Dear members of the Terrace Family,

It would be fair to say that it is an interesting and complex time in our world.

My newsletter article will be brief, as there has already been a significant amount of information sent home from me this week.  Rather than repeat the contents of my previous two letters, I encourage parents to refer to the College App for details of both letters.  Letter 1 detailed the Continuity of Education Plan that will be enacted should the school close.  Letter 2 detailed the significant number of events that have either been cancelled or postponed at this stage.  Depending on what happens over the coming hours/days/weeks, I will continue to provide updated information through the same forum.

The College continues to institute a range of additional hygiene practices including extra toilet cleanings, disinfecting of eating surfaces, additional cleaning of high traffic areas, extra soap and hand washing facilities, additional washing stations and reinforcements of good hygiene practices.  I would ask that parents continue to reinforce a similar message at home.

My final comment regarding COVID-19 is to ask that parents and caregivers keep me informed of all testing and/or isolation for close contacts with your family.  I thank the many people who have been keeping the College informed, but would ask that I now be the main contact point for this information.  This will assist me and the College Leadership Team in maintaining a ‘whole of College’ overview of what is occurring.

Today is the feast day of our College Patron, St Joseph.  Although our liturgy was cancelled today, it is still important that as a College community we continue to remember, acknowledge and celebrate our history and our foundation.  St Joseph was a man of integrity and simplicity, as well as being a father and husband.  His character models who we are as the Terrace Family.

I will continue to provide additional information and updates as they arise.

Have a great week and stay healthy.

God Bless.

Dr Michael Carroll
College Principal

This week, it seems there is only one topic of global interest, and I am sure we are all approaching saturation point in terms of information, conversation and speculation regarding COVID-19. Rather than focusing on negatives, I would like to concentrate briefly on the outstanding work done by our staff in preparing for whatever may lie ahead. In recent days, staff have undertaken extra training and put strategies in place to ensure our Continuity of Learning Plan will be an effective means of student learning in the event of school closure. Our IT team, led by ICT Director Mr Shaun Steadman and eLearning coordinator Mr Tim Stephens, have been working with teachers to have our learning platforms fully functional. Staff have also run an in-class trial to test the capacity of our system and the boys’ ability to engage in remote learning. I have been delighted by the flexibility of our teaching staff under such unusual circumstances. Members of our non-teaching staff also deserve our thanks for their commitment to the care of students and for allowing the school to continue functioning well. Whether it is catering, grounds, Sick Bay, office or other non-teaching staff, we have been blessed by their professional approach and can-do attitude. The thanks of the entire Terrace Family are extended to all our wonderful staff at this time. We look forward to some sort of normality returning as soon as possible.

Our best wishes are extended to Mr Luke Gribble, Dean of Waterford Place, who had an unfortunate accident at a sporting event on the weekend. While Luke will be fine in the long run, he has sustained a nasty hamstring injury that will require surgery and some recovery time. In Luke’s absence, Mr Dwayne Hoy has agreed to oversee the Waterford Place campus and field any enquiries from parents. We thank Dwayne for stepping in and we wish Luke the very best for a speedy recovery.

No one knows what the Australian landscape will look like in a week’s time. However, I wish all in the Terrace Family the very best for the coming days and weeks. Please take care and stay as safe and well as possible while we ride out this extraordinary time.

It has been an extraordinary seven days as we all come to terms with the rapidly evolving nature of the Coronavirus pandemic. Every institution has been challenged with the best way to respond. Each family has been challenged with the best way to respond. From a teaching and learning perspective, we have been challenged to maintain routine and normality as best we can. We see this as important from not only an academic viewpoint but also from a student wellbeing consideration.

Consequently, our academic continuity plan is based on the premise that in the event of school closure, students and teachers will operate using the current timetable (long bells).  A designated landing page will be provided through Moodle for students/parents to access general, subject and class information and learning tasks. This page acts as the central source of information regarding learning from home. Parents should ask their son to log in to Moodle and show them this page.

From Moodle, subjects will direct students to the relevant electronic platform - subject Moodle page/teams site/ OneNote/google classroom.

The at home learning model

• Students and staff will operate using the College timetable. That is, students will access their online learning platform during the ‘normal’ timetabled time for that day. We will operate using long bells (except Wednesday).
• Staff will provide a ‘lesson’s’ worth of learning – reading, quizzes, tasks, questions, videos, PowerPoints, practice exams, revision.
• Staff and students will be able to interact via text-based platforms, e.g. forums, chatrooms, posts, during the lesson. This will allow students to ask questions of their teacher and peers.
• Staff may provide homework. 

There will be an opportunity for teacher feedback on key practice exams, tasks or quizzes.

The timing of any closure will have subsequent impacts on assessment and reporting. These impacts and responses will be actioned within the context of the closure and communicated to students and parents in a timely manner.

On Tuesday, all students were taken through the learning at home procedure in year group assemblies. This presentation can be found on the Learning at Home Moodle page and on both Parent Lounge and Student Cafe. On Wednesday period 1, all classes ran through an online lesson test, where elements of the at home learning model were tested and students became more conversant with the interactive elements of each platform. Students were also taught appropriate ‘netiquette’ for use in online chatrooms and forums for educative purposes.

College teaching staff have also had a number of Professional Development sessions to further up-skill their knowledge of online learning platforms, especially regarding the interactive elements such as chatrooms, forums and posts.

The College is as ready as we can be to respond to a closure. Students and staff have rehearsed an at home learning plan to instigate when required. Of course, it will not be perfect, and students and staff will have issues with this model of learning, especially as they adapt to the change. Further information and tips regarding learning home can be found on the Learning at Home Moodle page and on Parent Lounge.

Can you help?

Are you an employer in a trade- based industry looking for an apprentice who embodies all the wonderful attributes of a Terrace Gentleman? Would you like to have an extra set of hands to help you in your workplace, during the school holidays?

We have some fantastic young men at the College who are heading in the direction of trade-based vocations.  Many of them are studying Construction and are already competent in the use of power tools, industry processes and Workplace Health and Safety.  

In our Year 12 cohort, we have a small and driven group of students looking to transition into trade apprenticeships for 2021. Some of them will have prevocational TAFE qualifications by the end of this year. These students would love the opportunity to undertake trade-based work experience in the school holiday breaks.

If you feel you can provide these opportunities then please email our Construction teacher Mr Glenn Cameron via GlennCameron@Terrace.qld.edu.au, and/or the Terrace Careers Counsellor Ms Natalie Twine via NatalieTwine@Terrace.qld.edu.au

Further to Dr Carroll’s report, I have asked staff to focus on the following areas with students during Pastoral Care groups in the mornings. A number of students are still quite relaxed about personal hygiene and haven’t quite grasped the seriousness of the situation. Please assist the College by reinforcing the following with your sons at home: 

• Students are to follow social distancing practices, where possible, around the College, particularly when in the yard at morning tea and lunchtimes. There should only be four students sitting at a table at any one time and unnecessary contact should be avoided. 
• Students need to use water bottles to drink water at school. We want to stop the direct use of bubblers during the day for drinking by the mouth. Students will instead need to refill water bottles throughout the day. 
• Toilets will be checked each day to ensure soap dispensers are refilled. If students notice that a soap dispenser is empty, then they need to make a teacher immediately aware immediately so this can be refilled.
• Boys are encouraged to bring personal hand sanitiser to school and cough into the elbow corner.

Also, the tuckshop will be simplifying the menu in the coming days to sell covered and pre-packaged food only to help minimise the risk of spreading germs. 

The College has temporarily employed a second nurse to assist in Sick Bay to support our health care staff in the coming weeks. We have identified isolation rooms at the College and checked that our cleaners have the capacity to properly clean areas should it be required. The health care staff will continually assess the students presenting to Sick Bay for flu like symptoms and then isolate and contact parents/caregivers when needed. 

Every week at Terrace, many staff work with students and parents to support boys' wellbeing. Working with adolescent boys is not always smooth sailing, which gives us many opportunities to help them grow. This important philosophical position underpins our work. Some students are feeling quite anxious about the impact that COVID-19 is having on communities at the moment. I mentioned this last week, but again I refer parents to the SchoolTV link on the College website, College App and Facebook to listen to Dr Michael Carr-Gregg’s insight into supporting youth during this time. 

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Terrace co-curricular community. The 2020 Head of the River was an outstanding display of the character that exists within the shed. I am always impressed with the energy that this community has for each other. The boys, the coaches and the parents. I was particularly impressed with the Open crews. The genuine interest they had in each other’s performances was heartening and not often seen in schoolboy sport. Our Senior A Debating team finished second.  The Volleyball and Cricketing communities have also performed exceptionally well, with both premier teams finishing on top of the ladder when the competition was suspended. All these teams have worked exceptionally hard to arrive at that point in the season and deserve recognition for those achievements. I believe this is only ever possible through a genuine display of teamwork on all fronts. 

The week that was

I had planned on attending former Archbishop John Bathersby’s funeral on Monday.  However, in light of the Federal government banning events with more than 500 people, there were limited places to attend. Archbishop John Bathersby led the Brisbane Archdiocese from 3 December 1991 until his retirement on 14 November 2011. Current Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge put it simply  

In his 20 years as Archbishop of Brisbane, John Bathersby was no high-powered administrator or fiery preacher. What he brought to the office was something deeper and more enduring … John was consumed by the desire to know and love Jesus, and he spoke of this more and more as time went by …  John was a rare human being, with a heart as big as his mind and soul and his sense of humour.

Some of John Bathersby’s highlights as Archbishop included - 

• A Reconciliation Gathering at Lang Park in 1997. 
• The restoration of St Stephen’s Chapel – Queensland’s first church in 1999. 
• An Archdiocesan Synod in 2003. 
• The Holy Spirit Seminary’s relocation back to Banyo in 2008.

May Archbishop John Bathersby Rest In Peace and Perpetual Light Shine upon him.

This week we celebrated St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday and the Feast Day of St Joseph today. Although both days are important, the celebration of our school’s Patron Saint is particularly relevant. The name, 'St Joseph's' was intentionally given to us by the Christian Brothers. The hope was that students could lead with the example of love and humility displayed by Joseph. Joseph is often referred to as the “humble carpenter”. This illustrates the type of person Joseph was – a real person with problems and opportunities, like you and me. Joseph was asked to be Mary’s husband and Jesus’ father. What an incredible burden of responsibility he took on agreeing to raise the Son of God.

A Prayer to St Joseph

Saint Joseph, humble worker, you took Mary home as your wife where she gave birth to a son and you named him Jesus. We pray that we may have the wisdom to be still and to listen for God who is calling us. Saint Joseph, strong and gentle man, you protected your child and his mother, taking them to safety. We pray that we may have the wisdom to get up as you did and do what is right and just. Saint Joseph, you brought your child and his mother to the land of Israel to start a new life. We pray that we may have the wisdom to know that we are never alone, and that God is one who walks with us always. Saint Joseph, you followed the path of humility, the path of strength and gentleness, the path of faith and courage, a path of love. We pray that as the Terrace family, we may follow your example in growing to be more Christ like in all that we say and do. Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of our College, pray for us.Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of our College, pray for us.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts … Forever

As educators we understand the significance of the correlation between happiness and academic success.  While walking around the Waterford Campus today, I was struck by the abundance of joy that was present.  Research tells us that laughter is a key ingredient of a healthy, productive workplace.  Smiling students and teachers sharing good times in what is a current worrying time are strong indicators that we are continuing to build a Year 10 learning environment where people thrive and grow as individuals and as members of a community. 

The students have been outstanding in taking on suggested initiatives that may be needed in case of closure. Whatever the coming weeks may hold, it is reassuring to know the Waterford boys are so willing to adapt and do whatever is needed. Let’s not forget, that the best thing mentally, at the time of writing this, is to prepare as if exams are to take place as scheduled. To quote renowned military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz, Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.

I would like to wish Mr Gribble all the best in his recovery from a recent unfortunate accident. We hope to see him back on deck in the near future. 

Rehearsals and training

Following Dr Carroll’s letter yesterday to the whole College, all Cultural training and rehearsals are suspended until 3 April when a further decision will be made. We would request that students continue to practice, study and enhance their individual skills at home to ensure a continuity in their program.

At this point in time, we will be awaiting further information as to a modified program of workshops, presentations and inter-school competitions, including further preparations and enhancements for the 2021 program. I believe that planning for this will commence in Term 2 at the earliest.
 
I would like to express my thanks to all who are involved in the Terrace Cultural program in activities that have had the opportunity to compete or perform and those who were almost there.

Debating

With the recent decision to halt Term 1 activities we are proud to announce our Senior A finished in second place. I would like to congratulate the team members and their coaches. Once all results are in, we will bring final position for all teams.

Congratulations on 13 wins in Round 5 against BBC.

• Senior A GT
• Senior B BBC
• 11.1 GT
• 11.2 GT
• 10.1 GT
• 10.2 GT
• 10.3 GT
• 9.1 GT
• 9.2 BBC
• 9.3 GT
• 8.1 GT
• 8.2 BBC
• 8.3 BBC
• 7.1 GT
• 7.2 BBC
• 6.1 GT
• 6.2 GT
• 5.1 BBC
• 5.2 GT

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 don’t miss a thing.   If you have any photographs or video that you would to share, please tag us.

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

Congratulations to Henry McDonald (Oboe Grade 2) and Max Chan (Piano Grade 4) who both achieved a Credit (B+) in their respective AMEB exams last week.

If any students are leaving the programme, this needs to be notified by parents two weeks prior to the end of term (Thursday March 26).

All rehearsals finished yesterday for the rest of the term. In Addition, Music Practice Hall is now finished for the remainder of the term. Following Dr Carroll’s email to the whole of College community, please note the change of status to various music events.

Cricket wrap

Round 7

It was the Battle of Spring Hill in Round 7 as Terrace played the highly fancied Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) in the majority of fixtures at both Northgate and Tennyson. The round was a very tight contest with a number of games being decided in the final over, epitomised by the 7B result ending in a thrilling tie. Terrace won the majority of games on the day, to remain undefeated in the rounds so far this season. However, the program would like to acknowledge and commend the BGS staff, coaches and players for a fantastic round of cricket, with an exceptionally high standard of cricket skill and execution under pressure on display.
 
The Years 5 and 8 age groups were most impressive as Terrace won all but one of the games played. While the 6Ds and 7 Red recorded wins over BGS. The 1st XI put together an impressive all-round performance to defeat BGS on their home ground, a task that is always difficult. Matt Gouveia (62) led with the bat before Jeremy White,Will Campbell and Mitch Bodimeade all played starring roles with the ball to secure a bonus point win, which left Terrace in first position alongside BBC after Round 7.
 
On Saturday evening, students, parents and families from the Terrace Cricket community gathered at Tennyson for the 2020 End of Season Celebration. Students from Years 10 and 12 who qualified for their ‘50 Game’ caps were presented, a justified recognition to those boys who have showed discipline, resilience, dedication and commitment to the program during their time at the College. Brisbane Heat Player Jack Prestwidge, GT 2014 was on hand to present the The Ron Oxenham Medal winners for 2020, awarded to the gentlemen who have personified the best qualities and values of a Terrace cricketer during their time in the program. Congratulation goes to Marindra Welgampola and William Campbell for receiving the honour on the evening. The program would like to thank the members of the Terrace Cricket Support Group who volunteered numerous hours to help with the preparations and running of the night. Special mentions to Mr Ben Slack and Mr Paul Little and a number of the Year 9 parent group, along with the countless others who helped on the night.

Round 7 results here

Rowing wrap

GPS Head of the River results

Saturday 14 March saw the conclusion of the 2020 Rowing season, with the 97th instalment of the GPS Head of the River Championships.

With some of the trickiest conditions to date, the fast tail breeze certainly tested the anxious rowers across all schools.

Overall, the day was unfortunately not Terrace’s with a number of results not going our way across a number of divisions, especially through Years 10 and 11. A number of results were decided by under a second which depicted the quality of the racing on the day. 
 
In contrast, the Year 9 cohort stood up and recorded three victories from seven entries. This is a great sign for the coming years as this group is just starting their rowing journey. These results were further buoyed by the Senior group who are concluding their journey, with two places and a win.

2020 Head of the River Champions

• Open 2^nd VIII - Jack Siddle, Patrick Petrie-Repar, Dario Andrijich, Jack Pate, Tom O'Sullivan, Christian Campbell-Perry, Samuel Daly, Tom Daly, Cox: Liam Ryan 
• Year 9 1^st  Quad - Tom Robinson, Cian Moley, Ged Sheehan, Lachlan McGeever, Cox: Alex Rollston 
• Year 9 2^nd  Quad - Lachlan Hooper, Cooper O'Rourke, Emmanuel Koger, Jack Butterfield, Cox: William Sheehan 
• Year 9 4^th  Quad - Ciaran McCormack, Joseph Petrie-Repar, Jonathon Vertullo, Zac Taylor, Cox: Peter Menegazzo

Honours

• Open 1^st VIII (third) - Mitchell McGeever, Angus Munn, Benjamin Spicer, Will Robinson, Finbar Carroll, James Farquhar, Fergus Cummins, Jeremiah Woodward, Cox: Charles Betts
• Open 3^rd VIII (third) - Jack Mills, William Rollston, Jasper See, Zach Pennisi, Jacob Avery, William Ryan, Nicholas Langford, Angus Mohr, Cox: Daniel Reardon 
• Year 10 2^nd Quad (second) – Xavier Stiles, Xavier Grambower, Oscar Holt, Max Spork, Cox: Gabe Armstrong
• Year 10 5^th Quad (third) - Flynn Marsh, Kyran Fetineiai, Walter Joseph, Addison Pfaender, Cox: Jack Alford 
• Year 9 3^rd Quad (third) - Oscar Plant, Thomas Simpson, Jaymond Menegazzo, Finn Cummins, Cox: Max Fallon
• Year 9 5^th Quad (second) - Hardy Bryant, Jack Matthew, Joseph Buckley, Bailey Hall, Cox: Matthew Plant 

Old Boys’ Cup points

• Churchie (110pts)
• Nudgee (90pts)
• Southport (85pts)
• Terrace (77pts)
 
Full Results Below
Link - http://bit.ly/2020HOTRResults

Volleyball wrap

Terrace had a very successful weekend hosting Ipswich Grammar for Round 6 of the GPS season. 

On the weekend the Terrace 1^st VI hosted an athletic Ipswich Grammar team. The boys maintained their winning streak as they dismantled the opposition in a very clinical 3-0 win.

The program overall had 17 wins and four losses.

The team of the week was the 10Cs who won their first game of the season in thrilling fashion. They displayed their defensive capabilities and provided a serving masterclass to achieve a 2-0 win.

Full results here

The Terrace Volleyball community would like to thank all the students, parents, coaches and staff for all of their hard work, dedication and early morning starts. Without your ongoing support the program would not be as successful as it has been this season. 

This month is women’s history month.

This month of recognition, including International Women’s Day, celebrates and focuses on the achievements of women. It also works to initiate conversations surrounding the changes that need to occur to ensure women are heard and supported in reaching their goals and dreams. 

Across the world, being born a girl today still does not mean you have the same opportunities compared to if you were born a boy. 

When Gregory Terrace was founded in 1875, women couldn’t vote. We all know women who are smarter, more creative and innovative than ourselves. Yet just over 100 years ago, over half the adult population did not get a say in who could represent them and make decisions on aspects of their life, including health, education and workplace rights

Two generations later, as a society we have made inroads for not just equality, but equity for all genders. Today, International Women’s Day is a celebration of the progression of equality and shines a light on the strengths of women in our communities. 

But there is still more action needed to close the gap.

As a Terrace Family, we each have the ability to shape and influence how we respect and acknowledge both the men and women in our lives. How we interact, communicate and regard the qualities and personalities of all within our communities should reflect how we would want to be perceived. This comes back to the ‘Golden Rule’ – to treat each other as we want to be treated. 

Fairness, Justice, Trust and Compassion.

As individuals, there is no downside to giving respect to each other, regardless of gender. We all can be the one to respect the people we meet, our teaching staff and our families. 

As a Terrace Family we all have the opportunity to enhance our culture of inclusivity. By acknowledging and ensuring the representation of all women with our communities, we all can be the one to allow people to express their talents and personalities and not be hindered by old ideas and stereotypes. 

Be the one!

A lot has happened in the last two weeks, and this has been the hardest newsletter article to write. I have written it and then rewritten it three times. Whatever I write seems as if it is irrelevant. In these uncertain times I genuinely believe it is important to keep your cool and keep it together.

Be compassionate – think of yourself and your family, but also don’t judge others by their actions. This unfolding scenario is unchartered territory for everyone. We will make choices that we feel are best for ourselves and our family. It is important not to pass judgment on others. I think the art of listening will go a long way. We may not agree with other’s views or actions, but that is ok. It is important to remember that sometime in the future, this will all be over, and we will go back to our new sense of normal. 

Be kind – to yourself and those around you. Maybe it's time to stop and think about how we can make our lives simpler and not spend so much time in the express lane. Believe me, this will be my biggest challenge as I am one to keep piling as much into the day and weeks as I can without regard for who I am leaving behind or what physical state I end up in. 

Be patient – to yourself and with the pressure valve that is our day. Take time to smell the roses. Plan your days ahead as much as you can. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself and your family to be here there and everywhere. Leave that five minutes early to be on time. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Be respectful – of yourself and others. We are all different and we all make different choices and will react differently to the world around us. We never really know what is going on in each other’s homes and families. We need to respect that each of our choices is right for us and leave it at that. 

Be smart – My gut feeling is that common sense will prevail in the days, weeks and months to come. Listen to the information being given out. Make sure the information is coming from creditable sources and don’t get caught up in the news hype of the day. Talk to your children about what they are hearing and what they are feeling. See if they have any questions that might be keeping them up at night. Just because they don’t say anything does not mean they are not going through inner turmoil. Be prepared to do things differently. 

We have made some difficult decisions concerning social events between now and the end of June 2020. Please refer to Dr Carroll’s letter from Wednesday for further information. 

Year 5 Parent/Caregiver Function

Please note the Year 5 Parent Function has been rescheduled. It will now take place Saturday 10 October. All tickets purchased will transfer over to this new function date.
Details: Saturday 10 October | 7.00 - 10.00pm
Venue: The Alliance Hotel, 320 Boundary St Spring Hill
Cost: $41 (+ booking fee) | Includes drink on arrival & canapes
For further information or event enquiries, please contact
Nicki Dalton | nicki@finofoods.com.au | 0417 608 033