and learning environment focussing on the importance of individual commitment and the pursuit of personal best. In doing so, they continually exhibit an exceptional commitment to contribute to the welfare and education of their students. It is not possible for the students to do much of what they do without the input, support and dedication of academic, administrative and grounds staff – I wish to acknowledge their fine work. I also thank all students for their wonderful endeavour, commitment and spirit demonstrated all year. Each of our students contributes in their own unique way and I take great personal and professional satisfaction in witnessing their individual and collective energy, passion, enthusiasm, humour and warmth. It is the personal qualities of our students and their positive and committed involvement that define Townsville Grammar School and make it such a special place. As the Year 12 students head to their final days of their secondary schooling, I wish them all the very best as they move into the next phase of the lives. For many of them they end a long association with the School. They should be proud of their contribution to their School and of their wide-ranging achievements whilst here. As they leave us as students, they move on to become members of another important group in the School community as our youngest Past Grammarians. Before concluding my report, I would like to express my thanks to my Professional Assistant, Mrs Nadene Moorhouse. In 2019, Mrs Moorhouse will become the longest serving member of the School’s staff since its commencement in 1888. I have been fortunate to be able to draw upon Mrs Moorhouse’s wealth of experience and knowledge of the School in my first year as Principal and I thank her for her support, diligence and wisdom. I would also like to express my personal gratitude to my wife, Nicky, for her unqualified support as I devote my own energy, passion and time into the life of the School. Nicky joins me in wishing all members of the Grammar community a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. To our returning students and parents, we look forward to seeing you again at the commencement of 2019. For those who leave our community this year, I wish you the very best and encourage you to always remain a part of the TGS family. With every best wish and thank you for your support of Townsville Grammar School in 2018. Bonus Intra, Melior Exi. Timothy J. Kelly Principal November 2018
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