Last week we welcomed some new teachers to the Somerville House staff:

Ms Kate Doughan, joined our Senior School Mathematics Department, following the departure of Ms Stephanie Eisenmenger.

Miss Victoria Albert, returned on Monday to teach Science classes, following the departure of Mr Ruhmann.

Ms Michelle Hession joins us on a Term 4 contract teaching the English classes of Ms Rae Kelly while Rae enjoys Long Service Leave this term.

Ms Jude Fapani will be teaching the Health and Physical Education classes for Ms Liz Edwards, during Liz’s Long Service Leave this term.

We also welcomed some new Corporate staff members:

Ms Sarah Caithness, Assistant Head Swimming Coach, will be working with Mr Tim Lane our Director of Swimming, for the Co-Curricular swimming program.

Ms Suzette Mackney and Ms Tahryn Fertelle have commenced as Administration Assistants in the Senior School.

Ms Brooke Hawthorn has been appointed  as a Library Assistant in the Seymour Library working with the Library Services team on the Circulation Desk.

Ms Emily Fox will be our new Cook in the Boarding House kitchen, working with the Corporate Enterprise team.

Already well known to the Somerville House community, previous Music Tutor and Acting Director of Bands, Mr Bob Schultz, will now take on the role of Director of Brass and Bands in Co-Curricular Music and we congratulate Mr Schultz on this appointment.

Term 4 Events

It has been wonderful to have the return to a sense of “business as usual” with a number of functions and celebrations on the School calendar. In recent months, we have celebrated the naming of the Fewings Building, the Music Dinner, Debating Dinner, Commemoration Day, Old Girls Association 123rd Birthday Lunch and of course, we look forward to Speech Night this Thursday evening, along with the Celebration of Sport next week. Such events are all significant milestones that demand the energy and commitment that the School is known for.  Thank you to all involved in the preparation for these events and making memorable occasions for the School community.

Mrs Kim Kiepe
Principal

Term 4 is a wonderful time of year when much is celebrated. This week is Speech Night, and we celebrate not only academic achievements but student contributions to our school community through co-curricular activities, leadership and service.  

Speech Night is a pivotal point in the school year, where we celebrate the year that has been and set the direction for the year ahead. It is an event that goes far beyond awards and speeches, as the culture of the School permeates through each section of the evening. We celebrate the connection outgoing students have to the School and Old Girls through the School Song, School Hymn and worship. This expression of school culture and celebration of what is important is a highlight of the school year for me, and to top it all off the music is always exquisite. 

I look forward to seeing Senior School families who are able to join us for the 123rd Speech Night, but if you are unable to be there on the night, please look out for the post with the livestream link on SomerLink. 

Mrs Jo Matherson
Deputy Principal

I don’t know how many of you watched the Queen’s funeral service early in the holidays, maybe you stayed glued to your TV or streaming device for the full journey, or maybe you had no interest at all. Whatever you think about the Royal family or whether or not Australia should still be a monarchy, Elizabeth II was an outstanding example of servant leadership, devotion to duty and many of the Christian values we respect and espouse.

One of the former monarch’s most famous quotes was following the September 11 terrorist attacks when she said: “Grief is the price we pay for love.” The Queen’s family’s grief was on public display throughout the funeral services and the processions, and as we reflect on losses in our own lives, we know how true these words are.

Grief hurts, and it hurts for a long time, especially when the loss is either untimely or unexpected. If you are human, you cannot avoid grief at different times during your life, because part of being human is to be connected to others in loving relationships. So if we love, we really will grieve. The answer isn’t to hold back from loving and caring in order to protect ourselves - that just leads to loneliness and isolation. Joy and sadness, grief and love, these things all go hand in hand.

In a possibly unexpected way this also applies to God’s relationship with his people. Whether it was the people of Israel in the Old Testament, or the people of faith in the New Testament, we read frequently of God and Jesus showing the strong emotions of anger, disappointment, sadness and even jealousy, all emotions connected to love and its flipside, grief.

God was angry with the Israelites when they started worshipping other gods, and he describes himself as a jealous God when it comes to the affection of his people. These emotions aren’t wrong, they are entirely appropriate when a relationship has been established and then someone breaks promises of faithfulness and loyalty. Towards the end of his life, we hear Jesus expressing his love for the people of Jerusalem, his desire to put his arms around them all as a hen gathers her chicks, and his grief that they resisted his love for them.

How amazing to know that Jesus loves us so much that he suffers pain and grief when we don’t see that love, or when we doubt his unconditional acceptance of us, or when we scoff as he lays down his life for us. His love is a costly love, a reckless love as the song says, and it is indeed the case that grief is the price we pay for true love. 

Ms Chris O'Gorman
Senior Chaplain

Time and Place

This week on Assembly, students were reminded about the importance of understanding the concepts of TIME & PLACE.   They were reminded that it is important to differentiate how best to present – to know how to present for an Assembly, at a job interview, a pizza party, at grandma’s birthday and on arrival to school. Each situation requires us to rethink how we present for different occasions.

Do we say, Hello – Gidday – Yo – Sup - Good Evening – Lovely to see you – Nice to meet you, Love you?’

Somerville House for over a century, 123 years to be exact, has produced women who understand time and place. These women have set a standard which allows our students privilege, as was evident at the Commemoration Ceremony on Friday.

When students present for a job interview and on their resume they indicate they have attended or do attend Somerville House, it means something. It means that they understand time and place. It means they know how to present themselves to suit the circumstance - to be more formal or to be relaxed in the language used, the clothes worn, the body language adopted, the traits to privilege. It means they know how to show respect, understand the work ethic required and the integrity and kindness to be displayed. When our students attend a job interview, they are privileged because of the reputation established in the community by those who have gone before them.

Somerville House produces honourable women, with courage to act for right, to speak with respect and lead with a strong voice.

Our current students are collectively responsible for our current reputation in the community. For each student now and in the future, we need them to uphold that reputation. The Old Girls need them to be responsible to uphold the reputation that they built.  They need to wear their hat to and from school and allowable jewellery, to stand for others on public transport and to show kindness to assist others when they can.

To understand TIME & PLACE means they know how to wear their uniform with pride, to show respect for themselves, the school and the legacy created for them. It means they know not to wear the sparkly hoop earrings that they love, the necklace their best friend has given them, the eyelash extensions they want, the acrylic nails, the blue nail polish, the messy hair, the jumpers to and from school, the uniform above the knee.

To understand time and place means our students understand that at a job interview they show respect and aim to impress. They go to the pizza party to have fun.  They go to grandmas’ birthday to show love and respect. At Somerville House, they come to learn, to connect and to show respect for the School and the legacy they enjoy.

They know TIME & PLACE. Please help us to help them to practise this each day. 

Mrs Julie Brunckhorst
Dean of Student Wellbeing

There’s a change in the air and the parents and teachers of Year 12 students are best placed to note it. 

It began in earnest towards the end of last term, when post mock-Exams our Year 12s shifted their focus to External Exams, the end of school, and counting off the markers that seem to now be hurtling them towards the end of their schooling. What had seemed a tomorrow concept back in the balmy days of February and formals, now seems an imminent, in your face kind of reality: External Exams are really here, our teachers have not been joking with us – that 50% exam for Biology is a THING!

You can sense the change, with its unapologetic narrowing of perspective and priority, in the number of Year 12s in the library each morning, the impromptu Mall study sessions, and the insistence of Year 12 boarders that dinner is really best kept to 30 minutes.

My calendar is also testament to the change; it is full of Year 12 students who want discuss their final English preparations. In class we are preparing to ‘peak’, we have written practise thesis statements and interrogated textual evidence until, like Hamlet, we are also beginning to feel a little ‘mad’!

All of this concentrated focus is, of course, repeated across each subject and must somehow be balanced with commitments to family, part-time jobs, co-curricular, life and sleep. It’s a lot to manage and, as parents, we can sometimes feel uncertain as to how best to help our Year 12 person through this very unique moment in their schooling.

Which is why this article, written by Clinical Psychologist Eimear Quigley, popped into my news feed at just the right time. You can access the article here. Her strategies for helping parents to manage their Year 12’s emotions at this time are outlined below.

Helping Teens to Name Their Feelings

Name it to Tame it!
Instead of dismissing your child’s study stress with an automatic comment like ‘You’re smart, you will be fine,’ (gosh, we have all said that), consider responding with ‘Studying can be really frustrating. I bet you wish exams were over.’ This gives your Year 12 permission to feel their distress and to see that you ‘get it’.

Offer Helpful Choices
Sometimes offering some choices to help your Year 12 feels less worry can look as simple as asking them what you can do to help them now. Would they like you to make them something to eat or grab them some water? Do they feel like a study break and having a cup of tea on the deck?  This can be a good circuit breaker and a chance for your Year 12 to feel they do have some agency and control over things.

Self-Compassion
It’s no walk in the park to be the parent of a Year 12 student. You have navigated the year with them and understand that this is a year of BIG feelings, with inevitable highs and lows. By accepting that parenting is hard (just like studying for External Exams is hard) we can practise some self- compassion and be kind to ourselves. Reminding yourself that you are doing the best you can and that this too shall pass, is a way of responding to any feelings of stress you might also be experiencing.

Mrs Kathryn Emtage
Associate Dean of Student Wellbeing

Acknowledgment: The Conversation

Monday 10 October is recognized as World Mental Health day. This year’s theme is ‘Make Mental Health and Well-Being for All a Global Priority’.

I encourage all of the Somerville House Community to check in on ourselves this week and consider: How can I make mental health and wellbeing a priority in my life?

This could mean seeking some extra support, creating opportunities for connection with others, or investing more time in self-care. I share the below image as a reminder that there is only so much in life that we can control, and by focusing on these areas we can create space for our mental health to flourish and bloom.

If you or a loved one need some extra support, please speak with your GP or visit Head to Health for a range of free online resources. 

Ms Sarah Winkleman
School Psychologist

• Jumpers to be worn on campus only - not to and from school.
• Earrings - only one per ear - only small gold, silver or pearl studs or sleepers.

From Anxiety to Resilience

I recently read some work of Dr Jodi Richardson, who shares practical, evidence-based insights, strategies and skills to help parents, educators and other professionals, and the children in their lives, manage anxiety and move it to its rightful place.

We want all our children to be robust learners who are quick to engage and connect, and ultimately thrive. Yet there is much in our young child’s world that can be troubling and trigger anxious feelings. These feelings can be exacerbated during especially busy times of the school year such as when students are undergoing assessment and engaging in many co-curricular activities/competitions. Additionally, while impending school camps may generate feelings of great excitement for some, the thought of such events can be overwhelming for others.

Let’s be realistic – it is important to recognise that to be anxious is to be human. Everyone experiences it. For some, however, the anxious feelings can be overwhelming and debilitating. When this becomes the reality, we need to build coping strategies to dial down the anxiety and learn to live life with more calm, connection, meaning and purpose.

Some of the ways this can be achieved are detailed below.

• Modelling as adults and teaching regulation strategies, including breathing, with more time given to breathing out as this reduces heart rate and has a calming effect. Exercise is a great means of diffusing anxious thoughts and behaviours. So too are sensory toys, such as playing with squishy and fidget toys. Mindfulness activities are also recommended.  
• The more our children can learn to tolerate discomfort, the less their anxiety will stand in the way of doing all the wonderful things that life has in store for them. It is helpful to consider discomfort as a ‘muscle’ that gets stronger with training. Each time children successfully tolerate discomfort, they reinforce their ability to do so and cement the knowledge that they always come out the other side intact. Naming a feeling, and accepting the uneasiness or distress of that feeling, will help them move through it sooner than they would have had they pushed it aside.
• Overcoming avoidance is essential if anxiety is to be tamed and minimised. Whenever we allow avoidance, when there is no real risk, we reinforce anxious behaviours. By taking a step ladder or gradual exposure approach, fears are progressively able to be overcome, and limiting behaviours diminished. 
• As caring adults, both as parents and teachers, there is a great temptation to swoop in and rescue or fix any problems that our children face. Yet this very act demonstrates our insecurity and failure to believe that the child is capable, competent, and with time, guidance and empathy, able to come to solutions that are enabling and empowering.

I commend to parents wishing to explore this topic further to access the following well-researched texts and podcasts generated by Dr Jodi Richardson:

• Anxious Kids: How children can turn their anxiety into resilience
• Anxious Mums: How mums can turn their anxiety into strength 
• Podcast: Well, hello anxiety

Reminder - Speech Night on Thursday 13 October

On Thursday, the Senior School will close at 12.40pm due to Speech Night but the Junior School will have a full day as per normal. Junior School students with older siblings may be collected at 12.40pm if preferred. Please inform class teachers if this is the case.

Chess Congratulations

Congratulations to Stephanie Y (3B), Chloe W (3A), Sophia X (4C), Isabella X (5C) and Olivia C (3A), Somerville House’s top Junior School chess team, who finished second in the Queensland Girls State Interschool Chess Finals on Friday 7 October, playing against competitors who came from as far as Cairns.

Chloe, Sophia and Isabella all won merit awards for their strong individual performances. Stephanie was undefeated throughout the day and achieved the top scoring board one prize. This team also competed in the Open State Finals on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October, placing equal ninth.

Additional Somerville teams also placed second and third in the B Division of the Queensland Girls State Interschool Chess Finals.

Congratulations to all participants.

Lifeline Donation Collection - Save the Date - Friday 28 October (Week 4)

We are delighted to announce that the annual Somerville “Fill a Truck” event, in support of the Lifeline Crisis Support Service, will take place during morning drop-off at the turning circle on Friday 28 October (Week 4).

This year more than ever, Lifeline needs our help to maintain the vital work of their emergency call centre.

On the morning of Friday 28 October, please drop off any pre-loved children or adult clothes and pre-loved toys at the turning circle so we can literally fill a truck with our donations.

This is the perfect opportunity to have a wardrobe clear-out and help others in need.

Mrs Louise McGuire
Head of Junior School

In Term 4, Year 1 teachers will use the Phonics Check to ascertain if your Year 1 daughter needs more help with phonics, which helps them plan for her needs as she continues to learn to read. Read on to find out how the Phonics Check works and where you can find more information on how families and teachers can work together to support your daughter’s reading development and literacy skills.

What is ‘Phonics’?

Phonics is a way to teach children in early primary school to read by 'decoding' words. It involves teaching them to:

• recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes
• identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make, such as sh or oo
• blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.
• Children can then use this knowledge to decode new words they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read.

Why Phonics?

Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way – starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is one of the most effective ways of teaching young children to read. It is particularly helpful for children aged 5 to 7. When your daughter learns the skills to approach new words, she can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently – and to read for enjoyment.

What is the Phonics Check?

In Year 1, your daughter’s teacher can use the quick and easy Phonics Check to better understand the phonics knowledge of their students. The Check looks at how well your daughter can 'decode' written words and helps her teacher and the school to confirm whether she is making the expected progress in reading. Teachers and schools can then use this information to inform their teaching program. The Phonics Check is voluntary for Year 1 students and administered by teachers.

How Does the Phonics Check Work?

The Phonics Check takes just a few minutes to complete and is carefully designed not to be stressful. All your daughter needs to do is sit with a teacher they know and read some words aloud while the teacher listens.

Your daughter may have seen some of the words before. Other words are made-up, so they will be entirely new for her. Made-up words help to show your daughter’s use of decoding skills, such as sounding out the letters and letter groups and blending sounds from left to right to make words. The Phonics Check has up to 40 words, but there is no time limit to complete it.

What Can I do?

The Phonics Check is not a ‘test,’ and you do not need to prepare your daughter. The Literacy Hub has a phonics check for families with a sample of 20 real and made-up words. It includes tips on how to use the phonics check for families and a pronunciation guide.

The Literacy Hub also has a reading awareness check for families that lists some of the skills you might see your Year 1 child doing at home. This will give you a sense of how your daughter is developing in learning to read in English. If you are concerned about your daughter’s progress in reading, you might like to discuss the check with your child’s classroom teacher.

The voluntary online Phonics Check for Year 1 students is supported by the Australian Government to enhance the teaching and learning of literacy. You can find more information on the Literacy Hub, including free online teaching and learning resources to help families and teachers work together to support children’s reading development and literacy skills at home.

Mrs Gaye Ryan
Assistant Head of Junior School- Teaching and Learning

Please click here to view a list of upcoming Junior School events and activities.

Equestrian 

Equestrian Captain, Phoebe M (11D) came fourth in the EVA 80cm Young Rider at the Toowoomba CCI and CCN One Day Event

Tennis News

The Knowles Cup season got underway Saturday with Somerville House travelling to Toowoomba to take on The Glennie School and Fairholme College. Somerville House put on a dominant display winning seven ties to one.

The Open A team were on fire only dropping eight games in sixteen sets of tennis, unbelievable tennis. Open B were in form, winning ten out of twelve sets. Intermediate had a thrilling win against Glennie on a games count back before dismantling Fairholme comfortably. The Juniors had a great win out of the sheds against Glennie, then went down to Fairholme who were too strong on the day.

Congratulations to all the girls on their performances.

Tonight we look to build on our results when we head to UQ to take on Stuartholme. 

All Schools Touch 

Last week, Somerville sent three teams to compete in the Queensland All Schools Touch Tournament on the Gold Coast. The girls did exceptionally well, improving on last year's results. Congratulations to all the girls in attendance.

13 Years – Fifth in Pool

15 Years – Third in Pool

18 Years – Fifth in Pool 

Athletics

While most students were enjoying their well-deserved break, other were training hard for the upcoming Queensland School Sport State Athletics Championships. These Championships will be held Tuesday 11 October to Sunday 16 October at The Queensland State Athletics Facility, Nathan.

Congratulations to the following students for qualifying for these Championships. We wish them all of the very best as they compete against the best Queensland has to offer.

Students Qualifying for QLD School Sport State Athletics Championships 2022:

Florence G - 11 Years - 100m, 200m

Emma F - 13 Years - 800m, 1500m

Emma W - 13 Years - Javelin

Elizabeth H - 14 Years - 800m

Jessica W - 13 Years - Javelin

Jessica D - 15 Years - 800m, 1500m

Annika J - 15 Years - 200m Hurdles, 90m Hurdles

Charlotte J - 15 Years - 90m Hurdles

Jemma W - 15 Years - 3000m, 2000m Steeple

Brianna L - 17 Years - Long Jump, High Jump, Triple Jump, 100m, 200m

Ella R - 17 Years - 3000m, 1500m, 2000m Steeple

Badminton

This past weekend our Years 10 to 12 students competed at the annual QGSSSA Badminton Championships. We are incredibly proud of the girls and the effort they have put in not only this past weekend, but the entire Term 3 as a whole. We would like to share our exciting results with you all below.

Opens (Enya C, Alice T, Leonie K, Claire D, Ashley L) - Second Place – Equal Second in 2021

Senior A (Andrea C, Mary-Elise H, Sumi P, Dhriti P, Yeana L) - First Place – Third in 2021

Senior B (Avanthika S, Christine Z, Mingyang C, Odevnie P, Aaliyah Z) - Second Place – Equal First in 2021

Senior C (Wendi D, Josephine D, Ashleigh T, Jemima T) - Second Place – Fourth in 2021

Senior D (Teegan S, Cheron Y, Marissa C, Caitlin F) - First Place – Seventh in 2021

Senior E (Xiang Lin S, Emma L, Caitlyn H, Sophia P, Tricia W) - Second Place – Tenth in 2021

Senior F (Monique S, Kha Han L, Mina F, Mia M, Charlotte S, Adwoa A) - Fifth Place

10A (Kirby A, Lauren B, Samratha D, Grace Z, Alisha N) - Sixth Place

10B (Isabel A, Matea Z, Harper B, Diya Z, Zoe L, Erin R) - Fifth Place

Strength and Conditioning

SomerStrong Junior Squad 2022

Strength and Conditioning complements girls' training schedules by offering external sessions that target aspects such as; strength, power, speed and agility. The Strength and Conditioning program offers best practice coaching that aims to enhance the athletic development of all the girls participating in the Somerville House Sporting program.

The Junior Squads are a fun based training group that works on all things strength and conditioning to help develop well rounded junior athletes.

Who: Years 3 to 6

When: Wednesday afternoons (3.15 - 4.15pm) and Tuesday and Thursday mornings (7.00 - 8.00am) term time, all year.

Venue: The upstairs gym located at the Murray Evans Sports and Aquatics Centre

Uniform: Sports Uniform

Fees: Junior Squads - $285 per term for one session per week or $400 per term for twice per week

Please register by filling out the form below or contact [email protected] for any questions.

Register: SomerStrong Junior

SomerStrong Squad 2022

Strength and Conditioning complements girls' training schedules by offering external sessions that target aspects such as; strength, power, speed and agility. The Strength and Conditioning program offers best practice coaching that aims to enhance the athletic development of all the girls participating in the Somerville House Sporting program.

Who: Years 7 to 12 (Any student not participating in a S&C sports program)

When: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - 6.30 - 7.45am Monday 3.15 - 4.30pm (sessions depend on numbers)

Venue: The upstairs gym located at the Murray Evans Sports and Aquatics Centre

Uniform: Sports Uniform

Fees: Squads - $365 for one session per week or $500 for twice per week (billed at end of term school fees)

Please register by filling out the form below or contact [email protected] for any questions.

Register at: SomerStrong

Student Achievements

A huge congratulations to Ein N (8B) who won the 47th John Curro National Youth Concerto Competition on Sunday, the most prestigious competition for school-aged string musicians. Ein competed with two other violinists from NSW and took the first prize with a powerful and very mature performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, one of the most virtuosic pieces in the violin repertoire. The fabulous Qld Youth Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Maestro Paul Dean. 

Congratulations to Ein for this incredible achievement. She played with such maturity and flawless musicianship. Somerville Music was well represented at this concert, in addition to Ein, the fantastic Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra featured past students In Yi Chae (2019) as concertmaster, co-principal second violin Isabelle Watson (2018), and co-principal cello Grace C (10O).

We congratulate Ivy H (10D) for her stunning performance as a soloist with the Redland Sinfonia on Saturday 10 September. Ivy was the Redland Sinfonia prize-winner and performed the Popper Cello Concerto No. 2. Well done Ivy! (Ivy with Redland Sinfonia)

Mr Will Eager
Director of Co-Curricular Music

Strings News

On Sunday 11 September, Somerville Strings performed their yearly Recital & Recording at St Luke’s Green. The beautiful Spanish style church was filled by virtuosic musicianship and the audience reacted with great acclaim. Musical excellence abounded throughout the entire performance. Highlights include Emily M’s (9C) sensitive performance of Vivaldi’s Summer concerto and the astonishing duo performance of the Handel-Halvorsen duo by Ein N (8B) and Ivy H (10D), and the energetic performance of Vivaldi's concerto for two trumpets and strings by Mr Schultz and Lauren H (12G - Music Captain). 

Auditions for 2023 will be released this week and will be held in Week 5.

If you want to move to a new group, be considered as a section leader, or move to another section in your group you need to audition.

Please sign your name on the sign-on sheets outside the String Room (E403).

Requirements:

• 1 scale of your level
• 1 piece (your choice)
• 1 excerpt (released Week 2)

Ensembles:

• Somerville Strings (minimum AMEB 8) – Years 6 to 12 only
• Amadeus Strings (minimum AMEB 5) – Years 5 to 12 only
• Stradivari Strings (minimum AMEB 1) – all years
• Junior Strings (minimum AMEB 2)

Ms Raquel Bastos
Director of Strings

A new waterproof poncho is now available in the Uniform Shop. The cost of the poncho is $75 and will easily fit over your child's backpack as well. Sizes are limited so don't miss out on this great item as they are selling fast.

As the final visual response for Year 11, Kate has resolved an assemblage which skilfully uses visual language as code and explores how materials may help to communicate ideas. A willingness to arrange, reflect, evaluate and re-arrange has resulted in a visually dynamic composition utilising materials sourced from her home.