AROUND THE COLLEGE & BEYOND

Our Construction Students Visit a Workplace in their Own Backyard

By Neil Gregory - Head of Year 10

Our Year 11 Construction classes didn't have far to travel to complete their first workplace visit. On 14 November, they walked a few metres  to the  La Spina construction site - the Lavalla upgrade here at Saints.

They were well prepared with the appropriate HiVis clothing, safety glasses, helmets and leather shoes for the 30 minute visit. Site supervisor John Anderson  gave them a safety induction before walking them through the construction site explaining the blockwork/formwork/steel reinforcing/concreting details up to the current stage. 

John also spoke about the different tradespeople that work on the site to complete the project. 

The workplace visit is an important part of the program that gives students an insight into the various trades in the construction industry. I thank Matthew La Spina for allowing the visit during normal hours and John Anderson for his guidance on the worksite.

A Senior Student Wins Accolades for his  Economics Knowledge

By Darcy Oates

I flew to Brisbane on 15 November for the presentation of the UQ and QETA (Queensland Economics Teachers' Association) Economics Competition. Having completed 30 multiple-choice questions, I was named joint second placegetter in the state, which is a testament to the fabulous social sciences and economics program here at St Augustine's.

 I urge all future senior students to consider studying Economics as it provides an outstanding perspective and the tools to solve our collective issues.

Year 7 Design Technology Rotation 6

The Year 7s have just finished their sixth and final Technology rotation. The Design Technology unit looks at the process involved in designing, producing and evaluating a new product. The focus in Year 7 is a marble maze. The students design their own layout, construct the marble maze in the workshop and then evaluate the process and product.

 The winner for the best maze produced this rotation was Ainstine Vibin. Ainstine took time and care when constructing his maze to ensure a quality product.

Saints Cyclists

Saints Cyclists ended the year as they began, with a bicycle maintenance session on 22 November. This session focused on drivetrain cleaning and lubricating. The boys began the session by cleaning their drivetrains with a biodegradable degreaser. While kerosene is one of the best agents to cut through chain grease, biodegradable degreaser offers better environmental benefits. The boys were then introduced to deep cleaning methods and chain waxing by Adam and Kevin of the Cairns-based chain wax company Niestone Pow3rWax.

After a sound explanation of the physics involved in chain use, Adam and Kevin took the boys through chemical and mechanical (ultrasonic chain cleaning) cleaning techniques.  They showed the boys how much cleaner chains could be with those methods. Test chains were then waxed and the benefits explained; including independently verified research. The College, once again, says thank you to Adam and Kevin for giving up their time to educate the Saints community.

The session ended with the application of dry chain lube, a chain wipe and brake surface cleaning for any overspray that occurred during the cleaning session. A second special thanks is extended to Andre, 2023 SRC prefect, who gave up his time to assist Mr Elliott and field a wide variety of questions from the boys.

With jerseys on order and more cycling events planned, Saints Cyclists are geared up for a big year in 2023.

Christmas Cooking in the College Kitchen

Ms Kerry McKenzie's kitchen has been full of the most amazing smells this week because of the variety of foods that have been cooked, especially some Christmas  delights. Dishes prepared by the Year 11s for this week's Christmas lunch included:

• Glazed and Baked Picnic Ham (Leevi)
• Italian Roast Chicken with Rosemary, Lemon, Capsicum and Leeks (Brayden and Kynan)
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Radish, Mint and Pomegranate Ariels (Harrison)
• Couscous Salad with Avocado and Honey dressing (Toby)
• Enoki Mushroom and Pumpkin Salad with an Asian dressing (Anthony)
• Roast Potatoes and Pumpkin (Carmelo)
• French Custard and Fruit Tarts (Ryan and Abu John)
• Chocolate Cheesecake Slice (Abu John)
• Bags of Gingerbread Men (Ryan)
• Chocolate Sable Biscuits (Alf)
• Espresso Coffee (Daniel)

The boys did an outstanding job in their one-hour, period 3 lesson and popped back during the lunch break to serve the teachers and students, and afterwards enjoyed their share of the Christmas lunch. It was a great example of teamwork and what can be achieved when the class works as one with a common goal. Congratulations to the Year 11 Hospitality class on being outstanding all year. 

After baking several batches of Gingerbread and Chocolate Sable biscuits they bagged them to sell in the Training Cafe.

Following these delights, they made over 40 bottles of Mango Chutney. The Mangoes were donated by Mr Kersovani and the boys diced, sliced, simmered and bottled the chutney for use in the Hospitality kitchen next year. Year 11 Hospitality families will have received a bottle of chutney today. It's ideal for serving with Christmas ham or on something as simple as a cheese sandwich.

Year 9 and 10 Baking Up a Storm

Our Year 9s and 10s should have taken home some Gingerbread they baked in Food Technology this week. Year 10 Food Technology students baked Gingerbread, rolled kid-friendly Rum Balls, prepared and baked Fruit Mince Bites and Red Velvet Crinkle biscuits. The Year 10 boys met during the lunch break yesterday and should, hopefully, have taken their cooking home, provided they didn't eat it first while on the bus! 

A Sneak Peek Behind the Scenes at the Graduation Dinner

Early this term, Year 11 Hospitality students set up Lennon Hall for the Graduation Dinner for 387 guests - graduating students and their parents or carers and staff.

The boys worked in several areas over the evening. All attended a pre-function briefing and additional staff were brought in for the occasion. They worked as waiters, drink waiters, bar staff and plated food in the Lennon Hall servery kitchen alongside Tolle's chef Robert Youk Gong and chef Rick Place.  

All the boys agreed it was a great experience and they now have a much better idea of the hospitality industry and the work involved in running large functions. We are very proud of these students and we couldn't have done this function without them and the team of students from boarding -  including the young ladies of Chavoin from St Monica's who helped serve food and cleared tables.

Year 8s Visit James Cook University

By  Helen  Leicht - Careers Coordinator

Over 70 students were bussed to JCU for a day of excitement, fun and discovery this week.

UniX Year 8 helps students identify and shape their future ambitions, assist with future subject choices, and promotes positive post-school pathways to tertiary education.

Students sampled what it’s like to study different courses including medicine, nursing, science, engineering, education, social sciences, business, law and the creative arts.

There were activities to develop and help students articulate experiences that showcased their skills and strengths. Students explored potential jobs through career taster activities and presentations.

Thank you to Steve McDonough and Melissa Treichel who assisted me on the day. Thanks also to JCU for offering our boys a great experience. Here are some quotes from the Year 8s about their day:

Hayden Coombs

It was a really great experience, learning about what university is like and how it's different from school. The activities were really good in giving us an idea about what our study options were. The student ambassadors were really helpful in showing us around JCU and why we should attend university. I saw areas of study I had never seen before which now opens up more doors for bigger and better opportunities.

JJ Parsgaard

The JCUniX experience for me was a very big eye-opener to many different opportunities. Being given this opportunity to go and explore my options for after school. I thank the teachers that came and the group leaders from JCU for their very warm welcome. It was great being able to have university students talk to us and give us an insight into what to expect going to university. Overall, the experience was awesome. 

Rhys Stevens

At the JCU event I enjoyed interactions with other schools.

Brock Caltabiano

the JCU experience was very good getting an insight about multiple subject and course opportunities.

Luca Orlandi

JCU expanded my views for the future.

Jonathan O'Farrell

I liked the JCU tour not just for the free food but for meeting other people and knowing more about careers outside of school.

Ryley Odenthal

I enjoyed the egg drop activity at the JCU day.

Anonymous

There was an activity in each lesson and they were great fun. The activities we did made me think more about going to a university.