This week, as we welcome Mr Richard Henry to the College in the new role of CEO and Executive Principal, I thought it a good opportunity to sit down with Mr Henry and record a quick conversation with him. 

Join us as we discuss his background, interests, first impressions of MBBC and ideas for the future.

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

Over this term in Chapel, we have been looking at the life of Joshua. Joshua had the huge challenge of taking over from Moses as the next leader of the Israelites. He was tasked with taking them back into the Promised land, which was a task that Moses was not even able to achieve. Imagine the immense pressure that Joshua would have been under: 

1. Being a younger man and taking over from a powerful leader whom God had done amazing things through.
2. Having to lead a group of people who had already shown themselves to be rather difficult
3. Having the task of leading the people into the Promised Land and overcome the challenges that Moses had not been able to do.

In the midst of all of these pressures that first thing God says to Joshua is for him to be “Strong and Courageous”. What we see after this is a whole series of events where God is reminding the Israelites of what he has done for them in the past and encouraging them to trust him with what lies ahead. 

This process got me thinking about these twin attributes of resilience and encouragement. Through this early part of Joshua’s leadership this seems to be the focus of God. 

He seems to be constantly reminding both Joshua and the people of what he has done for them in the past. It is like God is saying to them, “Remember this problem from the past? Remember how I helped you through that problem? So you don’t need to be scared or anxious now because we have already done this.”

In doing this he was reminding them of what they had overcome already so that they could see how much resilience they had developed. In doing this he was also encouraging them to face what ever was coming their way. 

It was this process of looking back and being reminded from the past about what we have overcome already and then being encouraged to look forward with a sense of determination and hope. In these days and uncertain times, I think this is something for all of us to consider. 

To look back and see the challenges we have overcome and the strength we have developed. In doing this we develop our resilience. Then to look to the day ahead with a sense of encouragement and hope knowing that we do not need to be anxious or fearful. I would encourage us all to take a leaf out of God’s example to Joshua and for a moment to stop and reflect on our past victories and then to be encouraged as we look forward to a new day ahead of us.   

As more competitions return to face-to-face format, MBBC was happy to field teams in all three Readers Cup Competitions in Bayside District this year. 

Readers Cup requires boys to work as a team, to read a set number of novels during Term 2, and to recall as much detail as possible about each book. Teams of four compete for the Bayside District trophy and the winning team goes on to compete in the State Final. A keen eye for detail is a great asset in Readers Cup, where readers have to read widely, often outside their comfort zones.

This year our teams were:

All teams put in a superb effort with our Year 9 and 10 team coming third. The experience gained by the younger boys will be appreciated when they compete again in 2022. Congratulations on the fine efforts boys! Keep up the great reading!                       

When a senior student commented to me last week that his Year 12 experience was far worse, and consequently marred more by COVID than last year’s graduating cohort, I was quick to provide him with perspective about the experience of students all around the world. For many students, school closures have not simply been a temporary interference to their education, but an abrupt end; for a mother in Lagos Nigeria her loss of income has meant she doesn’t have money to feed her family let alone pay for the technology and internet required for online learning. For a student in Armenia with a hearing disability, Zoom makes it very hard for him to see sign language via phone. [1] For students in South Africa, aspirations of the youth are crushed by exacerbated tensions that have manifested in riots and even greater repression from authoritarian regimes. [2]

During that conversation, I believed the teachable moment was about perspective; more to the point, that he required to gain some much-needed perspective – about his privilege, about the harsh realities of the world in which we live and about how largely unaffected we, here in Brisbane Australia, are by this COVID pandemic.

But I have been thinking a lot about that conversation since – perhaps you don’t help to build resilience in an adolescent by simply keeping things in perspective. It certainly doesn’t help when teenagers catastrophise; reality checks are important. However, research has shown us that COVID 19 has brought about unprecedented change in the way we organize ourselves socially and in our daily routine. And, no matter where they are in the world, adolescents have also been greatly impacted by the abrupt withdrawal from school, social life and outdoor activities. This stress directly impacts their mental health on account of increased anxiety, changes in their diets and in school dynamics, fear of, or an inability to scale, the COVID problem. [3]

Perhaps to help develop resilience in our children and our adolescents we need to be building in more opportunities for love and joy and hope; generating an understanding that one bad thing, or even a series of bad things, in one part of their life doesn’t mean all of life is bad. The everyday challenges of our lives are not insurmountable, and certainly when we face the more serious challenges that life throws at us, we have the skills and strategies to cope…because fundamentally we have hope that there are better experiences just around the corner.

Because resilience is more than just coping. When you’re resilient, you’re more prepared to seek new ways to overcome your challenges and achieve your goals. Although this might mean taking some risks, it also creates opportunities for growth and greater self-confidence. [4] But why would our children and adolescents seek new ways to overcome challenges if they believe our world is not a good place in which to do so.

As educators, we need to keep finding ways to create opportunities for love and joy and hope. As we help our students navigate their uncertain world, it is important that we help them keep life in perspective but we must also act as non-judgemental sounding boards allowing them to voice their vulnerabilities, encourage them to make mistakes and (as P!nk so aptly suggests) cover them in sunshine so that they may see the many positive opportunities they have available to them that will help make their lives better.

At Moreton Bay Boys’ College those connect and check-in conversations happen with the boys daily; either casually with staff whilst they are on playground duty, informally during form time with their pastoral care teacher, through the exploration of themes, issues and concepts in academic lessons and of course through targeted conversations with the College Chaplain, College Counsellor or Deputy Head of Secondary Student Wellbeing.

At Moreton Bay Boys’ College we understand that as adults, we need to love our young people as they deserve to be seen, as they really are, not based on behaviour (or comments) that they are producing in times of stress and give them hope for their future – because right now, even though the world of our Seniors is marred by lockdowns, postponed formals, and impending external exams – it won’t always be.

The more opportunities we create for our young people to experience love and joy the more hope they will have for the future, and the more adroit they will become at seeing that the world’s been spinning since the beginning, and everything will be alright.[5]

1. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/...
2. https://www.theguardian.com/wo...
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/...
4. https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/development/social-emotional-development/resilience-in-teens
5. https://www.musixmatch.com/  

Due to the recent lockdown, the Music Extension Recital had to be postponed.  We are pleased to announce that the recital will now be held on Thursday 26 August at 6:00pm in the MBBC Sports Hall.  At this stage, we are hopeful the recital can go ahead with an audience, but we need to wait for updated health advice before confirming this.  Tickets and seats booked for the original date will be transferred to the new date, and further tickets can still be booked at https://www.trybooking.com/BTEYX  Entry is free, but bookings are essential due to our covid-safe plan.  This recital will feature the combined colleges Year 12 Music Extension class giving their final assessment pieces. This will be a fantastic night where the talents of our most advanced students will be showcased in performances of a variety of musical styles and genres, including jazz, funk, rock and musical theatre. Three of our Music Extension composition students will also be premiering their own original works.  

If you have any further questions, please contact Angela Bowen at BowenA@mbbc.qld.edu.au

Back at the start of Term 2, I wrote about the importance of music, quoting jazz great Wynton Marsalis saying, “I wanted to make somebody feel like Coltrane made me feel”, and suggesting that music is more about connection than perfection. This has never been more evident than the past two years, when lockdown life has often kept us apart. It was therefore fantastic recently to hear students asking their teachers to run online music rehearsals, and for us to be able to re-start Percussion, String and Guitar Ensemble rehearsals in person last week. Even when playing together is made difficult by the time lag of video conferencing, or by the need to keep to our college bubbles and work with reduced numbers, worthwhile musical learning is still possible and, most importantly, these sessions are just as much about maintaining enthusiasm and connection.

And if there is one thing we’ve learned about education in the last few decades, it’s that students who feel connected with the school and its community are happier, are more motivated, have higher self-esteem and achieve better in all aspects of their schooling. Access to activities such as co-curricular music is therefore an important way to create connections for students – connections with peers, across year levels, with staff and in the community.

Thank you to all those teachers and students who are making every effort to maintain these connections in continuously changing circumstances.

It is with regret that the Colleges’ have made the difficult decision that our Forces of Nature concert will not go ahead this year. Having needed to delay the event twice, it is now not possible to schedule a date in the busy Colleges’ calendars that is both clear of other events and important Senior exam sessions. We appreciate that the students (and their conductors!) have worked very hard to prepare an exciting and enjoyable programme and are still very keen to share this music with families. We will therefore be looking for ways to incorporate some of these items into other school events (performance assemblies, Awards nights etc), however as a programme, we will turn our ensembles’ attention toward preparations for the end-of-term Chamber Concert and Carnival Day, as well as Term 4’s Viva Music Awards night. 

Our next major upcoming event for Term Three is the Chamber Concert, (Wednesday 15 September, 4.30pm to 6.00pm). Please make sure this date is in your diaries, particularly if your son is a member of one of the following groups, who we are expecting to perform: MBBC Primary Vocal Ensemble, String Ensemble, Junior Stage Band, Junior Percussion Ensembles, Guitar Ensemble, Brass Ensemble.

We have all had to operate in unfamiliar territory in our personal and professional lives over the past couple of weeks. Like many other departments at MBBC, the Sports Department Team has a can-do approach and will continue to provide physical preparation and training programmes to our students, while continuing to place the highest priority on the safety, health, and wellbeing of our community.

Ensuring our students remain physically prepared for any return to competition when fixtures resume is important. However, at this stage, we want to stress the importance of staying physically active for mental wellbeing for students and their families. If we stay active on a regular basis, the performance aspect will take care of itself in the coming weeks.

As we progress through the halfway point this term, many teams and individuals will face both physical and mental challenges. Nick Saban, considered one of the greatest American College football coaches, with a career record of 256 wins and 65 losses, has this to say about champions:

“One thing about championship teams is they’re resilient. No matter what is thrown at them, no matter how deep the hole, they find a way to bounce back and overcome adversity.”

Our teams will need to trust in the process set out by their coaches and find a way as a team to rebound after restrictions have prevented competition. When we return to competition our boys should be inspired to try and achieve for themselves, their teammates, and the College. Of course, this wish does not always come to fruition. I think of this as a paradox of education: Students can be wildly successful in class tasks but learn virtually nothing; conversely, students can do relatively poorly on those same tasks but learn quite a lot. Dr Nick Soderstorm puts it simply: “performance is short-term, whereas learning is long-term”.

Reflecting this ideal, MBBC sports programmes aim to equip our students with knowledge and skills that are both durable and flexible to give them the best chance to succeed.

As a school that has a well-established focus on reflective practice, it is important that student’s review their own performance and long-term learning. Parents certainly have a role in being supportive, no matter what the result. Just as important is maintaining a balanced review of your son’s performance and focusing on ways to enhance outcomes in the future.

I look forward to seeing students back on the fields, courts, tracks, and water with parents cheering them on in support.

Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable return to sport.

Restricted Period 16-Aug to 22-Aug

 Metropolitan East has informed schools that the Track and Field Carnival scheduled for the 26 and 27 August has been cancelled. 

This decision has come after Queensland School Sport cancelled the State Championships for Track and Field. 

All students who had already paid the levy to attend this trial will be refunded automatically, they do not need to do anything. 

Regarding upcoming Composite District Trials scheduled for Term 3 (Futsal and Cricket) a decision will made after the next Queensland Government update.

The events listed below have also been cancelled (most of these are State Championship events). 

New dates for rescheduled regional trials 

• Cricket Boys | 10-12yrs | Monday 11 October
• Cricket Boys | 13-15yrs | Thursday 14 October
• Futsal | 13-14yrs | Tuesday 19 October 

Cancelled

• 13-15Yrs B & G Basketball
• 13-19Yrs Surfing
• 13-19Yrs B & G Softball
• 10-12Yrs T & F
• 13-19Yrs T & F
• 10-19Yrs Met East Regional T & F

Possible Rescheduling

• 10-12Yrs Tennis
• 10-12Yrs Touch

If you have any questions surrounding this, please contact MBBC Sport.

On behalf of all CSSAQ Directors, Mr Matt Nicholson wrote to inform us of the recent decision regarding the CSSAQ Athletics Carnival. CSSAQ Directors and Athletics Carnival conveners have regretfully concluded that it will not be possible to reorganise and run the CSSAQ Athletics carnival in 2021. The carnival has been cancelled.

I ask that all boys commit to their attendance at training during the week and present ready for their games/lead up meets, home or away. Representing the College is something to be valued. Being a team member who can be depended on entails sacrifice and commitment, no matter the activity level. Communication for being absent at training or games is important for Coaches to finalise teams each week. This has a flow on effect for all teams, especially when working across numerous teams in several sports.

Please be aware that all Staff and Coaches have been asked to monitor training and playing uniform. We want to ensure that we continue to represent the College and ourselves, both on and off the field, with the highest standards.

Participation in MBBC Sport is outstanding. This is due to the quality of the sporting programmes offered, which allows for all levels of participation and the high standard of coaching across the individual sports. The easy flow of communication is important, ensuring everyone is kept informed. Please sign on for each term's sport via Parent Lounge for activities offered. Typically, this is available for four weeks at the commencement of a new term.

Please download the College App and select to receive notifications for your sons’ chosen activities to remain up to date. You will find updates, training and playing schedules, team lists, game/meet locations, and further information under the individual sport. The College is moving away from ongoing email communication, with the College App to be used as the primary source of communication.

A reminder to stay up to date via the College App > Sport and MBBC Sport Instagram.

Did you know that MBBC and Kerrie Mackay, a Griffith University Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student and Teacher Aide in Design Technology, are collaborating to establish a sensory nature and art walk at the College to enhance student wellbeing?  

The real stars of this exciting development, however, are the students.

During Week 3 of this term, the Year 5 students, key stakeholders in the process, along with Mrs Mackay and their wonderful teachers Ms Rochin and Mr Rofeta, spent a class outdoors in the area likely to be the space put aside for the walk, to come up with ideas. They thoroughly enjoyed this classroom in the natural world and were able to come up with some wonderful drawings on their maps and lists of unique written ideas. The most important inclusions for them were activities such as challenges, balancing on steppingstones, and riding ziplines and skateboards which is not unexpected in this age group of boys! However, inclusion of calming areas of water especially waterfalls, plants and trees, art/sculpture, animals, nice smells and sounds and appropriate seating were all high on their list of ideas. Sustainability and looking after the environment also featured in their thinking through the inclusion of vegetable gardens, solar farms, and rubbish bins. It was also pleasing to see that they had considered making the walk fully inclusive by making it suitable for people with disabilities. Some of their highly imaginative ideas included caves, bridges, secret doors, and paths, animated characters created through augmented reality and tunnels through giant chicken statutes. Cluck cluck!            

The next step in development of the walk features the Year 11 Design Technology students. They are combining the Year 5 key stakeholder information with the guidance provided by Mr Cox’s years of Human Centred Design experience and Mrs Mackay’s research on what makes up best practice design for urban nature walks to inform their designs. Adding to this is their own embodied experience of the space and follow up interviews with the Year 5 class. Their progress with their designs and prototypes has started off well and will no doubt continue to evolve in to some amazing options for the walk! 

Last but by no means the least will star the Year 11 Art students ably led by Ms Horn and assisted by Mrs Cox. Their stakeholder group will be the Year 11 Design students who will share their prototype designs with the art students. A consideration of the prototypes will help inform their artistic process. 

It is hoped that this design and arts-based urban nature project will improve the wellbeing of students participating in co-researching, co-creating, and experiencing the Sensory Nature Art Walk. Improved individual wellbeing will be achieved through the process of researching, making, doing, sharing, reflecting and absorbing the benefits of the walk. The student’s communication and social interaction will also facilitate empathy for others, altruism, and self-actualisation flowing onwards to the whole college community. It is hoped that the remainder of the student cohort, staff, parents, and the wider community will directly benefit from immersing themselves in the Sensory Nature Art Walk for years to come.

The Moreton Bay Colleges are seeking families to warmly welcome international students to Australia.

Hosting international students can be an enriching cultural exchange opportunity for the whole family. Being a homestay host also has generous remuneration, with qualifying hosts receiving a weekly payment for each student.

Learn more at here.

Please see the attached letter regarding the MBBC Crazy Colour Run & Carnival Day that was sent out to Parents and Caregivers today.

With the announcement today that restrictions will be easing from Friday, we are pleased to say we are still planning to proceed with the MBBC P&F Glitz & Glamour Ball, kindly support by Motorline BMW. Currently, we only have A FEW tickets available for purchase. NOW is the time to secure your before they run out! If the restrictions lift further between now and the 11th September, additional tickets may be released. Thank you for your support of this event.

Much like our Mother’s Day Stall earlier in the year, this time are choosing to do a cashless stall for our Annual MBBC P&F Father’s Day Stall. Gift packs may be pre-purchased online up until Next Friday 27^thAugust. The stall itself will be on the following Wednesday 1 September.

Don’t delay, pre-purchase your gifts online now!

Coming soon – stay tuned for more information

Please see details attached for the upcoming Yatala Pie Drive.

Business Breakfast

The Foundation have made the difficult decision to postpone our upcoming Business Breakfast scheduled for Friday 20 August. 

Given the current restrictions and the popularity of our Breakfast, and our new date is Wednesday 13 October. We are hopeful that restrictions will be lifted, and we will be able to host our event as intended.

If you are interested in joining us, limited tickets are still available, please book via our website- https://foundation.moretonbaycolleges.qld.edu.au/how-to-help/fundraising/business-breakfast.

Click here for more details.