What an amazing term! It has certainly passed by very quickly and I congratulate all the boys who have remained engaged, positive and focussed throughout another busy term. As we approach the Easter holidays and a well-deserved break, it is important to reflect on a richly rewarding term.

Recently, I have had the opportunity to attend a variety of events and committees that provide an opportunity for the community to come together and create a sense of belonging. I was reminded that that we are blessed with a vibrant, positive and caring community who continue to support and connect with the College.

May I extend my thanks to Mrs Victoria (Tori) Matthews, Mrs Alex Givney and the Parents and Friends Association, in particular Mrs Stacey Mears for organising the recent Trivia Night. As I proudly wore my Liverpool Football Club jersey to compliment the theme of Sport, it was wonderful to witness so many parents dressed in different sporting attire, having fun and engaged in trivia to raise funds for the P&F.

I was also proud to welcome our Old Boys who continue to remain connected to the College. Various events organised throughout the year by our Foundation Manager, Mrs Alex Givney and Community Officer Mrs Tori Matthews, are well attended by the Old Boys and highlight that they wish to remain part of our young, vibrant and dynamic community. Chatting to Daniel Kyranis, an Old Boy who graduated in 2010, reminded me that the strength of the connection to MBBC and the friendships formed while attending the College, last a lifetime.

An important part of being in a school community is the work of support groups such as the Parent and Friends Association. It is an honour to be a member of the MBBC P&F who continue to support the College and organise various fundraising events throughout the year. I am humbled by their generosity of time, expertise and the support they provide the College.

The recent Stakeholders Engagement Session held at the Royal Yacht Club, was a wonderful opportunity for the Foundation Board members, P&F members from both Colleges, Old Girls, Old Boys and the Executive Leadership team to come together, enhance connections and show case the strength of our community.

The College is fortunate to have a Foundation Board, chaired by Mr Jason Titman, who make significant contributions to deliver exceptional educational experiences, support student bursaries and provide new buildings and facilities. More importantly, it brings together a College community, including past students and parents.

As part of our recent National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, I was delighted to welcome Mrs Mary Williams, CEO & Director of Clinical Services of Belmont Private Hospital who kindly donated the Buddy Bench for our boys. The Buddy Bench will provide a quiet place where boys can take time to enjoy a chat with friends or get to know other students. The power of taking time out to talk cannot be underestimated in building friendships and providing support for those in need.

I wish to offer my congratulations to the U8, U10 and U12 Touch Football teams who were crowned champions at last week’s Britton Shield Touch Football Carnival. Congratulations also to the MBBC Primary Swimming team who won the Britton Shield Swimming trophy. The swimming season culminated with the MBBC Swimming team competing at the CSSAQ Swimming Championships (Years 4-12) on Monday, 15 March at the Chandler Aquatic Centre. MBBC swimmers participated in sprint events producing some outstanding results and age division podiums. Records fell, with multiple season and personal best swims recorded.  

CSSAQ Results

Aggregate Results

9-12 Years                    7^th place

13-19 Years                  6^th place

Percentage Cup Results 

Primary                         1^st place

Secondary                     3^rd place

Team Scores

15 Years                       Age Champions

Individual Rankings 

11 Years                       Zane Keily                             2^nd place

12 Years                       Nash Boal                             3^rd place

13 Years                       Ioan Griffiths                        1^st place

14 Years                       Liam Sorenson                     2^nd place

15 Years                       Francis Chitukudza              2^nd place

16 Years                       Lachlan Sorenson                4^th place

While the Interhouse Cross Country Championships  have been postponed until early next term, may I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Ms Cerene Hughes and Ms Amy Morland for organising this event and for their dedication and commitment to engage our boys in various sporting opportunities at MBBC.

As we prepare to take a well-earned rest, I would like to acknowledge the commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of our hardworking staff at MBBC, who are an integral part of this amazing community. I am privileged to work alongside such exceptional practitioners who are committed to providing an outstanding educational experience for your son.

As we continue to face the challenges of COVID-19, I have every confidence that as a community we will successfully navigate those challenges together, while remaining supportive, positive and strong.

As the lockdown period leads us into the Easter holidays, may I take this opportunity to wish our College community a safe and holy Easter.

Best wishes,

Faith and Integrity

Please refer to the TASS Calendar for up to date information regarding school activities.

Some of you may have seen the infographic that challenges how we measure success that has done the rounds on social media. For those who are not familiar, it shows two pie charts.

One, titled, “How We’re Taught to Measure Success”, is split in half with equal weight given to Salary and Job Title. There is no denying we can tend to judge ourselves and others based on what they do and how much they get paid to do it. We attach status to certain professions, particularly those that come with high financial rewards, but this is a narrow view of success because it ignores the fact that people may be unhappy or unfulfilled in those jobs and the financial rewards may come at a cost in another area such as wellbeing. This is not to say that you can’t find fulfilment in a high-paying or ‘prestigious’ job because many people do.

The second circle, titled “A Better Measure”, is split between Free Time, Liking What You Do, Physical Health, Mental Health, Job Title and Salary. It is worth noting the latter two are not given the same weighting as the preceding four. I like this graphic because I think it explains why there are people in all fields of work, in all types of roles, with a diverse range of salaries, who would consider themselves successful and, by extension, happy or fulfilled. The key is that they have a broader understanding of where success can come from.

This is my hope for our boys. I want them to recognise there are so many ways they can measure their own success, which is so crucial to their sense of self-worth and happiness. We can sometimes take it to heart when we feel like we do not measure up in a certain area and, focusing on that, we can lose sight of the many areas that we are successful. This can adversely affect our levels of engagement and motivation. Therefore, at MBBC, we offer a broad curriculum and a variety of co-curricular opportunities for students to achieve success. We want our young men to achieve success in as many areas as possible within the classroom, on the sporting field, socially, and any other way imaginable. If you imagine the pie chart is a wheel, it will stand to reason the integrity of the wheel is stronger if there are more spokes, more areas of success we can divide the wheel into.

I have seen an addendum to the infographic that adds another circle. This one is empty, and the accompanying text suggests an even better measure of success is “finding your own metrics for success and doing your best under your current circumstances”. This resonates with me because of the element of self-determination. It invites us, with help and guidance if necessary, to build our own wheel with as many spokes as we like. The good news for our young men is we have designed a school experience that provides, by way of opportunities, those spokes they need to build a sturdy wheel that will endure.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have written about the importance of ‘trying’ in music – of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and focussing on learning from the experience rather than worrying too much about the end product. I asked you to consider the idea that musicians need to be “satisfied to be unsatisfied”, by which I meant you should push yourself to the edge of your current capabilities, knowing that you might muck things up in the process, but that this is ok as it’s leading to expanding your experience. It’s also about not being too discouraged when you don’t get everything exactly right and still trying again. 

In this context, making mistakes is not just ok – it’s expected. This is why the great jazz saxophonist, Coleman Hawkins, said “If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying”. Let me put this into the context of sport – LeBron James’ free throw accuracy is 73.4%. In other words, one of the most successful and famous sports people in the world today, when faced with performing a skill that he has practiced hundreds of thousands of times and with no opposition to try and stop him, still misses more than a quarter of his attempts! However, LeBron has been willing to have a go over 10,000 times and now there only four players in history who have scored more free throws than him. Would we even have heard of Lebron if he’d been discouraged the first few times he missed and gave up basketball? 

So, what can you do to push yourself a little? Could you accept the position you have been nominated for in the State Honours Ensemble Program and give up a few days in your holidays or a weekend to challenge yourself there? Maybe you could volunteer to perform at a lunchtime Captain’s Concert or be the Musician of the Week on assembly next term? Or maybe you could have a more honest go at the technical exercises your teacher gave you, but you always avoid.  

There’s always the potential that you might not play or sing perfectly, but too often as musicians, we are our own harshest critic, and the audience doesn’t even notice the mistakes that we obsess over. If you can play 75% of the notes right, you are already doing better than LeBron James!

I had the pleasure last week of attending a wonderful lunchtime Captain’s Concert where we were treated to a great variety of performances. We started with primary students Finn Atfield and Duncan Zhang playing pieces from their recent Rock School exams. It can be pretty intimidating for younger students to play in front of an audience of mainly secondary boys and teachers, but both Finn and Duncan played with great confidence and did a fine job on their drumkit and guitar pieces. We finished the concert with Max Chang playing the Andante from Concerto for Trombone by Rimsky Korsakov – some pretty advanced repertoire for any school aged player and again, Max performed musically and securely. It was great to have a large and supportive audience come to watch – thank you to all the students who attended. Thanks also to our Music Captain, Jared West, for hosting the event.

The State Honours Ensemble Program is a prestigious annual music camp run by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. This year schools in south east Queensland nominated almost 3000 advanced musicians from Years 6 to 9 to fill the limited number of places available in the Middle School Program, and it is very encouraging to see students from The Moreton Bay Colleges’ accepted into the program. 

Congratulations to the following boys who have been offered positions: Beau Beard (French Horn), Ceejay McMillan (Flute), Bryan Ng (Percussion), Jayden Radattz (Flute). In addition to this list, there are a number of further boys who have currently been placed on the reserve list and may well also attend.

The last nine weeks have included many highlights, some learning opportunities, and some incredible achievements by MBBC students participating and performing in a wide range of co-curricular sporting activities.

Over the last three weeks, there have been no fewer than three Swimming Championship events, Britton Shield, Wondall Road and CSSAQ, coupled with the Fleet Racing and Teams Racing Sailing Championships. These have all taken place while our Summer Basketball and Volleyball programmes continued their fixtures respectively, and the Cross Country, Football, Mountain Biking and Tennis programmes maintained their preparation for Term 2 events. The most important people at the centre of all these endeavours are our students. While they have been doing all of this in their co-curricular lives, they have also excelled in their day-to-day lives as students at Moreton Bay Boys’ College.

Why take the time to explain all this? Our sporting programmes exist within an educational setting, and an extraordinary one at that. Every one of our sporting programmes is targeting success in the only way we know how: by setting the bar high, understanding our students, having an exceptional knowledge of the competitive and performance context, and demanding only the highest standards of ourselves and our boys – and always within an educational context. At the same time, we must remember that we are working with young men who make mistakes, get tired, have limited time, and are living with both their own expectations and those of others.  

Our culture is as much about supporting participation as it is about optimising performance. Do we win all the time? Of course, not – no one does. When we don’t, we challenge the boys to reflect on their preparation and performance; to look for the positives and what they might learn from the experience to take into the next experience. We do not play the blame game, as it is, ultimately, self-defeating.

Throughout Term 1, I have watched MBBC teams win. I have seen them challenged by a loss. I have watched some teams and students collectively who were just happy for the opportunity to participate, and individuals who had their best race of the season only to finish mid-field. I have also observed teams fight their way back into a game, which they ultimately lost to a better team on the day.

At the end of every instance, regardless of the result:

• the boys gathered;
• they spoke to each other and celebrated or commiserated together;
• their coach asked them for feedback on what they thought about their performance together; and
• the coach listened, prompted further reflection, and set the tone for the next challenge.

In each case, I was a fly on the wall and there was no script followed; this process happened naturally. The insight of the boys into their own performance was exceptional.  

Those who know me, know that I am steering opportunity and wanting to provide a competitive platform. There is no doubt that I want our students to be adequately prepared for their respective competitions. I also want to provide an exercise/training prescription which enables students to perform to the best of their ability. Sometimes they will do this and still not win. Should they face defeat, disappointment, misfortune, or failure, I want them to know how to deal with it, learn from it, and carry those lessons and reflections forward and guide their future success.

We often hear that winning is a habit. It is a good habit, but a better one is the pursuit of a personal best. We all want good habits for our children and if they are focused on achieving their personal best this maximises their chances of winning. In some sports and divisions, we have teams who have not won a game in seasons. We know which teams these are, and we are now allocating our best coaches to those teams. They may not have had their breakthrough yet, but they will. Along with the good habit of winning, there are a lot of other good habits and life lessons to pick up in well-structured school-based co-curricular programmes, which complement outstanding Teaching and Learning and best-in-class Student Wellbeing practices; all of which embed our school-wide culture.

Optimising the quality of our co-curricular and educational offerings for our students, enhancing culture, and consistently reflecting and improving what we do is what drives and motivates me each day.

To this end, I thank students, parents, coaches, and staff for their continued commitment and support of MBBC Sport. Additionally, I am offering the opportunity to provide feedback (via email) on your co-curricular experiences this term. I will create a summary of the feedback received and publish during Term 2.

The feedback you provide will also be used in the formal Term 1 and Season Review process which I conduct with programme leaders and head coaches at the start of next term.

My request is that you take the opportunity to participate in this feedback process and that you provide us with feedback that will help us celebrate successes, reflect on challenges, and propose solutions so that we may constantly evolve and improve within our educational context. 

Have a great holiday.

The 2021 Britton Shield and CSSAQ Swimming season concluded with many excellent performances from both our junior and senior swimmers. Our Britton Shield swimmers recorded a win in some tightly fought events. Our Senior team recorded a commendable seventh place at the CSSAQ Swimming Championships against fifteen co-educational associated colleges.

Britton Shield Results

1.     Moreton Bay Boys’ College                1233

2.     Ipswich Junior Grammar School        919 

Individual Age-Group Results

8 Years 

Joshua Gryl                            33 points          2^nd place

Sam White                              27 points         3^rd place 

9 Years 

Hugo Wheeler                         40 points         1^st place

Angus Athanasiov                    36 points         2^nd place

Mitchell Collins                       34 points         3^rd place

10 Years 

Daniel Glaspar                       38 points         1^st place

Hamish Kane                          33 points         3^rd place

11 Years 

Zane Keily                              40 points         1^st place

Riley Scott                              33 points         3^rd place

12 Years 

Nash Boal                              46 points      1^st place

Samson Morrow-Woods           40 points      2^nd place

Cody Doo                               30 points      3^rd place

CSSAQ Results

Aggregate Results  

9-12 Years                  7^th place

13-19 Years                6^th place

Percentage Cup Results 

Primary                      1^st place

Secondary                  3^rd place

Team Scores 

15 Years                      Age Champions

Individual Rankings

11 Years                      Zane Keily                             2^nd place

12 Years                      Nash Boal                              3^rd place

13 Years                      Ioan Griffiths                         1^st place

14 Years                      Liam Sorenson                       2^nd place

15 Years                      Francis Chitukudza                2^nd place

16 Years                      Lachlan Sorenson                  4^th place

The Moreton Bay Colleges’ Sailing Teams are nearing the end of another successful sailing season. 

The Moreton Bay Colleges had twelve teams competing in the Royal Queensland Yacht Club School Fleet Racing series which took place during February, with 65 school teams competing.

On the 28 February 2021, the teams then competed in the Queensland School Fleet Championships, five of our twelve teams were placed in the top twenty. 

School teams racing commenced in the first week of March. The Moreton Bay Colleges have four teams racing. In teams racing, a team comprises of three boats from each school and the teams compete against other schools in a round robin series with the fleet divided into a silver and gold fleet. 

Our teams have had great results over the past three rounds with MBC 1 been undefeated in round 3 and MBC 2 undefeated in Round 1. 

The teams are competing to be eligible for a place in the State Championships which will be hosted at RQYS 15 and 16 of April. The top ranked teams from the State Championships will be invited to participate in the Australian Secondary Schools Team Racing Championships which will be held the first week of July in NSW. 

As the season draws to a close, The Moreton Bay Colleges’ Sailing Programme will be looking towards next season and a new cohort of sailors. To participate in the Colleges sailing programme, students should have past sailing experience and have completed at least two or more accredited sail training programmes. 

RQYS and Darling Point Sailing Club run regular introduction and skills development courses for students wishing to participate in sailing.  

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron

https://www.rqys.com.au/sailing-academy/kids-courses/ 

Darling Point Sailing Club

https://www.dpss.org.au/sailing-courses/

MBBC hosted the 2021 Britton Shield Touch Football Carnival with associated schools Ipswich Junior Grammar School and Clayfield College. 

The U8 teams started the day with a skills session, followed by games, which saw the MBBC Seagulls defeat the Junior Grammar Dolphins in a great game of executing new skills. 

The U10 division was strongly represented with 6 teams competing for the cup 

The finals round saw the MBBC Crows take the field against the IJGS Cowboys, which went to extra time and a drop-off after recording a draw at the sounding hooter. The game was fiercely contested with MBBC scoring in the final minute to take the win. 

There were some very close games in the U12 division, leaving the MBBC Eagles going head to head against the MBBC Hawks in the finals. 

The Hawks tried to switch play, but the Eagles were too good on the day, finishing with a 4-1 win. 

🏆 🏆 🏆 

Thank you to the traveling schools, staff, coaches, referees and players for a great day of competition.  

Special thanks to Ioan G and Ollie S who were the unsung legends of the day. MBBC Sport expresses gratitude for giving up your time so willingly when called upon to referee and coach on the day 👏🏼

To all families, new and returning, welcome to the Term 2 Winter Basketball Programme. The programme is open to students in Years 3-12 and runs in Terms 2 and 3.

Sign-On for the ‘Winter’ season is now open via Parent Lounge under Tours and Excursions.

Thank to all students who attended the Week 9 trials for U17, U15 and U13 teams. The ‘draft’ team lists will be communicated once finalised. Please note, there is room for player movement throughout the scheduled grading games at the commencement of Term 2. Registration will remain open to any student interested until the end of Week 2, Term 2. Please refer to the College App for all additional information.

The Term 2 Training Schedule will be posted to the College App once finalised, along with important information regarding the season. Note that, due to the frequency of public holidays early in Term 2, and the fluctuating availability of the Sports Hall, the training schedule will be subject to some changes throughout the term. All changes will be communicated via the College App with adequate notice.

Please follow MBBC Sport on Instagram for weekly snapshots, news items, live updates and information relating to all sport programmes.

https://www.instagram.com/mbbcsport/?hl=en

Please ensure you are subscribed to your sons respective co-curricular activities on the College App.

Throughout the year, students can participate in many pathways for representative sports. District, regional and state competitions are all opportunities for boys to compete representatively.

If you are interested in representative sport, please review the nomination procedures for Lytton District, Composite District and Met East below.

• Trial notices will be published via the College App when they become available. Students will then nominate for selection.
• Selection may involve discussion with the Head of Primary, Head of Secondary and Head of Sport.
• All students who nominate for selection will be advised of their selection to attend trials, or omission, by the Head of Sport. 

The trial calendar is heavily populated. Parents and Caregivers are encouraged to pay careful attention to the College App – ‘Representative Sport’ for the trial notices.

The 2021 Interhouse Cross Country Championships date has been revised as per below:

Date: Thursday 22 April 2021 

Please see the revised 'Save the Date' Flyer.

As you may be aware NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and  Numeracy) will be conducted at all schools across Australia in May 2021 during the window of 11 – 21 May for students in Years 3,5 7 and 9. 

The College encourages and fully supports the participation of all students in the NAPLAN assessments, however, we are aware that there may be exceptional circumstances around individual student participation. 

If you have any concerns around the participation of your son in the upcoming NAPLAN assessments please feel free to contact me to discuss alternative arrangements. 

If your son is supported through the Learning Enhancement Centre, Adjustment forms with the relevant information for testing days will be sent home at the beginning of Term 2 for your consideration and signing. 

Kind Regards,

G.A.T.E.ways online: holiday encore programmes

G.A.T.E.ways online Holiday Encore programmes are held online and run for 2-hours, with a 30-minute break between each hour.

These fast-paced, interactive and fun programmes allow a small group of participants to engage with an expert presenter.

Topics include Mathematics, Language, Science, Technology, Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Thinking Skills and Leadership. 

Holiday Encore Programs - Two Days Only!

• Monday, April 12
• Tuesday, April 13

Your child can Zoom in from their holiday destination with WIFI, a device and headphones!

AM and PM timeslots available

Enrol soon as places can fill quickly!

Fee: $60 per programme

Full details here - https://mailchi.mp/gateways/school-holiday-encore-programs-online?e=f31a3f8aed

Recently, The Moreton Bay Colleges’ Foundation held our annual planning session. We are thankful that our whole board (who are volunteers) were able to attend, including our newest members, Mr Anthony Lee and Mrs Janelle Bostock.

With some time dedicated to a reflection of 2020, forward planning for 2021 and an opportunity for board members to break into our new working groups; Investment, Annual Giving and Stakeholder Engagement, it was a productive morning, and we are excited about the work The Foundation have ahead of us to continue supporting The Moreton Bay Colleges.

Back row: Colin Mitchell, Janet Stewart, Clarissa Lynch, Janelle Bostock, Anthony Lee, Samantha O’Brien, Andy Holmes. Front row: Brooke Connell, Katie Farley, Alex Givney, Jason Titman, Toni Knowlson. 

The Foundation Folders are selling fast, we have a limited amount of stock still available for delivery. If you haven’t ordered yours yet, head to The Moreton Bay Colleges’ website to purchase yours - https://foundation.moretonbaycolleges.qld.edu.au/what-we-do/foundation-presentation-folders

We hope that the families of Moreton Bay Boys’ College have a safe and restful Easter.