Dear members of the Terrace Family,

Today we said thank you and farewell to our Year 12 students.  It has been an unusual year for all of us, but particularly so for our Year 12 students.  They have successfully navigated the ATAR journey, have been involved in a range of activities, been buddies to the younger students and have been good mates to each other.  Importantly, they have been fine Terrace Gentlemen.  On behalf of all within the Terrace Family, I congratulate our Year 12 students and wish them all the best as they commence their journey as Old Boys.  I also wish to acknowledge the 166 families who leave the College this year and thank them for all they have done to support their son’s Terrace journey.   At the Farewell Assembly earlier today I acknowledged and thanked the Year 12 students and left them with this Irish Blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And may the rain fall soft upon your fields,
Until we meet again,
May you be held in the palm of God’s hand.

Good luck to our 2020 Year 12s!

On Tuesday, the College hosted the Celebration of Excellence evening. My congratulations to all of the students who were acknowledged on the evening.  You have worked hard throughout 2020 and deserve your acknowledgement.  With the introduction of the ATAR system this year, we have not been able to award the Year 12 subject prizes, the Proxime Accessit or the College Dux.  These awards will be presented at the Scholars’ Assembly in early 2021.  I also wish to acknowledge and thank the many staff who have worked very hard to ensure the Celebration of Excellence was so successful.  Thank you and well done.

As we prepare for the final week of the 2020 academic year, and as students in all year levels commence their exams, it is very important that the students remain focused until the end and finish well, both in and out of the classroom.  While it is exciting that the holidays are just around the corner, there is still much to be done before they commence.  I would ask that parents reinforce the message about finishing well over the coming days.

Finally this week, I thank all those within our extended Family who supported the Terrace Giving Day on Wednesday.  I am pleased to confirm that $294 538 was raised on the day, all of which will be directed to the College’s Edmund Rice Bursary program.  Thank you very much for your support.

Have a great week. 

God Bless.

Dr Michael Carroll
College Principal

During such a busy time of the year I would like to highlight three of the many wonderful initiatives happening at the College right now.

Movember

This November, a group of 24 male staff members have taken up the challenge of growing a moustache as part of Movember. The Movember movement provides a great opportunity to speak more openly about men’s health, especially men’s mental health.  As was shared with the students last week, research shows that mental health can be strengthened when people are connected to others and feel part of a community.

Over the month of November, staff will be hosting events that hope to connect all members of our College community in a positive way.  The most significant of these will be the staff sharing their mo-tivation for Movember.  These stories will allow students to see a more vulnerable side of the staff and will highlight the important message that ‘it ain’t weak to speak’. 

Mr Rob Johnson (Reidy House Dean)

Dunwich Prep School on North Stradbroke Island

Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. (Anthony J. D’Angelo).

For the Senior boys of Building and Construction in 2020, a quote was never so fitting. As part of their core curriculum, the boys are required to learn and then to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the construction of residential structures. What they didn’t know about this topic was the happiness that it would bring to so many young people.

Last week, two of the Building and Construction Year 12 students travelled to the Dunwich Prep School on North Stradbroke Island to deliver the cubby house that they had spent the last year constructing. Built by Nic Carroll and Jeremiah Woodward, these students donated their cubby house to Dunwich Prep School, the school Nic attended prior to Terrace.

Nic and Jeremiah shared their story with the students and staff and told the students how the construction of the cubby house and their hard work in Building and Construction had resulted in them both being offered full time apprenticeships for 2021. They spoke of their passion for building and how their hard work at school had connected them to their future beyond Year 12.  In appreciation, Dunwich Prep School led a traditional welcome to Country, sung by the entire class.

Mr Glenn Cameron (Barrett House Dean and Building and Construction teacher)

Xavier House – yourtown visit

Over the past few years, Xavier House have been partners with our Friendship Group ‘yourtown.’ Recently, the House donated $5000 to the organisation. yourtown believe in the notion that “every young person deserves the right to a brighter future.” Since 1961, yourtown has been tackling issues that impact on young people in Australia, including mental health, unemployment, and family issues including domestic violence. As such, yourtown aims to be a part of the solution by providing services to locals. The services include Kids Helpline, training, employment services for young people, parent education and family refuges. As a primarily community funded organisation, Xavier House’s donation is significant, and the charity will use these funds to improve their services. In the near future, their aim is to expand their family refuge camps to ensure the safety and rehabilitation of those who are affected by domestic violence. Xavier House are humbled to be partnered with yourtown, and we are all excited for the years ahead.

Lorenzo Gamboa (11 Xavier)

It is truly wonderful to see our College continuing to live the mission of Edmund Rice.

Live Jesus in our Hearts…Forever

The Celebration of Excellence and the Valedictory Ceremony were two wonderful events held this week. Both programs were modified in comparison to recent years, but no less significant due to the efforts of the wider Terrace community. My thanks to the College staff and parents who assisted with preparing Tennyson for the Senior graduation. As always, it is an emotional moment to watch your son graduate from high school. Over the years I have seen many graduations, and I was reminded of this with my own daughter’s graduation during the week. I am very proud of this group of Senior students. In a way, they have been preparing for an unexpected COVID-19 affected year since they started schooling. Being the first full Prep group, first Year 7 group into high school and the first ATAR group in Queensland have all contributed to a sense of resilience in educational change. They handled the complexity of 2020 admirably.

Many stories walked out of the College gates this morning for many of the staff. Within every grade some students stand out for a whole host of reasons. It is what makes teaching such a special and intrinsically rewarding profession. So, my sincere thanks to the boys who take the road less travelled. At times it can be a lonely and unrewardingly courageous path. As parents, we always deal in hope  (well, that is the theory), the tide does turn, and our children will start to find the catalyst for greater traction in their lives. Sometimes this occurs in the formative years and sometimes it is a little later than we would like. For all students, graduating from high school is a momentous and liberating experience, so enjoy it. It is time to let the hair grow long, forget how to do up a tie and to let the razor blade rust up for a while.

To those families departing the College, I wish you the very best with this next exciting phase of your lives. Look back with fondness at the time you have spent at St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, and know that you will always be welcome. We are very proud of the young men graduating today. Take care 2020 Seniors.

An essential aspect of any successful organisation is to celebrate success and recognise individual excellence. On Tuesday night, as a learning community, we were able to celebrate and recognise the academic excellence of our student body. I again congratulate every student who was awarded an academic honour on Tuesday night. Attaining an Academic Excellence award, a First in a subject or Most Improved award takes hard work and dedication. However, and I believe, most importantly, by very publicly recognising academic success and improvement, we send a strong message to our students that, at Terrace, academic success is valued. This recognition of the core value of learning and striving to be the best that you can be is one of the drivers of Terrace’s Academic Culture. Congratulations to all award winners, and also all those who performed, organised and took part in a wonderful evening.

On Tuesday afternoon, the final external exam was held for our Japanese students. This exam saw the completion of exams for our Year 12 cohort. Over 17 days, the Seniors participated in 31 exams. The manner with which the cohort approached their exams has set an academic standard for future Senior groups. Our 2020 Seniors were prepared, focused, and worked hard through to the final seconds of each paper. My congratulations and thanks to all students, and also the Senior teaching staff who guided preparation, provided support and encouragement and led open classroom sessions through the exam block. As a family, we now wait with anticipation for the release of ATAR and QCE results on 19 December.

For our Years 5-11 students, exam block commences on Friday. Some exam tips from our Seniors:

• Plan what you want to complete every night, plan specifically rather than generally.
• A tip for efficient study is to keep to the course outline and Moodle checklists in your study as they are what your exams are based around.
• Try to complete all worksheets and course outlines twice.
• If you are stuck on a problem, move on to something else and come back to it. Don’t spend hours circling around a single problem.

Make sure that when you sit down to study, you are productive. Set yourself a specific amount of work that you want to complete within a time period and make a conscious effort to remain focused and avoid distraction. I always found that finding and completing questions – writing them by hand – was a far more effective method of study than just reading through the material. Completing a response to a question requires you to be focused and engaged. However, it is far too easy to skim over a paragraph whilst thinking about something else. Studying effectively will allow you to work through more material, and will give you more time away from studying, which is also important. (Patrick Sharkey, 2017 College Dux).

Best of luck to all students with their final exams for the year.

Celebration of Excellence 

In the year that stretched us and showed us what was possible on different platforms and environments, our 2020 Celebration of Excellence evening was held on Tuesday night with the addition of a live streaming function.  Thank you to those who watched online and those who came to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.  Again, we displayed an outstanding array of student and staff talent, my sincere thanks to all involved who are integral to this evening living up to its name.

Musicals 2021

Next year will see Terrace produce a Middle School Musical – Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat for students in Years 5-8 on 6 – 8 May in the Edmund Rice Theatre, Waterford Place. All Hallows’ School will produce their Senior musical Freaky Friday for students in Years 9 - 12.

Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat

Students in the Youth Choir are automatically in this Musical as one of the annual performance experiences for this ensemble. Sign on is via Parent Lounge for those students wishing to take part in the performance. Rehearsals will be Wednesday and Friday afternoons, Terms 1 – 2 (until show week).

Freaky Friday

We have received the information from All Hallows’ regarding their Senior Musical, Freaky Friday.  This musical will be open to all students who will be in Years 9-12 in 2021.

If you would like to audition, please check your emails for the information sent out or come to the Cultural Office.  If you have any further questions, please contact AHS – PerformingArts@ahs.qld.edu.au 

Important information

• The production is for Years 9-12 (2021) students only.
• Students must be available for rehearsals on Wednesday and Friday afternoons for all of Term 1 and Term 2 up to the date of the production.
• The levy is $100. The levy is to be paid before the first rehearsal.
• Registrations close Monday, 30 November 2020.

Auditions

• Monday, 30 November 2020
• 12 - 4pm
• Claver Theatre, All Hallows' School
• Call backs – Tuesday, 1 December 2020 (12– 3pm)

Instructions for first round auditions

• Prepare and be familiar with one of the audition scenes.
• Prepare a one minute excerpt of a song of your choice to showcase your vocal range and ability. This will be sung a Cappella.
• Learn set dance sequence.

Video auditions are allowed for those students who will be out of Brisbane on the audition dates. Please adhere to the following:

• Film yourself in long shot (head to feet).
• Film in a room with no distractions.
• Clearly state your name, year level and whether it is acting/singing/dance audition for each audition video.
• Separate videos are required for acting, singing and dance audition videos.
• You may have someone read the other part off-camera, try to be familiar with your script so your facial expressions can be seen.
• Speak/sing clearly.

Students from Gregory Terrace who need to submit a video audition are required to save their audition files to a USB and deliver to All Hallows' main reception. USBs are to be well labelled with the student's name. USBs must be received at All Hallows' by 3pm, Friday 27 November 2020.

Production week will be from Monday, 3 May (Labour Day Public Holiday) with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday 6 to 8 May 2021.

Planning for 2021

Planning is well underway for our 2021 Cultural programs, and you will be able to see sign on options appear in your Parent Lounge for the 2021 season.

Support Group meetings

Support Group meetings will be held online if necessary.  Should you wish to contact the Debating Support Group, please email: DSGChair@terrace.qld.edu.au or the Terrace Performing Arts, please email: TPAChair@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 don’t miss anything.   If you have any photographs or video that you would like to share, please tag us.

TWITTER            @GTCulture  INSTAGRAM      terrace_gtculture  YOUTUBE          Terrace Culture YouTube Channel

 Welcome to Week 7 

Congratulations to all our musicians, singers and featured performers, who put on such amazing performances at the Celebration of Excellence! With 108 musicians on stage, this was our biggest orchestra to date.

Thank you too to our choristers who supported the TLG Mass on Tuesday. This was in addition to their commitment to the Celebration of Excellence on the same day.

Today the Fanfare Team, Red Thunder Drumline and the Terrace Choir all played in support of the Year 12 Valedictory Mass, both here at Terrace and at Tennyson. Our thanks to them for supporting this important event in what has been a busy week.

Next week our Years 5 and 6 choristers will be involved in end of year masses in school time. Our sincere thanks to the Choir who have achieved so much in a very challenging year for them.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact the Music Department  music@terrace.qld.edu.au

Term 1 2021 Events

• Monday and Tuesday 18-19 January - Terrace Choir Workshop - 8.30am-3pm – Chapel of the Holy Family
• Tuesday 19 and Monday 25 January - First Percussion Ensemble Workshop - 8.30am-3pm - Rooms 320/1
• Monday 25 January - Concert Band (2&3) Workshop - 8.30am-12pm ­- MU2
• Monday 25 January - Youth Choir Workshop - 8.30-3pm ­– MU1
• Wednesday 20 January - ANZAC Marching Band (SWE and Red Thunder Drumline) - 9am to 11.30am - Tennyson Playing Fields
• Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 January Music Camp (Red Thunder Drumline, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Terrace, Jazz Orchestra, Waterford Strings, Waterford Soloists) - 8.30am-4pm - Queensland Conference and Camping Centres (QCCC) 179 Gold Creek Road, Brookfield
• Thursday 11 February - GPS Showcase - 8.30am-8.30pm Griffith University Qld Conservatorium of Music select musicians and singers
• Saturday 20 February - Strings Workshop - 8.45am-1.15pm Terrace (TBA)
• Thursday 25 February - Chamber Concert-3.30-7pm Edmund Rice Theatre
• Friday 26 March - Terrace Jazz Night - 3.30-9pm (venue TBA)

Giving thanks

When I sat back and thought about what I would write for this reflection, all I could think about was the wonderful journey our whole family have had at Terrace. I am one of the lucky ones, as our journey isn’t quite over yet. We have two more years to go with Eamonn graduating in 2021 and Diarmuid in 2022.

Having a son leave school is certainly joyous, but also tinged with sadness.  Sadness, because you lose that sense of a close-knit family being there every day, sadness because you know that the safety net won’t be there anymore and sadness because their world, and our world, will now change forever.

Through the sadness though there is joy and happiness for the opportunities ahead of our sons, and the people who have helped lay the foundation for the years ahead. The people they have met along the way, the teachers who have enriched their lives. We give gratitude to those who gave up their time coaching, mentoring and lighting the flame of curiosity to where they are today.

While every family’s journey is different, but I think I talk for the majority when I say that it has been a blast. I will never forget my sister in law’s calming voice as I once asked her advice.  Finbar was doing so much, and I was having trouble keeping up. I was worried for him that he would unravel and fall in a heap. She said "Let him do it all. It is the only time in his life he will be able to take it all on and enjoy it". From that day on we did and guess what? He didn’t trip, he didn’t fall, and neither did we. He learnt a lot about himself and so did we. Standing here today I can say, hand on my heart, these last very short (I still cannot believe it) eight years have been the best.

I have made friends I will treasure forever, and I have learnt so much. I like to think we have all added to the richness of Terrace by being a part of its history. In all my school years, I never felt the same sense of belonging and love I feel as a member of the ‘Terrace Family’.

Today is a day for giving thanks. In saying that, I would like to give thanks to Terrace and all it stands for, for its traditions and I look to the future with a sense of wonder and awe at the endless possibilities for the future Terrace Gentlemen.

Thanks to Dr Carroll and the College Leadership Team for their ‘can do’ attitude that has guided us through uncertain times.

Thanks to each and every member of both the teaching and non-teaching staff at Terrace, none of this would have been the adventure it was without your enthusiasm and yearning for excellence in our gentlemen.

Thanks to our Terrace Family who, without knowing it, are the best life counsellors - where else would you be able to experience free therapy sessions while selling sour straps and pythons, cooking burgers, welcoming new parents to the College, setting up for concerts, sorting stinky lost property or chair stacking in the Campbell centre? Over the years people have commented that the way we come around each other at Terrace would never happen at any other school.  Terrace is truly unique.

Finally, but not the least, thanks for the Terrace Gentlemen who have passed through these gates in years gone by, for those who will pass through for the last time today and for those who will do the same in years to come. They have been given a unique gift – the gift of a good education and a sense of social justice.

We are truly grateful. For those whose chapter ends this year, remember you will always be part of our family, the Terrace Family.

Oh, what a week!  Congratulations to those families who have now entered a new phase as of today.  We will miss you around the halls and canteen of Terrace but hope to see you back at one of our many Terrace Family events in 2021. 

Last chance today to order a tray of fresh, juicy mangoes in the name of a wonderful cause!

Order a tray of mangoes and support Windsor House Friendship Group - Youngcare. All funds raised will go to directly to helping young Australians with high care needs.
Details: Order using the below link by midnight Thursday 19 November. 
Cost: $35 (+ booking fee) for 1 tray
Pick up: Students and parents/caregivers can collect their order at College reception Monday 23 November
For further information or enquiries, please contact
Anthony Hayward | AnthonyHayward@Terrace.qld.edu.au

The joy of Christmas is giving...

The Terrace Family is warmly invited to show their support for the 2020 St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Over the coming weeks, students are welcome to donate hamper items to their House or Waterford Place which will be used to make up hampers for families and individuals in our local community.  Let's Be The One to make someone's Christmas a little merrier this year. 

Details: Sunday 29 November | 1 - 4.30pm
Venue: Tennyson Playing Fields
RSVP: No RSVP necessary. All Old Boys and current Terracians and their families are warmly invited to attend.
For further information or enquiries, please contact
Blair Copelin | BlairCopelin@Terrace.qld.edu.au 

Want to help but poor on time?

You can now donate money directly to Terrace's Care and Concern Committee. Cash donations will be used to purchase ingredients to make meals for Terrace families and staff in need. 

All donations are appreciated greatly, and will support the important work this committee undertakes for our community.