Senior School Bulletin

Every now and then, there is a moment that invites you to simply stop and take it all in. That moment came for me during On the Green on Sunday afternoon. Looking across the crowd, I was struck by the joy, connection and sense of belonging that filled every corner of our oval. There was something incredibly special about watching people of all ages sharing the same space, united by music, conversation and a genuine enjoyment of simply being together. It was a powerful reminder that the most extraordinary things are rarely built by one person. They grow from the collective generosity, talents and commitment of people who choose to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

There was music, laughter and conversation woven throughout the afternoon, creating an atmosphere that was both welcoming and uplifting. While the performances on stage were undoubtedly a highlight, what stayed with me most was the feeling they created. Watching people connect so naturally with one another was a powerful reminder of the strength of community and the experiences that bring us together. It was also wonderful to see our students contributing so confidently to an event that reflects the very best of our College.

As I reflected on the afternoon, I found myself thinking that this is exactly what we hope our students experience throughout their Senior School years. We want them to know that they each have something valuable to contribute, that their ideas matter and that the experiences they help create shape not only their own journey, but the experience of those around them. Perhaps some of the most meaningful acts of creativity are those that create spaces where others feel welcomed, connected and that they belong.

It is my hope that our students leave Clayfield College with the confidence to contribute, the willingness to serve and the generosity to use their unique gifts in ways that enrich the lives of others. These are the qualities that strengthen communities, create opportunities for others and, I hope, remain with our students long after they have left our College.

MMG Education Survey - Have your say!

I encourage all Senior School families to share your feedback through the MMG Survey. If you have not yet completed the survey, you will receive a reminder invitation via email. I encourage you to take a few minutes to participate and have your say.

Your feedback provides valuable insights that will help inform future planning and support our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement across the College. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

Year 12 Study Bootcamp

Monday 21 September to Thursday 24 September

To support our Year 12 students as they prepare for their External Examinations, we will run a Study Bootcamp in the first week of the September holidays . Tutors from MindBridge Education will be available from Monday 21 September to Thursday 24 September from 9:00am to 12:30pm in the Upper LRC to assist students with questions or queries. If students are interested in availing themselves of this opportunity, they are asked to follow the link below to pick the subject/s they would like assistance with and the session/s they will attend.

All QCE subjects offered at Clayfield College will be covered however, based on the data that students provide us, priority will be given to subjects that the cohort indicates are highest areas of need.

All students are required to sign in on arrival and must leave the College campus at 12:30pm.

Inclusive Learning at Clayfield College

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the new Head of Inclusive Learning Prep to12. Our focus in the Inclusive Learning team is that diversity is a strength. Students learn best when they feel valued, respected and connected to the Clayfield community. At Clayfield College we celebrate differences and create environments where every student feels a sense of belonging. 

Inclusive learning often has three main branches that we focus on at Clayfield.

Learning Support is about recognising that students learn in different ways and may require different levels of assistance or adjustments throughout their educational journey. Through collaboration, personalised support, and evidence-based practices, we help students build independence, confidence, and resilience while ensuring they can access and engage meaningfully with the curriculum. In addition English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) learners are students who are learning English alongside the school curriculum. Our EAL/D students bring valuable cultural and global perspectives to the College, enriching the learning experiences of their peers and teachers. 

Inclusive learning also recognises that High Potential and Gifted students have diverse learning needs and require appropriate challenges to remain engaged and inspired. At Clayfield College that support may include differentiated learning experiences, curriculum enrichment, extension opportunities, higher-order thinking tasks, problem-solving activities, and opportunities for independent inquiry and creativity, including both our Illuminate and Aspire programmes.

By providing a balance of support and challenge, teachers help our Clayfield students reach their full potential. An inclusive approach ensures these students feel supported, valued and understood.

Success at Da Vinci Decathlon 2026

• Year 9 1st Place Ideation 
• Year 9 1st Place Code Breaking 
• Year 9 2nd Place Science

Year 9 Students:

• Ruby Albury-Norris
• Oliver Sproles 
• Amelie Wang
• Peterson Zhu
• Sophia Beavis
• Stella Gamble
• Aston Hall
• Charles Coney

Year 10 Students:

• Thomas Hungerford-Symes
• Elodie Whitaker
• Lilly Moore
• Rupert Hungerford-Symes
• Thinomee Leelasena
• Savaana Kapur
• Weiliao Zhang
• Georgiana Cousins

Please refer to Photo Gallery for Highlights.

Updated Tutorial Schedule

Students are encouraged to review the updated tutorial schedule available below and consider which sessions may best support their learning throughout the term.

Academic Captains' Book Week Short Story Competition

All students are reminded of the Book Week Short Story Competition for students in Years 3 to 12.

This year's theme ‘A Light in the Dark’, offers students the opportunity to explore ideas of hope, resilience, discovery and transformation through creative writing. Students may choose to interpret the theme literally or metaphorically, and all genres are welcome.

Entries are due this week on Friday 7 August, Term 3 Week 4. 

Students may submit one story, and previously written pieces may be entered provided they connect clearly to the theme.

Word limits:

• Years 3 and 4: 500 words maximum
• Years 5 and 6: 500 words maximum
• Years 7 and 8: 700 words maximum
• Years 9 and 10: 800 words maximum

• Years 11 and 12: 1000 words maximum

   

Academic Captains, Megan Groundwater and Ema Costello look forward to celebrating the creativity, imagination and talent of our student writers, with winners and runners-up announced at Assembly and recognised in The Collective later in the term.

Science Week Schedule - Week 5

2027 Student Leadership

Congratulations to all candidates for the 2027 College Captaincy who spoke at Assembly this week. Each candidate presented thoughtfully and confidently, demonstrating their commitment to serving the College community and contributing to its future.

During Year Level Meetings in Week 8, students in Years 7–11 will have the opportunity to reflect on the speeches and leadership qualities demonstrated by the candidates before privately casting their vote for each position. Student voice forms an important part of the selection process, and we thank all students for participating respectfully and thoughtfully.

House Spirit Excellence

This week’s House Excellence focus was on having the correct equipment for class and being prepared for learning. Congratulations to Gibson House, who demonstrated outstanding organisation and readiness throughout the week to take out the win.

Upcoming Focus Behaviours

• Week 5: Punctuality

• Week 6: Wearing of hats, particularly during lunch breaks

   

Well done to all students for continuing to uphold our College expectations and demonstrating pride in their learning.

Thinkers’ Challenge

Students are invited to test their problem-solving skills and House spirit through this term’s Thinkers’ Challenge. 

In Week 4, Houses will compete in a series of code-breaking and deciphering challenges, working together to solve puzzles and unlock hidden messages. 

In Week 7, students will take part in a challenging Around the World Kahoot!, combining knowledge from Mathematics, Science and Humanities in a fast-paced and engaging competition. 

We look forward to seeing our Houses collaborate, think creatively and embrace the challenge.

Duke of Edinburgh - Adventurous Journey Update

All students participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey are asked to attend a planning meeting this Friday 7 August during Morning Tea in the Board Room. 

This follows last week's information session with Kris from Kanu Kapers, where students learned more about the upcoming Noosa Everglades canoe expedition in September and the preparations required for the journey.

Year 7 Bridge Award

A reminder to Year 7 students and families that Bridge Award registration forms are now due and should be returned to Mrs Greig at rgreig@clayfield.qld.edu.au as soon as possible. We are excited to see students begin their Bridge Award journey, including their first Service project supporting Stationery Aid.

Kilvington Grammar Exchange Program

This Sunday, we look forward to welcoming our Kilvington Grammar Exchange students to Brisbane as they begin their exchange experience with Clayfield College. Students have already been matched with their Melbourne counterparts and have begun making connections ahead of what promises to be a rewarding and memorable program.

We are excited to welcome our guests to the College on Monday, before a special day of sightseeing on Tuesday, which will include the Brisbane Wheel, South Bank, Strike Bowling and a CityCat ride. We also wish our Clayfield students and Mr Stemmet, a safe journey to Melbourne and every success as they participate in this wonderful exchange opportunity.

Crazy Hair and Sock Day Youngman House Fundraiser

Friday 9 October 2026

Clayfield College Excels at the 2026 MLTAQ LTQ Chinese Language Contest

On Sunday 2 August Clayfield College students proudly represented the College at the Modern Language Teachers' Association of Queensland (LTQ) Chinese Language Contest.

Students from Years 4 to 12 competed in both the Non-Background Speaker and Background Speaker divisions, demonstrating outstanding language proficiency, confidence, and dedication.

Clayfield College achieved an exceptional result, bringing home 7 Gold medals, 3 Silver medals, 1 Bronze medal, 1 Fifth Place and 9 Highly Commended awards across both Junior and Senior Chinese.

This remarkable achievement reflects the hard work and commitment of our students, the encouragement of their families and the dedication of our Languages staff. We are incredibly proud of every student who participated and congratulate them on representing Clayfield College with excellence.

Congratulations to our award recipients:

Year 4 Non-Background

• Asher Amarasekara – Highly Commended
• Ganeev Bakshi – Highly Commended

Year 5 Non-Background

• Tom Le – Silver (Second Place)

Year 6 Non-Background

• Olivia Chung – Gold (First Place)
• Daniel Symon – Silver (Second Place)

Year 4 Background

• Adela Liu – Gold (First Place)

Year 5 Background

• Andy Ng – Gold (First Place)

Year 6 Background

• Anna Liu – Silver (Second Place)
• Lucas Huang – Highly Commended

Year 7 Non-Background

• Lia Lee – Gold (First Place)
• Michaela Prasad – Bronze (Third Place)
• Darwin Aziz – Highly Commended

Year 8 Non-Background

• Brandon Ng – Gold (First Place)
• Charlotte Holton – Fifth Place
• Lolita Green – Highly Commended

Year 9 Non-Background

• Amir Matthew – Highly Commended

Year 10 Non-Background

• Daniel Gallagher – Highly Commended

Year 10 Background

• Adrian Lam – Highly Commended

Year 12 Non-Background

• Greer Gallagher – Gold (First Place)

Year 12 Background

• Tanya Wu – Gold (First Place)

   

Congratulations to all of our students for their outstanding achievements. Your passion for language learning, perseverance and willingness to challenge yourselves have once again demonstrated the strength of Chinese at Clayfield College.

Once again, Clayfield College has let its light shine through excellence in languages. We are incredibly proud of every student who represented the College at this prestigious competition.

Please refer to the Photo Gallery for highlights.

Congratulations to Our Outstanding Chinese Language Students! 

On 29 May, four talented students from Years 5 to12 proudly represented the College in the Chinese Language Teachers’ Association of Queensland (CLTAQ) Online Chinese Speaking Competition. This year’s competition attracted a record number of entries from 28 schools across Queensland, making their achievements even more remarkable.

We are delighted to celebrate the following results:

• Daniel Symon (Years 5 to 6): Second Place
• Charlotte Holton (Years 7 to 8): Merit Award
• Sari Weyer (Years 9 to 10): First Place

• Greer Gallagher (Years 11 to 12): Merit Award

   

Competing against some of the state’s most capable Chinese language students, Daniel, Charlotte, Sari and Greer demonstrated outstanding confidence, linguistic proficiency and commitment to their studies.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional students on their achievements. We are incredibly proud of their dedication, perseverance and success. Well done! A special thank you to Ms Ruby Chen and Ms Cassie Li for their guidance, encouragement and dedication in coaching and supporting our students throughout their preparation for the competition.

Please refer to the Photo Gallery for highlights.

Let's Hear from Mr Nick Dore

In Week 3, our Years 8 to 10 students had the opportunity to hear from guest speaker Mr Nick Dore during their Wellbeing and Foundations lesson. Nick is the Managing Principal of Fisher Dore Lawyers and a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law, independently ranked by Doyle's Guide as a Leading Criminal Defence Lawyer (Australia) and Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer (Queensland).

Nick spoke openly and honestly with students about topics that matter to them in their everyday lives - from navigating social media and understanding what really happens once an image or video is shared, to the surprising legal risks around possessing items such as fake weapons and what it really means to be caught up in something with friends, even when you are not directly responsible.

What made the session particularly valuable was the way Nick brought these topics to life using real cases from his own career, helping students understand how these situations can play out in the real world, and why the choices they make now can carry more weight than they might realise.

Students were engaged throughout, and the session concluded with a Q&A session, where they asked thoughtful and genuine questions, including some about what a career in law is really like. Nick generously shared information about his own journey in the legal profession and spoke about the importance of looking after your mental health, including attending regular psychology appointments. He was clear that this is not a sign of weakness, but rather a proactive way to stay strong and take care of yourself.

It was a valuable opportunity for our students to learn from someone with real-world experience, and we thank Nick for generously giving his time and expertise to our College community.

Student Voices:

“Nick Dore’s presentation educated me on the consequences of certain actions that I was not personally aware of. It made me realise the severity of certain actions and taught me not to just brush it off as something as small as dust in the wind. I enjoyed listening to the professional words of an actual criminal lawyer and listening to some of the events he had lived through.”

"Nick Dore was an informative and helpful person in telling me about the facts and effects of committing offences at a young age. We learned about how to deal with them together with our family. We also learned that we are never alone and can find help if we need it."

Care@Clayfield Parent Event

Thursday 13 August

Explore Your Future in STEM at the CCOCA Future Leaders Breakfast

Curious about where a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics could take you?

Students in Years 10 to 12 are invited to join us for breakfast and to meet Old Collegians who are building successful careers across a range of STEM industries.

Hear their stories, ask questions and gain insights into the pathways, opportunities and experiences that have shaped their careers. Whether you're already considering a future in STEM or simply exploring your options, this is an opportunity to make valuable connections and learn from those who were once in your shoes.

This event is part of the 2026 Future Leaders Program, proudly supported by the Clayfield College Old Collegians' Association.

Upcoming Events