Dear members of the Terrace Family,

I hope that the relaxation of some of the COVID restrictions in Queensland has meant that your families have enjoyed a return to more normal activity.

It has been some time since I have written a Terrace News article. My time away was enjoyable, relaxing and invigorating. However, I have to admit that it is good to be back and reconnect with the Terrace Family.

My leave would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of a number of people. My sincere thanks to Mr Damien Fall, Ms Zoe Morgan, Mrs Loren Serafin-Huey, Mrs Jamie Newnham, Mr Matthew Crameri and Ms Bianca Brunetti – all of whom assumed additional responsibilities to enable my leave to occur. I thank you all, congratulate you on your efforts and hope that the experiences gained have been valuable. I particularly thank Damien, Zoe and Loren and the rest of the College Leadership Team for the outstanding work done in difficult conditions this term.

While the past six weeks have presented challenges in and out of the classroom, it is imperative that we all remain focused on exams and keep up a positive work ethic for the remaining few weeks, despite the interrupted nature of the term so far.

As has been previously advertised, the GPS program continues this weekend with Basketball, Chess and Rugby against Brisbane Grammar School at home. I know that the students are keen to return to the GPS season, and playing at Tennyson against BGS is an excellent way to reignite the season. I look forward to catching up with members of the Terrace Family throughout the day.

Finally this week, I wish to acknowledge the difficult times a number of our families are currently experiencing due to the impact of COVID restrictions. While I was away, our community also suffered the loss of Mr Steven George. I extend my deepest sympathy to the George family and my heartfelt thanks to the network of family and friends currently supporting the George family. In times of crisis and sadness, the Terrace Family unites to support each other, and I remain very proud to be part of this great community.

God Bless.

Dr Michael Carroll

While there is still a long way to go in 2021, the coming weeks will see a strong focus on planning for next year. There are multiple considerations at this point as we work towards producing a draft 2022 timetable. A school timetable is an incredibly complex beast, even before considering staff departures and arrivals, as well as the added complication of the Years 9 and 10 campus change in the middle of next year. Subject selections have now been submitted for students moving into Years 9 and 11, allowing us to determine the number of classes we require for all subjects and then allocate staff to these classes. From that point, we can evaluate our staffing needs and commence recruitment if required. We are investigating different staffing models which will allow us to perform the mid-year Waterford Place swap as seamlessly as possible for students and staff.

An issue faced by many schools is the increasing difficulty of finding suitably qualified and experienced teachers, particularly in Senior Mathematics, Science and Engineering. Queensland has an aging teacher population, which may become a significant issue as more experienced teachers head towards retirement. All the above means it is important that we make Terrace a workplace of choice for teachers, as attracting and retaining good staff is critical to our success.

We have well and truly entered the second half of Term 3, and several significant activities are about to commence, signalling that the term is rapidly disappearing. Our Year 10 students are completing exam block this week before their three-week Immersion program begins. The Coronavirus pandemic has stayed under control long enough for us to be able to run Immersions, much to the delight of our Year 10 students. A considerable amount of time, effort and expertise has gone into preparing for the experience, with a strong focus on student safety. I thank the team of staff involved, led by the Dean of Waterford Place, Mr Luke Gribble, for their efforts to provide what will be a memorable time in the Terrace journey of our Year 10 students.

On Monday, Year 12 students will commence a two-week block of mock external exams designed to closely replicate the experience of external exams that await them in October and November. A great deal has gone into helping our Seniors know what to expect and how they might best prepare. If practice makes perfect, the next few weeks will be critical for these students as they prepare themselves for their all-important final assessment pieces.

It will be lovely to see GPS activities back in full swing this weekend. I remind spectators at all venues of their obligation to follow Government requirements around checking in, wearing masks and social distancing. My best wishes to all in our community.

Founded in the spirit and charism of Edmund Rice, we as the Terrace Family are called to provide a liberating education, based on gospel spirituality, within an inclusive community committed to justice and solidarity.

St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace values, respects, and formally acknowledges the unique place and contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the Traditional Owners of our nation’s Land. We are committed to being in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through collaborative and respectful partnerships, the College is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment and offering a quality and culturally enriching education for all young people. St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace is committed to furthering reconciliation and valuing the wisdom and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by deepening an understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout the curriculum and the cultural life of the College.

In 2019, members of the Terrace Family formed the first Reconciliation Action Plan committee responsible for creating our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). In early 2020, our RAP was endorsed by Narragunnawali, the education arm of Reconciliation Australia. Despite the challenges of the past 12 months, there has been a steady pace to implement and live out this plan. Tangible and visible steps have been taken around this, and we have begun to see this becoming a reality on our campuses and across our communications.

Since July this year, we have begun our renewal of the Reconciliation Action Plan. It is a time when we reflect on what we have achieved so far and how we can add, extend, invigorate and dare to move from safe to brave. This has included our students and staff contributing to our reflection survey guided by Narragunnawali. The feedback has been very useful in giving us a bigger picture of what we can do to enact greater value, respect and relationship to our First Nations peoples. We also take the time now to invite members of our community to respond to this survey, which you can access via this link.

Our current Reconciliation Action Plan committee has met twice this term to gather as a group and begin the conversations, idea-sharing and formation of our actions and goals we strive to be included in our new RAP. This committee is represented by members of the school community – staff, parents, and representatives from EREA, the Archdiocese and the Christian Brothers. This committee is not the sole bearers of this undertaking. We call on members of the Terrace Family to continue the dialogue in our classrooms, in our homes, in our conversations and our presence and solidarity. If you are ideas or opportunities that could help support our community and the renewal of the RAP, please do not hesitate in reaching out to me via andrewstormonth@terrace.qld.edu.au.

May we be called to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God. Live Jesus in our hearts…forever!

Changes to Mass schedule

Please note changes to the Mass schedule due to the recent lockdowns. Parents won't be able to attend at this point in time - unless there is are further easing of restrictions.

The College is full of good young men. While no one is immune from making mistakes, we expect the boys to have a responsibility to reflect and grow into the best version of themselves. As parents, we want our children to possess the moral courage to stand up at the appropriate time in life. At Terrace, we aim to develop good men of humility, knowledge, and wisdom – a Gentleman of Terrace.

In schools like Terrace, sometimes boys can misinterpret the intentional messages from our Senior leaders as a form of blind conformity or loyalty. The brotherhood. While loyalty tends to be a highly regarded value for many young men, as a community, we need to be very deliberate with the messaging that shapes this conversation. Central to the formation of our student leaders is the understanding that they can’t develop a sense of loyalty without having integrity as a parallel value. Placing significance on integrity in decision making keeps the shadows of loyalty in check. Further to this, we are very mindful that Terrace boys need to have a clear understanding of the context for the various mottos that have been used over the years. Shoulder to Shoulder, Red Army, 18 000 strong, All In, Be the one and now Answer the call cannot be viewed as just badges of loyalty that, when left unchecked, undermine the character, values, and the personal decision-making responsibilities of each individual.

The 2021 Senior motto, Answer the Call, invites our students to take the opportunity to be of service to others in need and be a part of the great story that has been Terrace for over a century. It is littered with students who have demonstrated moral courage at the right times and for the greater good. They are our hidden heroes. All students need to develop the confidence to be a person of substance in our community. Our Year 11 cohort is currently moving into the space where the leadership baton transitions from one group to another. We look forward to challenging this next group of young Terrace leaders to continue to create an inclusive, contemporary culture at the College that is connected by authentic relationships between staff, students, and the wider Terrace community.

Finally, we welcome a full round of GPS co-curricular events this weekend. Reminders have been given this week about the importance of ensuring we present in the correct uniform throughout the day. Any student who wants to remain and support the 1^st XV or the 1^st V needs to get changed into the formal school uniform (white shirt and blazer) and the red HPE cap.

Success is the accumulation of small gains over an extended period of time

At many College assemblies, I have discussed the quote above with the student body. My intention is twofold. Firstly, to highlight that academic success comes from consistent effort. Yes, you can cram an exam the night before and snag a pass. However, the knowledge gained is only fleeting as the deep neural connections in the brain that denote actual retention of knowledge have not had time to form. Like all aspects of human activity where developed skills are essential to success – sport, music, career – true mastery does not occur overnight. Mastery occurs through consistent practice and refinement over time.

For students, true academic success that matches or even exceeds their potential occurs through the same mastery process. This is why students are intentionally exposed to study skills concepts - Friday rollcall, logging your hours, study planning – as these are the tools that enable a consistent practice to emerge. Year 12 external exams will require students to engage in this process if they wish to succeed, particularly Maths and Science exams that will require the retention of two semesters worth of knowledge. You cannot cram that amount of knowledge the night before and expect to be successful.

Secondly, I wished to highlight that students still have time this term. Exam timetables will be distributed shortly. Consequently, students should now be planning their exam strategy to ensure that all of their exam subjects are provided enough time for revision and study. Revising for exams can start now by:

• Working through subject checklists
• Using the revision booklets and subject handouts
• Using revision resources on the Moodle
• Attending staff tutoring
• Listening carefully to your teacher as you get closer to exams
• Logging your study hours

On Friday, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) announced a change to the 2021 External Exam timetable. This change was necessitated by the announcement by the Premier that Friday 29 September will now be the gazetted Ekka Show holiday. Consequently, the scheduled Music and Economics exams need to be rescheduled to Friday 22 September. A further consequence of this change may be the structure of the final week at school for Year 12 students. Any changes to the calendar will be communicated in due course.

With Year 10 exams finishing tomorrow, we shift our focus to the Immersion programs. An incredible amount of work has gone into keeping these programs alive. Due to border closures and COVID-19 preventative measures, we have had to make significant adjustments to the programs on offer. We hope there are no last-minute disruptions, and our young men get to enjoy these wonderful experiences. Thank you for your patience while we worked through these complications.

As communicated previously, this Saturday all Red Earth students need to attend the COVID test clinic at Waterford Place to be able to travel to Cape York. The clinic will run from 7.30am to 12pm in the Waterford Place Foyer. Please ensure your son completes his COVID Test before his Basketball or Rugby commitments.

Next Monday 30 August, our formation partners yLead will facilitate a day-long program for our cohort that focuses on influencing others through positive choices and actions. YLead uses a series of fun and energetic activities to provide opportunities for students to show initiative and practice their leadership abilities in a controlled environment.

Please note that our Waterford students finish the term on Wednesday 15 September. On that evening we will host the Immersion presentations for parents and caregivers. More information about this event will be sent out in the coming weeks.

Take care and see you on the other side of a busy Immersion program at Waterford.

Chess

Last week Chess played Nudgee College in a non-competitive round. We won nine divisions and drew the tenth; with 28 wins, six draws and just four losses out of 38 matches. This was especially impressive as several boys played on a higher board than they would in a typical week. Well done to everyone involved.

Debating – QDU

With the restrictions in place over the past weeks, the Queensland Debating Union (QDU) has pivoted from their regular finals procedures. This week, our 11.1 and 12.1 teams competed in the Finals Round 3 via teleconference. Our 10.1 team were scheduled to debate in September; however, due to Immersion, their debate was brought forward to this week. Congratulations to all our debaters who have performed with skill during this busy time of the term.

Senior A will start their finals campaign next week – also via teleconference.

Information is available via the Terrace App and has been emailed to all Debating students regarding the Years 5-9 Debating program.

Debating Dinner

The Debating Dinner will be held tonight at The Marquee in Victoria Park. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the 2021 season. At the event, we will recognise the efforts of our winning GPS Teams 11.2, 9.1 and 9.2, the most improved students of each year level and service awards for those who have served five or more years in the program. Awards for the most successful debaters are given out at the Celebration of Excellence held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 18 October. My thanks to the Debating Dinner sponsors - major sponsor Australian Catholic University and also Creating Students.

Public Speaking – Evatt competition

Congratulations to Year 10 students Will Ames and Liam Cleary, who have made it through to the Grand Final of the UN EVATT Public Speaking competition.

Public Speaking – Terrace competition

The Terrace Public Speaking competition will be held this afternoon. Thank you to Ms Clarke for her organisation of this event. The winners will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence.

Support Group meetings

Support Group meetings will be held online if necessary. Should you wish to contact the

• Debating Support Group: DSGChair@terrace.qld.edu.au
• Terrace Performing Arts: TPAChair@terrace.qld.edu.au

Staying in touch

To keep in touch with all things Cultural, we suggest you download the Terrace App and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you have any photographs or videos that you would like to share, please tag us.

• TWITTER @GTCulture
• INSTAGRAM terrace_gtculture
• YOUTUBE Terrace Culture YouTube Channel

Purchase your Entertainment Membership today from St Joseph's College - Terrace Performing Arts Association and support our fundraising.

As you know Father’s Day is the perfect time to gift Dad an Entertainment Membership or treat yourself to one as well. Until the end of the month, you will receive a BONUS $40 Woolworths, BIG W or Freedom eGift Card when you purchase a Multi City or Multi Plus Membership or a $20 Woolworths, BIG W or Freedom eGift Card when you purchase a Single City Membership. Plus, one extra month FREE! As well as going in the draw for some other great prizes. Hurry! Offer ends on Wednesday 1 September 2021!

Click here to buy now.

Music and the child’s brain

Music can get you moving, lift your mood, and even help you recall a memory, but can it improve your health?

These words are a snapshot from a cowritten report by the National Institute of Health and the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. These organisations are working with the National Symphony Orchestra with the aim to:

• expand current knowledge and understanding of how listening, performing, or creating music involves intricate circuitry in the brain that could be harnessed for health and wellness applications in daily life,
• explore ways to enhance the potential for music as therapy for neurological disorders,
• identify future opportunities for research, and
• create public awareness about how the brain functions and interacts with music.

In a related articleBuilding Music and the Child’s Brain, John Iversen outlines the growing evidence to support that musical training can foster the development of non-musical skills across a broad spectrum, including language development, executive function, and visuospatial perception, to name a few. From an early age, children are remarkably responsive to music and its elemental components (e.g., melody, harmony, rhythm and dynamics). One aspect of the study focused on active engagement with music from infants through to adults to involve multiple neural networks thought to contribute to self-control over one’s environment.

While the research is ongoing, the fact research is being pursued is a positive step forward in the validation and importance of music within our lives. Couple this with our current pandemic world, and what a gift we have to nurture and foster the creative minds of the boys in our care.

Terrace Jazz Combo

This Thursday evening, the Terrace Jazz Combo will perform at the Annual Debating Dinner. The ensemble has been working hard in preparation for their performance. Events such as this allow us as a community to come together and celebrate and recognise the importance of our cultural success as a Terrace community.

Music Practice Hall

Music Practice Hall continues to provide a unique opportunity at the College for all woodwind, brass, string and percussion students to benefit from the assistance of a range of trained professionals. Now is the time to develop your skills in practice technique and to join Music Practice Hall on a Monday from 3.15-5pm in the Music Centre.

Notice to discontinue lessons

If any students wish to discontinue the Instrumental and Speech and Drama program, written notification by parents/caregivers needs to be received two weeks before the end of term.

Term 3

• Saturday 28 August - Sousaphone Army Basketball performance
• Saturday 28 August - Red Thunder Drumline Rugby performance
• Thursday 2 September - Year 7 2022 Orientation performance
• Saturday 11 September- Sousaphone Army Basketball performance
• Saturday 11 September - Red Thunder Drumline Rugby performance
• Tuesday 14 September 5.30pm - TPAmeeting

Co-curricular Team Photo Day

Rugby and Basketball

Photos will be taken at Tennyson for Rugby and at Duhig Place for Basketball.

Please see the schedules below:

• Basketball
• Rugby

Please note: If your son's team is not on this list, he may be playing at an alternative venue. The missing teams will have their photo taken on co-curricular photo day on Thursday 7 October.

If your son misses his photo on the day the photo will not be retaken on 7 October.

Basketball

Over the weekend, Basketball returned to Terrace and the GPS competition with a modified round. It was great to see the students back on the court once again, and it was obvious to see how much they had missed playing the sport and competing alongside their teammates after a three-week layoff.

Despite Terrace having their scheduled ‘Bye’ round, the program was fortunate to compete in supplementary games against traditional rivals Nudgee College in the A-D program. This round of fixtures provided an opportunity to play against Nudgee following the cancellation of the Round 5 GPS fixture. We thank the College for their support and cooperation in arranging these fixtures at late notice.

While it was evident there was some rust after the layoff, Terrace performed strongly in all age groups, comfortably winning the majority of fixtures, including the 1^st V and all A games outside of the 6As. The Year 5 age group continued their bright start to their time in the Basketball program with solid results despite a one-point loss in the 5Bs.

Strong performances from Andrew Hindle (7D), Rom Trinidad (7C), and Haythem Angallo (7A) resulted in their teams achieving comfortable victories. The Year 11 age group recorded a clean sweep thanks to some tough wins by narrow margins in the 11A and 11B games, with Angus Killen (11A) and Rafferty McLeod (11B) respectively leading the way for their teams.

The Opens performed strongly again with Pat Read’s dominance from the perimeter on show in the 2^nd V victory, as was Du Hayes’s hot hand in the 1^st V fixture.

A full GPS round commences this weekend against Spring Hill rival Brisbane Grammar School and the regular set of supplementary games. The 1^st V will recognise the annual Old Boy round wearing heritage singlets from the 1997 premiership winning team. Best of luck to all players this weekend.

My Specialist Maths teacher, Mr Covil, has an analogy he loves to use with our assessment for the subject. Every other day, when we come in for class, he talks about “finals day” – the “grand final weekend”. All year, sir has been likening our assessment journey to the NRL season.

The assignment we handed in at the beginning of Term 1 – and indeed, the whole of our IA1s – was the preseason. We had the energy and the bushy-tailed drive to get started early and get started strong. As we drew nearer to our first internal specialist exam later in the term, alongside the rest of our IA2s and IA3s, the analogy switched to the regular season. That period was the backbone of our year, the weeks of grunt work in the middle, upon which our eventual success would inevitably be founded. Particularly with the constant barrage of mismatched assessment – a Maths exam one week, an English assignment the next, and if you are lucky, just a draft for something else the week after that – it felt like unending rounds of regular season rugby. Our training was studying, and our Friday Night Footy was, in fact, our Friday night sacrifice. (Side note - we give a lot of flak to his sport analogies, but I swear this is Mr Covil’s best work). By the time we got through our internal assessment, we didn’t get a moment to breathe. Immediately, the conversation switched to ‘finals weekend’ – External Exams.

Now, in this gap between the end of Terrace assessment and externals, we couldn’t stop to relax. The great postseason teams never did, nor can we. We were allocated one afternoon to marvel at the fact that we never had to write another analytical essay attached to a Terrace-branded task sheet or stay up late trying to cobble a Terrace draft together before it was due (not that we ever did that of course), but the noses in Mr Covil’s 12B Specialist Class, were very much kept to the grindstone under that guise of approaching finals weekend. Of course, before we can cross that final hurdle (sorry, I know I am mixing sports metaphors), we first must tackle (there we go) Mock Exams. One would be foolish to liken these to exhibition matches because that would imply they don’t matter – rather, it is much more akin to the students being a part of the underdog team, fighting the points tally to try and scrape together that place in the finals. Because as our season ends, it is these Mocks that matter most. In Week 10, we get feedback that will make or break in the finals.

To any Year 12s who happen to be reading this, keep in mind that no one in the history of the NRL has tackled the grand final alone. We are the team, and we are fighting for that winning place. Now is no time to lift. To the parents and caregivers of Year 12: your boys are under pressure right now, whether they have been letting you know or not. We are moody teenagers, but I promise we do cherish every ounce of support you give us. And to the rest of the Terrace Family – focus on that latter word of the phrase: Family. Almost 250 of that Family are under fire right now – so Answer the Call, and get in the game!

Tennyson Canteen volunteering Term 3

Rugby is back at Tennyson this Saturday, and the canteen and BBQ will be in full swing. Thanks to all our generous volunteers who have helped over the season to date. We have two busy home game weekends left, and we would love to see the rosters full. Be sure to keep an eye out for the weekly canteen and BBQ volunteer sign up links on Year Level pages. Many hands make light work, and it is a great way to meet other parents.

Eddie’s Van presentation

At our July TLG meeting, we were fortunate to have Mr Matt Rice (GT 2020) come along to provide information on the work done by the Eddie’s Van night team. Many will know of the weekday Big Brekkie – an Eddie’s Van initiative – run by Terrace students, staff, parents and Old Boys. Some may not be as aware of Eddie’s Van night activities, coordinated by a willing team of Terrace Old Boys and friends. The team provide hot meals, a friendly face, some conversation and comfort to those finding themselves on the streets or under challenging circumstances. There are various ways Old Boys, friends and parents can support Eddie’s Van night activities, including:

• Link up with the night activities Facebook group at Eddie's Night Van to engage from a hands-on perspective; or
• Join the Eddie’s Night Van Meal Train to prepare a meal, donate or ask a question via this link http://mealtrain.com/z97k46.

Finally, if you have queries on Eddie’s Van night activity logistics or have community contacts that could potentially help with food supplies (bakery, fruit and veg., etc.), toiletries or other comforts – get in touch with the Eddie’s Van night team via Facebook or:

• Matt Rice: 2002matthewrice@gmail.com
• GT Care and Concern: careandconcern@terrace.qld.edu.au

Events

• 28 August – GPS Round 6 vs BGS (home), Rugby and Basketball team photo day
• 6 September – rescheduled August TLG meeting at 7.30am
• 11 September – GPS Round 8 vs TSS and Old Boys' Back to Tennyson Day
• 5 October – TLG Thanksgiving Mass
• 8 October– Inter-House Track and Field Carnival
• 11 October– TLG Meeting at 7.30am
• 16 October – The Long Lunch

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

Mr Colin FORBES – GT 1944-46

Terrace Debating 2021 Dinner

Details: Thursday 26 August | 6.30 - 10.30pm
Venue: The Marquee, Victoria Park Golf Complex, Herston
Cost: Adults - $65pp (+bf) Students - $45pp (+bf) | Includes two course dinner
RSVP: Please RSVP via the below link by 12 August
For further event information, please contact
Nicole Quinn | DSGChair@Terrace.qld.edu.au

BR&B Annual Lunch

Details: Friday 3 September | 12.00 - 2.00pm
Venue: Duke's Bar, Lord Alfred Hotel | 68 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane
RSVP: Please RSVP to Cathy Stacey by Monday 23 August
For further event information, please contact
Cathy Stacey | cathystacey@terrace.qld.edu.au

2021 Open Rugby Celebration

Details: Sunday 12 September | 1.30 - 4.30pm
Venue: The Marquee, Victoria Park Golf Complex, Herston
Cost: Adults - $70pp (+bf) | Students - $35pp (+bf) | Includes two course dinner
RSVP: Please RSVP via the below link by Sunday 5 September
For further event information, please contact
Michael Liddy | mjliddy@qldbar.asn.au

2021 Terrace Basketball Raffle

Details: Saturday 11 September | Entries close at 9am
Venue: Will be drawn outside the Campbell Centre before the 1st V fixture
Cost: $25 per ticket (+bf)
For further event information, please contact
Angela Papacostas | angepapacostas@gmail.com

Come and Try Rowing

Details: Saturday 9 October | 7.00am - 5.30pm
Venue: Maroon Dam | Bus departs and returns to Tennyson
Cost: Free
RSVP: Please RSVP via the below link by Friday 17 September
For further event information, please contact
Brendan McGrath | brendanmcgrath@terrace.qld.edu.au