Dear members of the Terrace Family,

Welcome back to Term 2 and what is undoubtedly a new experience for all of us.  I trust that GT@Home and online learning has started well and that some good routines are starting to develop.  It will take time for all of us to adjust, but please keep in communication with staff over the coming weeks.

Over the Easter break, I took time to catch up on some reading.  An article that caught my attention was one titled, Visible Learning Effect Sizes When Schools Are Closed: What Matters and What Does Not, by Professor John Hattie.  In the paper, Hattie raises a number of issues around online learning, gleaned from his experiences in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes.  He identified that parental involvement, family communication and parental expectations were key influences in the overall success of remote learning.  He also highlighted that technology is the means but not the core to teaching, that parents need to create routines and the importance of promoting an ongoing connection to school.

GT@Home was created to house all aspects of our online platform in one, easily accessible space.  I encourage you, if possible, to spend some time with your son when he is online so that you can better understand what he is doing and further engage with him about what happens during his online school day.  GTCare@Home facilitates Hattie’s comments around promoting connection with school.  I encourage parents and caregivers to spend some time reviewing this aspect so that you are familiar with the ways to connect to the College Community and how to access support if required.  The services available will be the same as when classes are operating normally, and you are encouraged to contact class teachers, House Deans and counsellors should you or your son require any support.

During the holidays, the Term 2 Fee Statements were sent home.  The College has billed a full term of academic fees but excluded camp, retreat, sport and cultural levies.  As I have previously written, if you are experiencing difficulties with the payment of these fees because of an impact on your employment, please contact the Dean of Business Operations, Mr Adam Read on P: 3214 5292 to discuss the various options of support available.

The College will continue to promote regular communication during the term, to provide updates and keep you informed on what is happening.  At this stage, we will be continuing our online platform of learning until 22 May.  The Premier will review the situation on 15 May and provide an update to schools.  I will communicate any updates as they become available.

The end of last term finished in an unusual way and a result of this, as a College Community, we were unable to acknowledge and thank Mrs Bernadette Debattista for all that she has done for the Terrace Music program over the years.  Once the students return to school, I will invite Bernie back to say thank you.  However, I will, in this forum, acknowledge and thank Bernie for all that she has done over many years.  We will miss her but remember her legacy of the many wonderful voices cultivated during her time with the Terrace Choir.  Thank you, Bernie.  In other staff news, Mr Michael MacDermott is on leave during Term 2.

Finally this week, I hope the online learning experience is proving to be manageable for the Terrace Family.  It is different and will take some time for all of us to adjust.

God Bless.

Dr Michael Carroll
College Principal

Saturday will be an unusual experience for us all as we commemorate ANZAC Day without the opportunity to gather in the ways that we usually do. No doubt, the significance of the day will not be forgotten, but it will be with an unusual sense of loss that I am sure many of us will greet the day. This year, there will be a loss of the traditions that typically sit around this significant event – whether it is a dawn service or some other gathering that we will be unable to attend, ANZAC Day 2020 will not be the same. 

The current world context means many of our usual rituals and patterns of behaviour have been halted, and we are all feeling that sense of loss. The College’s thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to all in the Terrace Family who have been badly impacted. Missing a game of football or a party is one thing, but ill health or the loss of a job are far more serious concerns. The ANZAC Spirit of grit, determination and solidarity in the face of adversity has rarely been more relevant to Australians than now.

At a local level, the current world of online learning has provided many staff with an opportunity for professional growth and renewal. It is uncomfortable for many of us, deep in our education careers, to rapidly embrace and make functional a form of learning that is very much foreign. However, I have been delighted to observe staff working hard to ensure our students receive the best education, despite the adversity they face. The ability to adapt and be flexible is being called upon and it has been wonderful to work with our staff as they have found ways to embrace the challenge of online learning. One positive to come of this period has been the upskilling of staff in their pedagogical practice. The first week or two of this term will see teachers refining their online approach and continuing to add new methods to their delivery of online learning. I also thank the non-teaching staff for their flexibility in taking on new tasks as required. The spirit of community has been very strong and, while we look forward to a return to normality, the response of staff, students and parents has been supportive and positive. I trust this will continue in the coming weeks. The College will continue to update families as new information becomes available about the educational landscape. In the meantime, best wishes to all and thank you for your support.

Welcome to Term 2, although certainly a different context to our usual start to a term. Our remote learning program, GTLearn@Home has commenced, with staff, students and parents grappling with this substantial change to our everyday practice. Initial feedback from all parties has been positive. Of course, there have been some challenges, and we will continue to refine the distance learning program as we progress through this five-week period. Week 1, from a teaching and learning viewpoint, has focused on refining teacher and student online practice, as well as ascertaining the breadth of work that can effectively be covered by students. Similar to normal in-class practice, teachers will refine the work covered in each learning session based on the feedback and evidence of learning displayed in the online classes this week.

The disruption to the assessment program at the end of Term 1 resulted in the Term 1 report being delayed. This delay allowed staff the time to prepare for remote learning. Consequently, the Term 1 report will be available from the Parent Lounge from 9am on Saturday 25 April. As a result of many subjects being unable to complete assessment, they are unable to provide a valid progress result. In this case, the subject has recorded an X, which indicates that the assessment was unable to be completed. While a term result may not be ascertained, student progress can still be examined via the application, homework and behaviour comments for each subject. I would encourage you to discuss your sons progress in each subject with him. If you have any concerns regarding progress, you should contact your son’s teacher.

This unprecedented change to our teaching, learning and assessment program has also disrupted our utilisation of students results. Over the coming weeks, I will be communicating changes to our criteria for academic medals, academic excellence (Term 3) and improvement awards. At Terrace, we purposefully recognise students who have demonstrated academic excellence and improvement – we will continue this practice through our remote learning program.

Term 2 assessment calendars will be distributed to students electronically in Week 2. Our intention is to have an exam block at the end of the term and for the majority of assignments to be due when students are back at school. However, there are a number of subjects that will be continually assessed with small tasks through remote learning. Consequently, students will need to be fully aware of all of their assessment requirements and due dates.

GTLearn@Home is a new process for all of us. I thank you for your assistance, supervision, organisation and support of your son(s) during this time. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your son’s academic progress this term, please be in contact with his teacher, House Dean or me.

Like most people, one of the positives over the last few weeks has been the number of times that I have been for walks with my family. We have probably had more family walks in the last month that we have in the last five years, which has been nice. While we only have a small number of boys on campus at the moment, it has also been wonderful to see students back at school. No doubt this week has been challenging at times but I am confident classes will settle into a steady routine as the term progresses. Reports from staff this week have been quite encouraging. We feel that students are conducting themselves well within the online classes and demonstrating respect for the learning environment. 

The GTCare@Home House spaces on Teams was launched this week with a host of challenges and links to various activities. The analytics show that quite a few students have viewed the site, which is good to see but it is important that they keep checking in daily. I think it would be a good idea to ask your son to show his House page on Teams. This will give you a clearer insight into how we are trying to keep the boys connected with each other during this time. One of the main activities this week was a MasterChef Monday challenge. Boys were asked to upload a picture of a pasta dinner they cooked for the family for an Inter-House competition. The winners of this competition will be announced on Friday morning. Each Pastoral Care Group also has its own channel within Teams which allows them to catch up throughout the day. As the term progresses new content will be added daily to this site and set times for live video PastoralCare Group catch ups will be scheduled. 

If you are experiencing significant issues with your son’s engagement this week, I encourage you to contact your son’s House Dean for support. For students that are unable to work at home and need to attend school the day commences at 8.30am in Duhig Place and staff supervision will finish at 3pm. Can I ask that boys don’t hang around the school after 3pm as it becomes very quiet by about 3.30pm. Finally, a gentle reminder that if your son will be absent from online classes during the day could you please contact Student Services so staff can be notified. 

Resilience

A warm welcome back to Term 2. Although somewhat different, I really hope you had a nice Easter. It certainly felt strange not being able to go to Mass on Easter Sunday with my family. As for our traditional Easter egg hunt, my two-year-old daughter Isabel didn’t know any different, and was very happy not to have to share her chocolate with all her cousins! Being housebound with my wife and daughter wasn’t what I had planned for the holiday break but it was actually wonderful to be able to waste time with one another and be truly present; something that sometimes gets lost or forgotten in our usually busy lifestyles. 

This term for staff, students and their families has brought a lot of uncertainty. We are in unprecedented territory and it is something that we are all truly going through together. So how do we get through these tough times? Resilience. This is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or challenges. 

I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go – Joshua 1:9

I have been so proud to see the adaptability and resilience of the Terrace Family to the changes in our home life, work life and daily schedules. We will need to maintain our resilience this term, with many unknowns and undoubtedly more challenges ahead. God has given us hope and will continue to guide us over the coming weeks. 

Dear God, when I stand at the beginning of a new day,
bless me with the vision to see the best of things to come…
Wisdom to make good decisions… and most of all, faith
that you are walking with me every step of the way. Amen.

To ensure we can maintain our connection with God, the Identity Team has created a Virtual Prayer Space within GTCare@Home.

Please scroll down to the Prayer and Self Care Resources section of this page to view the links for GTprayer@Home and GTselfcare@Home. You are encouraged to engage with this Virtual Prayer Space every week and your prayer contributions are very much welcome.

Our ANZAC Day liturgy will be available via the Terrace Facebook page on Friday during the students’ break time at 12.45pm. We welcome you to share this special liturgy with us. We will also recite The Ode and Last Post at 9am on Saturday via Facebook. 

Live Jesus in our Hearts…Forever.

Welcome to Term 2 at Waterford Place. While the start to the new term was unusually quiet in the Waterford building, there was a flurry of online activity between teachers and students as we began this new chapter of GT@Home. 

I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the teaching staff for their professionalism and the enormous amount of work they have completed over the past few weeks. Namely, creating learn at home programs and getting up to speed with the various delivery platforms. At this very early stage, the feedback from teachers about student engagement has been very positive. I would also like to recognise and commend the Year 10 boys on how quickly and productively they have adapted to our GT@Home learning program. 

I would encourage you to continue to review the information provided in the GT@Home section on the College website under the 'About Us' banner. Hopefully, you are already familiar with the Year 10 timetable and what each week looks like for your son. I would encourage you to get your son to show you how he is engaging in the various class platforms e.g. Google Classroom. If you want to see the term outline for each subject, get your son to navigate to the Terrace Moodle site/Student Area/GTLearn@Home /Yr 10.

While things have started well, I am acutely aware that for some, this may not be the case. I am also mindful that circumstances could deteriorate after the initial honeymoon period. Please be assured that we are here at Waterford and are on call to assist wherever we can. Now that classes are up and running, PC mentors will start the process of checking in with your son via our GTCare@Home/Waterford forum on Teams. There will also be a connection with their House via their House forum on Teams. Your son’s Mentor, teachers and our counselling team are ready to offer support and I am only a phone call or email away.

At the end of Term 1 we farewelled Mrs Mary-Jude Hannagan from our Waterford front office team. I want to take this opportunity to welcome our new member of staff, Ms Mandy Awabdy mandyawabdy@terrace.qld.edu.au to the role of Assistant to the Dean of Waterford. Mrs Julie Ferris has returned to her part-time role as Waterford Receptionist. Our reception and teaching staff are on hand to assist with your enquiries as we navigate this very different start to the new term.

Educating the school population during a pandemic is as novel as the coronavirus itself. As the world grapples with this challenge, it is not surprising that many students, teachers and caregivers may be feeling anxious, bewildered and overwhelmed.

Many may be doubting whether they can adapt to a different kind of learning or if the system can still meet the needs of students. 

Let’s look at what we already know about human resilience. Generations of humans have survived world wars, plagues and pestilence, often without the sophisticated science and communication technologies that are helping make inroads into COVID-19.  Previous generations relied upon mutual support, optimism, faith, hope and resourcefulness to sustain them through hard times.

Adaptability lies at the very cornerstone of resilience, and this is a quality that can be cultivated.  Making and maintaining connections is important to human beings, so keep communicating with the people around you, the people far apart and the people who lift your spirits. We are uplifted by acts of kindness, so keep being helpful. Take time to care in a very tangible manner and keep your heart open to the kindness of others.  Humans find comfort in predictability, so find a routine that works for you and that includes all the essential components of a regular waking time and bedtime, some productive time and some downtime. Physical exercise releases feel good chemicals in the brain, so make sure your brain is bathed in them daily. A sense of control is crucial in a crisis, focus on what you can do and what lies within your control each day.  Nurture yourself. That doesn’t necessarily mean indulging your whims (though it can mean that too), but it certainly means being kind to yourself and taking the time to identify your needs and meet them as best you can.

Finally, keep some perspective. Queen Elizabeth told us all last week that these trying times will pass. As a woman approaching her 94th birthday, she has life experience in abundance and in our challenging moments, we would do well to heed her message.  We can do it. You can do it. We are all in this together. 

Personal counselling is available to all members of the College Community. Students can make a time to speak to a counsellor by emailing the Counselling Department, or via the online counselling referral form. If you would like to make an appointment or find out more information about the services offered, please complete the online counselling referral form which can be found here.

Welcome to Term 2 – in all its glory and surprises! We keep hearing how much the world has changed and how we will all be doing things differently. In a positive move to keep our students active and engaged, we will also be doing the same with our Cultural activities. 

The Terrace GT@Home site has information that all students, parents and caregivers should become familiar with.  A great amount of consideration has gone into this site for our Terrace Family.

The GTCulture@Home page currently has links and advice for Instrumental Music.  We will be regularly updating this page with our other activities.  It is important that students continue to use their skills by engaging in online tutorials, workshops and classes.

Musicians worldwide band together for the Distant Harmonies project

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing ensembles across the nation to cancel rehearsals and performances, a virtual horn line was in the works for USA drum and bugle corps, River City Rhythm. According to executive director Bojan Hoover, the drum and bugle corps based out of Minneapolis had considered a project that calls upon musicians to record themselves playing their part of a piece of music before the individual audio and video tracks are mixed to create a full ensemble. This was seen as a way to keep corps members engaged through the long six month off-season.  As the coronavirus spread around the world and students found themselves out of school and with no ensemble outlet, River City Rhythm looked to band people together in what the organisation has dubbed its Distant Harmonies series.

Bojan Hoover explained the reasoning behind Distant Harmonies. When we realised that there was a real chance that our 2020 tour wasn't going to happen, we pivoted and decided to make this opportunity more accessible for all musicians regardless of age, instrumentation and ability level. We also thought this could be a wonderful opportunity for students and musicians around the world to keep playing since so many scholastic and independent music programs have been interrupted due to COVID-19.

We look forward to seeing students from our very own Symphonic Wind Ensemble participating in this international project keeping their creative performance outlet engaged. Keep your eyes out for this video and our red and black.

School of Rock

As with many other activities, we had to make the sad decision to cancel the 2020 Musical, School of Rock. In the coming weeks, we are hoping to put together a montage for our families to see what had been achieved. If you haven’t already been to the College YouTube page, do yourself a favour and have a look at the videos compiled for this musical:  Inside School of Rock. It is our intension to film the sizzle of this musical when restrictions are lifted.

Online live Music lessons to begin

Music lessons will be beginning in Week 3. These lessons will be delivered live online via Teams. Please refer to the Director of Music article and subsequent emails.

Chess

Terrace Chess will be working with our current coaches to implement the use of the ChessKid program. They will be posting puzzles and tasks to help keep our students Chess ready.  Later this term we will create an online tournament, which we hopefully open up to the entire College. As yet, the GPS Chess season has not been cancelled.

GTCouchella@Home

Well done to Year 12 student Liam who shared his version of Safety of Distance from his home. This was released on FaceBook and YouTube on Easter Sunday. We look forward to seeing further material from our students in the coming weeks.

Support Group meetings

Due to the current health situation, all Support Meetings have been cancelled for the term. If you need to contact the Support Group chairs, please use the email details supplied below. 

Terrace Performing Arts – TPAChair@terrace.qld.edu.au

Debating Support Group – DSGChair@terrace.qld.edu.au

Staying in touch 

 To keep in touch with all things Cultural, we would suggest you download the Terrace App and follow us on Twitter (@GTCulture) and Instagram (terrace_gtculture) to ensure you do not miss anything.   If you have any photographs or video that you would to share, please tag us.

  https://twitter.com/gtculture        https://www.instagram.com/terr... 

Rugby wrap

Welcome to the start of Term 2 and well done to all the boys who have been busy with their general fitness, body weight exercises and rugby skills. Although there is no rugby planned for the foreseeable future there are still plenty of opportunities to keep you busy and get you active and into a routine.

Sample weekly planner

To assist with creating a flexible but consistent weekly routine aim to complete:
• 2 x 15min Rugby Skills 
• 2 x 30min Body Weight 
• 2 x 20min Conditioning (1 x Moderate and 1 x High)

Don't forget to tag us on social media #TerraceFamilyConnect so that we can share your involvement on Terrace Rugby Twitter @TerraceRugby and on Instagram  Terrace_rugby

Resources

Strength and Conditioning

Guided by our expert Director of Athlete Development Mr Mark Chisholm, the Terrace Family, students, staff, parents and our wider community are encouraged to access personal training support via GTSport@Home. https://www.terrace.qld.edu.au... 

Rugby Skills 

Rugby AU have introduced Active Rugby Hubs at Home  https://australia.rugby/news/2... Weekly Law Focus – The Tackle

Did you know?

• A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground. • Opposition players who hold the ball carrier and bring that player to ground, and who also go to ground, are known as tacklers. • Opposition players who hold the ball carrier and do not go to ground are not tacklers. These players are known as ‘assist tacklers’

I hope you are all starting to settle into the rhythm of remote learning. Aside from the site crashes, accidental live video embarrassments and added distraction, to all reports, it sounds as though in the classroom, the first few days have been successful. Through endless hard work, the GTCare@Home program - including fabulous workout video tutorials and Mr Antenucci’s reflective morning mindfulness - has been met with student interaction and the sounds of laughter through virtual classroom settings.

To their credit, the exceptional work of the College Leadership Team, Heads of Faculty and classroom teachers has allowed the transition from school to home to be managed incredibly well.

With this period allowing families more intimate connections and time together, I pray that your households are as much as they can be - living in harmony. I stress to all the boys; this is the time to truly Be the One. Be the One to help in the family setting, Be the One to reach out to your friends and Be the One to stay disciplined and help motivate others.

This pandemic will be a story to tell in years to come. And just like any story, it will have an ending. It might not be the happiest ending and it may not be the saddest, but it will have an end. School and university will resume and when they do, who do you want to be? What challenges do you want to face in this isolation and what goals can you set yourself?

If possible, make sure you hug your family members and tell them what you mean to them. In times of struggle and hardship, all we really need is a heartbeat and the ones we love.

Good luck, stay safe and Be the One through this isolation.

Have a great week!

We pray for the families of the following members of the Terrace Family who have gone to their eternal rest.

Mr Peter COREN, GT 1944-48

 Br Ted MERRITT, GT 1941-43