Throughout the year we have had many wonderful displays of talent from our Year 7 boys and it continues to amaze me how diverse the talents are. It was with great pleasure that we were informed during the term Jared Da Silva (Putney) received a Highly Commended award in the prestigious Wright Now! Competition. This competition is sponsored by the Sydney Morning Herald and forms part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival. It attracted over 2000 entries and there were just 74 entries that received a Highly Commended.

Our Head of English, Mr Matt Bentley, explained, “This year the English Department has continued to focus on the importance of the craft of writing as part of the curriculum in the junior years.  Jared wrote his story as a class activity in the fantasy fiction topic for his teacher, Mr Summers”. When Jared found out about the news his response was simply, “I had no idea that it would go that far.”

This is a wonderful achievement for Jared and he certainly deserves our congratulations. His story is a haunting account of a dystopic world and reading it, the skill that Jared has is obvious. He shows an excellent vocabulary, describes the scene with incredible details and I know that within the first two sentences he had captured my interest and never lost it until the end. Well done Jared on a fantastic effort. You can read the story yourself by clicking here.

Photo: Jared Da Silva with his teacher Mr Summers.

There is no doubt that our 4th group to Colo certainly had a wet week. This led to a little anxiety among the parents at home, however, it appeared to be of no concern to the boys who loved the challenges of the rain and mud. Below is the report from our Colo staff:

It was an awesome week at Colo, and the boys did exceptionally well despite persistent and heavy rainfall. In fact, there was an enormous amount of excitement and enthusiasm amongst the group as the boys tackled the outdoor adventure activities head-on in driving rain and with mud underfoot.  It was particularly pleasing to see everyone engaged in the activities and trying hard to do their best.  All of the boys can be very proud of their participation this week.

The following comment about Colo was said by one of the boys during the camp:

“Sir, the best thing about being here this week was being able to do stuff in the rain.  It was heaps of fun getting wet and muddy and not having to care about getting into trouble for being dirty.  I wish we could do this all the time.”

Adventure Ropes Course:

The rain continued on Tuesday and the boys headed out into a downpour to tackle the challenges at the adventure ropes course. Straining to hear above the torrential rain, the boys showed great commitment and they listened very well.  Everyone pushed hard to achieve personal best results, and the level of encouragement and support amongst the boys was equally impressive, especially at the Multi-Vine, Swinging Log, and Wild Woosey elements. Lachlan Miles (Longueville) and Noah Tanous (Henley) showed extraordinary balance to make it to the top of the Fidget Ladder without falling off.

Mountain Bike Riding:

The heavy rainfall meant the tracks were going to be slow, but this didn’t reduce the haste and excitement at which the boys approached the obstacles on the mountain bike course.  Despite slippery burms and logs, everyone in the group rode remarkably well and performed some awesome tricks at the skills park.  Charlie Laundy (Strathfield) showed amazing persistence and improvement as he learned to balance and ride a bike for the first time.  By the end of the session, he was tackling some of the platforms at the skills park and riding over logs.  Will Bayfield (Hunters Hill), Jonathon Garrick (Tennyson Point) and Nick Robins (Mosman) did very well riding over the see-saws and jumps. Layton Holley (Hunters Hill) had a spectacular bingle on the burm at O’Deere, but he quickly picked himself up and escaped the experience unscathed.

Orienteering:

It was a wet and drizzly afternoon, but this didn’t dampen the spirit and enthusiasm of the boys as they ran vigorously out of the Dining Hall and dashed their way around the Colo property on their quest to be the quickest team to find 15 orienteering markers.  There were some sterling efforts made by the following teams to find all 15 markers: Chase Teague (Scone) & Hugh Reardon (Gunnedah), Noah Tanous (Henley) & Connor O’Grady (East Ryde), Lachlan Miles (Longueville) & Layton Holley (Hunters Hill), Jonathon Garrick (Tennyson Point) & Edward McKenzie (Riverview), and Charlie Howard (Gladesville) & Charlie Laundy (Strathfield).

Campsite Competition:

The weather leading up to the bushwalk and campout were extremely wet and more rain clouds loomed in the sky above as the group prepared to leave the Dining Hall for the expedition.  However, at no time did the boys complain or look for an easy option to avoid going into the outdoors.  In fact, nearly everyone seemed to be happy and excited about the opportunity to be in the elements during these trying conditions. Upon arrival at the campsite, everyone made themselves busy setting up tents, making beds and preparing the evening meal.  The boys cooked Spaghetti Bolognaise on Trangia stoves because it was too wet to light fires. The winners of the campsite competition were Matt Calleja (Haberfield), Layton Holley (Hunters Hill), Edward McKenzie (Riverview), Hugh Reardon (Gennedah) and Joseph Sykes (Thredbo).  They learned how to cooperate with each other and completed all of their chores and campsite tasks to a high standard.

Year 11 Leaders:

The Colo staff would like to thank James Dressler-Smith and Joseph Callaghan for doing a wonderful job as leaders.  They worked selflessly all week and their encouragement, guidance and supervision of the Year 7 boys was outstanding.  Their efforts were well appreciated by everyone.

Photo 1:  Nic Robins (Mosman) and Joe Sykes (Thredbo) enjoy the wet weather.

Photo 2:  Jackson Parfitt (Lilyfield) gets washed off before heading back to the hall.

Photo 3: Joe Sykes (Thredbo) and Will Bayfield (Hunters Hill)

Photo 4: Tom Hall (Pymble), Jackson Parfitt (Lilyfield), Matt Calleja (Haberfield), Ed McKenzie (Riverview), Joe Callaughan (Year 11), Austin Rewell (Roseville), Jack Kofod (Coogee), Charlie Howard (Gladesville), Lachlan Miles (Longueville) and Vincent Whitton (Camden).

I wrote an earlier article about the wonderful way in which the older boys take an interest in the younger boys. That article focused on how this occurs in sport. This is not where it stops, however.

In Week 9 our Head of Mathematics, Mr Thompson, and I had an opportunity to join our two classes together. Mr Thompson teaches one of the Year 7 classes while I teach the Year 9 Accelerated class (who are studying the Year 9 and 10 course in one year). Several boys in my class were at Colo while quite a few of his class were away as well.

So we got the boys together, introduced each of the Year 7 boys to a Year 9 Maths Mate and set the older boys the task of teaching the Year 7s about their new topic – directed numbers.

It was wonderful seeing the Year 9 boys helping the boys and showing an genuine interest in whether or not they understood. Different boys used different methods but each of them were able to explain the concept to the younger boys.

For years it has been known that peer tutoring is very successful. Unfortunately we don’t get all that many opportunities to practise it. On this day, however, we had the chance and grabbed it. There is no doubt that both the younger and older boys got much out of the experience.

We finished the lesson with some games where the boys worked in pairs with their Maths Mate and we even had a short comp between the Year 7s and Year 9s. Well done to the Year 7s who won this easily!

Thanks to the Year 9s for helping out the boys – something that I am sure will continue at various times over the coming years.

Photo 1:  Greg Quirk (on the left) helps out Charlie Howald (St Ives) with his directed numbers.

Photo 2:  Connor Green (Ashtonfield) is assisted by Jack Larkins from Year 9.

Our third group to head to Colo certainly had plenty to live up to thanks to the wonderful efforts of the first two groups to head there earlier in the term. Below is a report from the Colo staff which, I think you will agree, illustrates that they didn’t let us down!

It was a fantastic week at Colo. The weather was superb everyday and the boys were polite, enthusiastic and determined to do their best throughout the camp.  Everyone appeared to really enjoy the outdoor adventure activities and many boys pushed themselves well outside their comfort zone to master new skills.

Adventure Ropes Course:

It was a really pleasant day at the adventure ropes course.  The sky was clear, the sun was bright and the breeze was cool and gentle.  The boys tackled all of the elements with confidence and enthusiasm.  Christopher Diab (Hunters Hill), Lachlan Day (Wagga Wagga) and Angus Vivers (Gulgong) made easy work of the ‘Fidget Ladder’.  Joshua Bass (Marsfield), Tarkan Gursel (Henley) and Tristan Wyatt-Spratt (Linley Point) climbed the ‘Postman’s Walk’ quickly and with poise.  There were many ecstatic screams of joy from several boys as they leapt off the ‘Flying Fox’ platform.  Charles McCann (West Pymble) can be very proud of his effort in overcoming his fear of heights by climbing the Burma Bridge and riding the ‘Flying Fox’.  Overall, everyone worked extremely well together and there were lots of positive words of encouragement, which was very pleasing to hear.

Mountain Bike Riding:

All the boys worked up a sweat on a warm humid day. Tristan Wyatt-Sprat, Josh Bass and Fraser Edwards (Killara) attacked the burms and obstacles with enthusiasm. Lachlan Kimber (Marsfield) did well to ride up al the hills without getting off his bike. Julain De Costa (Lindfield), Joseph McCarthy (Fiji) and Patrick O’Farrell (Longueville) each showed tenacity to stick at it and make real progress with their skill development. Patrick O’Farrell managed the most number of falls for the day, but was outdone by Jack Voulgaris (Hunters Hill) for the most memorable – Jack fell onto a prickly bush and spent the next 10 minutes pulling out small thorns.

Orienteering:

It was a hot and humid afternoon, but the boys were not deterred in their quest to complete the orienteering course in record time. Set with the challenge of finding 15 markers in less than 45 minutes, they rushed out of the Dining Hall and zipped around the Colo property at a lightening pace.  For a few groups, the task was made more difficult because at some time during the activity, marker number two was temporarily broken/lost.  However, Lachlan Day and Tristan Wyatt-Spratt didn’t experience any problems in finding all of the markers in a record breaking time of 36 minutes.  Similarly, the teams of Patrick O’Farrell and Tarkan Gursel, Angus Vivers and Joshua Bass, Cameron Gould (Kensington) and Christopher Diab, and Ben Smith (Putney) and Charles McCann also found 15 markers.

Packing Up Tents:

Each week the Colo staff challenge the boys to see how quickly they can pack up their tents before going on the overnight expedition.  At the start of the week, the record stood at 3 minutes 28 seconds, which was considered to be an exceptionally fast time.  However, James Ashhurst (Hunters Hill), Lachlan Day and Angus Vivers smashed the old record by 59 seconds. They have set a new record in an awesome time of 2 minutes 29 seconds.

Campsite Competition:

All of the groups worked well on the overnight campout.  It was really pleasing to see the high level of cooperation and organisation within each of the camping groups.  However, the group of Charles McCann, Joseph McCarthy, Patrick O’Farrell, Ben Smith and Angus Vivers were eventual winners of the campsite competition.  As well as being well organised, they interacted with each other in a friendly way and everyone in the group completed a fair share of the campsite jobs such as collecting water and firewood, pitching tents, keeping the fire going and washing the dishes.

Thank You Note:

The Colo staff and Year 7 students would like to thank Gus Ramsay (a ‘gap student’ from Leeds, England).  He worked hard all week and constantly supported and encouraged the boys during the outdoor adventure activities as well as providing excellent supervision during the completion of set tasks and chores.  Gus was well liked by the boys for his fair and approachable nature. Gus (no relation to Gordon Ramsay) also took on the role of ‘Head Judge’ during the impromptu cooking competition, when the boys cooked Pasta Carbonara on camp fires.  It was like watching an episode of Iron Chef, Master Chef and Kitchen Nightmares all rolled into one.

Photo 1:  Spencer Fay (St Leonards) is followed by Tarkan Gursel on the bush-walk.

Photo 2:  Lachlan Day on the bike course.

Photo 3:  Josh Bass and Ben Smith clean up.

Photo 4:  Cameron Gould and Joe McCarthy prepare their fire.

What could possibly be interesting about a little symbol that represents a mathematical ratio? At first, many of us would suggest nothing! After all, it is a number that we still can’t give an exact value for. For most of us it brings back awful memories of formulas that we learnt in school and struggled to understand fully. Well, International Pi Day is now celebrated each year (on the 14th March … 3.14) and is an opportunity for us to celebrate the importance of Pi.

The Mathematics department made the most of this opportunity with a special recess being served for the boys. In addition to this, each of the classes in the school spent their Maths lesson learning about the impact that Pi has on all of our lives and the history of it. Whether it be that the calculation of Pi has significantly increased computer power which has had massive benefits to all of mankind such as the prediction of complex weather patterns or simply that Pi has allowed us to understand the endlessness of a circle. Whether it be learning about the importance of Pi in art and engineering or how Pi is the basis behind why their bike wheels keep going around and around. Like it or not, there is no doubt that Pi is the single most significant symbol in mathematics (both theoretical and practical).

If, at the very least, the boys appreciate that Pi is a unique number which has an importance that reaches wider than their text book – then Pi Day has been a success! Certainly this year I am confident in saying that it has! Well done and thanks to Mr Greg Thompson and the Mathematics Department that he leads.

Photo 1:  The boys’ morning tea to celebrate International Pi Day

Photo 2:  Nick Porter (Hong Kong) and Tom Orton (Milbrodale) enjoy their cup-cake.

Photo 3:  Chris Tompsett (St Ives), Austin Rewell (Roseville), Jason Wiradharma (Hunters Hill), Charles Daley (Roseville) and Jasper Hooper (Turramurra) prepare to get stuck into their circle ratio!

Our second group to head to Colo had a bit more of an idea of what to expect after hearing stories form friends in the first group. As a result, the boys headed off with high expectations. In talking with the boys when they arrived back, they certainly weren’t disappointed!

Below is a report from the Colo staff:

Adventure Ropes Course:

During the afternoon session, the boys tackled the adventure ropes course with confidence and vigour.  Marius van Jaarsveeldt (Cremorne) demonstrated his strong will and determination while ascending the caving ladder on the ‘Postman’s Walk’.  Yirrbi Jaffer-Williams (Hanging Rock), Josh Smyth (Newport) and Tom Costigan (Paddington) showed great balance on the “Fidget ladder”.  John Kessing (Neutral Bay) did particularly well to make it all the way across the ‘Tension Traverse’.  Archie Tait (Maroubra) impressed staff with his perseverance and by pushing himself to do his best in making repeated attempts on the traverse.

Mountain Bike Riding:

The mountain bike riding session is divided into three parts: (1) Bike familiarisation – learning about the different components of a bike, the essential safety equipment, and the basic rules for riding; (2) developing bike riding skills, such as getting into the ‘attack position’, braking techniques and cornering; riding along raised platforms, see-saws and over grassy mounds; and (3) single track manoeuvres, which included riding over small rocky drop offs, logs, and jumps, attacking ‘burm’ corners and riding up hills.  It was exciting to see all of the boys riding skilfully, confidently and safely.  The most outstanding riders were Marius Van Jaarsveldt, Yirrbi Jaffer-Williams, Archie Tait, John Kessing, Joshua Smyth, Charles Daley (Roseville), Callum Paterson (Ryde), Callum Harris (Somersby) and Zac Banu-Lawrence (Gladesville).

Orienteering:

It was particularly pleasing to see all of the teams find at least 75% of the correct markers in the time allowed.  In fact, six teams were outstanding with their performances because they managed to find all 15 markers in less than 52 minutes.  However, Charles Daley and George Ewin (Crowther) were undoubtedly the most impressive team because they successfully completed the course in 35 minutes, the fastest time so far this year.

Campsite Competition:

One camping group – Joshua Smyth, Ricky Palmer (Gladesville), Zac Ritchie (Lane Cove), Charles Daley and Thomas Costigan – did an outstanding job of pitching tents, collecting water and fire wood, digging the correct sized fire pit, demonstrating good team work and a strong understanding of minimal impact camping strategies.  Therefore, these boys have won the campsite completion. Coming a close second were Joshua Agostino (Gladesville), Johnny Bechara (Abbotsford), Callum James (Chatswood), Julian Kochanowicz (Gladesville) and Odysseas Stavrou (Hunters Hill) who impressed greatly with the friendly cooperation with each other and willingness to pitch in and share the load.

Well done to the boys in this group who received superb reports from the staff at Colo. Also a big thank you to the Year 11 Leaders who spent the week with the boys and helped them throughout. There is no doubt that the first two Colo groups have set an incredibly high standard for future classes to reach.

Photo 1:  Marius van Jaarsveldt keeps his balance on the low ropes course.

Photo 2:  Charles Daley, Ricky Palmer, Tom Costigan and Zac Ritchie give their best in the 4-way tug-of-war.

Photo 3:  Richard Yen (East Ryde) and Johnny Bechara collect a marker in the orienteering.

Photo 4: Callum James and Ben Corrigan (Roseville Chase) prepare to go on the overnight bush-walk.

Many parents would not be aware that we have two boys in our form who board at Joeys but attend another school. Jeff Yu (Eastwood) and Emannuel Chow (Lae) attend classes at the Catholic Intensive English Centre (CIEC) which is in Lewisham. They utilise public transport each morning by catching trains and buses and then return back each afternoon for sport, music, study and boarding.

Earlier in the term I received some wonderful feedback from a member of the public about the manner in which Jeff and Emannuel travel on the bus and last week I received the following short article about the work that Emannuel did for World Harmony Day.

Harmony Day was celebrated at the Catholic Intensive Centre this year by playing the online game Free Rice (www.freerice.com).  Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice to the World Food Organisation for distribution to countries in need.  Emannuel Chow scored the most correct answers in his class, choosing to focus mainly on Math questions.  Well done Emannuel!

Congratulations to both Emannuel and Jeff who are representing us so well each day outside the four walls of the College.

Photo:  Emannuel Chow (Lae) presents his work.

Sometimes things just catch your eye. This was certainly the case when I walked past the Religious Education notice board last week and saw an assignment that had been posted on the board. The assignment was the work of James Neethling (Hunters Hill).

In RE, the boys have been studying “School and Church Communities” and therefore, much of their focus has been learning about Joeys and the history and traditions of the school. The assignment that the boys had to complete was to produce an “eye-cathing” and innovative poster and brochure about Joeys. Well, there is no doubt that James’ poster was “eye-catching”. I have taught the Year 7 RE course and therefore marked many posters for this topic. I can tell you that I have no doubt that James’ was the most innovative that I have seen. I think that the photo gives you a pretty good idea of the amount of time and effort that James put into the assignment. You may like to click on the photo to get a full-size view of it – you will notice that James has created his poster in the shape of a Joeys Blazer! I am sure that the work of all the other boys was of a similarly high standard!

This topic is always a great one for the boys to start on here at Joeys as there is just so much for them to learn about the place and so many stories to be told. You may have seen the photos of boys on top of the main building in our photo gallery – this “Tower Tour” is all part of the experience of Joeys and just one step along the path to learning the history and traditions of our College.

Photo 1: James Neethling (Hunters Hill) and his teacher Ms Deb Phillips holding James’ outstanding work.

I am continually amazed at the enthusiasm and love that our Year 7 boys show towards their study of History here at Joeys. Having said that, I shouldn’t be surprised as they are fortunate to have some amazing teachers whose passion for the subject can’t help but rub off onto the boys.

As you know, all the boys have now attended the Art Gallery of NSW as part of their History study. Ok … time to confess … my knowledge of history is not so great (and I greatly regret not having studied it at school). So, I thought I would turn to a far wiser source of information for this article … one of the boys. Below, Ben Smith (Putney) sums up the first few weeks of History and the excursion which the boys have all been on. Thanks to Ben for saving me on this one!

In history we have been on excursions, watched movies and played some educational games to make the term as fun as possible. So far what we’ve done is watch a movie on ‘’The Body in the Bog’’ , ‘’The Immortal Emperor’’ and ‘’Otzi the Iceman’’.

At the moment we are studying about Ancient Egypt and the great pharaohs. We have been set many small topic tests and have received one assignment on embalming King Tut which we are currently working on. The movies were informative and very interesting to watch and help us realise that this or that has or might have happened.

We went on an excursion to see the Real Life Terracotta Warriors at the Art Gallery of NSW. The “Warriors” were were discovered by a man working on a farm to build a well to retrieve water when he fell down a cave and stumbled into what is known as the “discovery of the century”. The excursion was intriguing as we saw for the first time the mysterious artefacts and jewellery  from ancient China. My favourite part of the trip was the fact that the terracotta warriors were positioned so that they were always staring at you with evil squinting eyes. All in all the excursion was a massive hit with the students and the visitors around us as they got to meet a Joe-boy for the very first time and were gobsmacked.

So far history has been exiting and new and I and all the other students can’t wait to find out what is in store for us.

Photo 1: The boys soak in the atmosphere of the Art Gallery of NSW.

Photo 2: Daniel Copping (Gladesville) and Hunter Currie (Lane Cove) play dress-ups at the Gallery.

Not many days pass where teachers don’t contact Peter Ross and myself about the wonderful efforts that various boys are putting into their classwork. It may be a particular work that a boy has submitted or simply a recognition of his efforts. Acknowledging this is very important and last week Peter focussed on several boys who had worked to a level that convinced their teachers to let us know!

Not only were these boys our first award winners but they were also the first boys in the school to receive one of our new certificate folders. These folders are a high quality folder which we hope that the boys look after and store any certificates over the coming six years.

Congratulations to these boys for putting in a wonderful effort!

Pictured in Photo: Jack O’Brien (Walgett), Mr Ross, Jacob Goodwin (Dubbo), Chris Thompsett (St Ives), Tim Wang (Sefton), Patrick O’Farrell (Longueville), Sam Phillips (Roseville), Archie Tait (Marourba), Tarkan Gursel (Henley), Luke Hanigan (Connamble), Max Tassell (Denistone), Tom Brennan (Drummoyne), Jack Mahony (Mascot), John Keesing (Neutral Bay), Tim Hallion (Summer Hill), Ben Smith (Putney), Joshua Ho (Hunters Hill), James Hill (Denistone), James Neethling (Hunters Hill), Henry McKewen (Mosman), Alex Crotti (Gladesville), Johnny Garrick (Tennyson Point), Spencer Fay (St Leonards) and Josh Bass (Marsfield).

Like all subjects that the boys study here at school, the staff at Colo write reports for the boys who visit. It was wonderful to read so many positive comments in these reports and parents will receive these comments and grades when the half-yearly reports come out at the end of Term 2 (or Term 4 for the groups that go later in the year.

In each group that visits Colo, the staff also nominate boys who deserve special recognition and award these boys with a Merit award. Congratulations to our merit award winners for the first group at Colo. Through their group contributions and efforts in all the activities, they have certainly set the standard for the groups that go to Colo after them!

Award Winners: Liam Ryan (Quambone), Justin Young (Concord West), Finn McMahon (Hunters Hill), Ethan Wilks (Middle Cove), Matt McEnallay (Mosman), Jasper Hooper (Turramurra) and Alastair Dunstan. (Putney).

Our first Colo group headed away in Week 4 and having the privilege of being the first boys in their form to experience this wonderful opportunity. There is no doubt that as the boys boarded the bus on the Monday morning they were excited to say the least. So what happened from that point onwards? Well, here is the report from our Colo staff:

Adventure Ropes Course:

Most boys appeared to be very confident at the adventure ropes course.  They approached all of the elements with enthusiasm.  The Flying Fox was the most popular high ropes element – nearly all of the boys jumped off the platform without hesitation and there were many triumphant screams as they hurtled along the zip wire. Once again, the Fidget Ladder proved to be a very challenging low ropes element; however, Jack Mahony, Adam Tse, Will Neilson, Jason Wiradharma and Liam Ryan did very well to reach the top.

Mountain Bike Riding:

The afternoon session on the mountain bikes was great fun and it was fantastic to watch the confidence and skills of the boys improve during the three hours of activity. There was a huge amount of enthusiasm amongst the group, in particular Liam Fogarty and Justin Young showed great determination as they mastered the see-saws and other obstacles at the skills park.  Jack Mahony was unstoppable and did countless laps of the course. Other standout performances came from Luuk Jonkman, Daniel Copping and Luke Schiliro as they demonstrated their natural abilities on two wheels, tackling the ‘burms’ and other exciting challenges that lay along the single tracks.

Orienteering:

A magnificent effort was made by all of the boys during the orienteering session with more than half of the teams finding the fifteen markers that are located on the course.  Mathew McEnallay and Justin Young set the fastest time for the group, which was 47 minutes and 40 seconds. Other outstanding efforts were made by Ethan Wilks and Jasper Hooper, Jason Wiradharma and Adam Tse, William Neilson and Tomas Brennan, Alastair Dunstan and Finn McMahon, as well as Luuk Jonkman and Jack Mahony.  These teams all managed to find 15 markers within the allotted time.

Campsite Competition:

The winners of the campsite competition were Luke Schiliro, Henry Murphy, Liam Ryan William Neilson and Tony Xu.  They did a great job in setting up their tents quickly, collecting firewood, digging the fire pit, cooking dinner, demonstrating a good understanding of minimal impact camping, being well organised, behaving safely and getting along with each other.

And as a final touch on the week, the boys in our first Colo group put together the following little poem:

Colo, Colo is so much fun

There is something here for everyone

If you’re trekking, hiking or mountain biking

Colo is for your liking

Photo 1: Tom Brennan (Drummoyne), Will Rhodes (Drummoyne) and Jack Mahony (Mascot) at the camp site.

Photo 2: Tony Xu (Burwood) and Henry Murphy (Botany) find a marker in the orienteering.

Photo 3: What an amazing lookout! Luke Scilliro (Hunters Hill), Finn McMahon (Hunters Hill), Jasper Hooper (Turramurra), Liam Fogarty (Wahroonga), Cooper Wilks (Crows Nest), Jack Mahony (Mascot), Jason Wiradharma (Hunters Hill) and Adam Tse (PNG) take in the amazing view of our Colo Outdoor Education Centre.

Our Year 7 boys have become an important part of our College history this year, being the first group to take part in our 1:1 Learning Program. On the second day of school this year, each of the boys received their brand new MacBook and started an intense two day orientation in not only their computer but also the network here at Joeys and the expectations that we have of them in the responsible use of their computer.

The orientation included the initial introduction to their computer on both the Mac side and also the Windows side. Having a dual boot computer has certainly enabled them to have access to a greater diversity of software and resources. The boys were taken through the College policies and recommendations with regard to their social responsibilities, cyber-bullying, social networking sites and lots more. Once they had their computer in front of them they were shown the ins and outs of it. There is no doubt that there is plenty more that the boys (and staff) will learn over the coming weeks and months, however, the orientation equipped the boys with the necessary skills to get started on their learning in such a technological environment.

Sitting at a computer for much of the day and also carrying it around puts different physiological stresses on the body. To assist the boys in looking after themselves, we had the boys take part in a one hour “physiocise” session. This session showed the boys the correct way to sit at their computer, the best way to carry it and also some stretches that can help relieve pressure in different areas of the body. This hour was certainly useful and entertaining for the boys as they worked on “lifting their dots”!

Educating is forever changing and there is no doubt that the boys in Year 7 and the staff who work with them are well-equipped to be on top of these changes as they occur. Where will technology be in five years time? Who knows? What we do know, however, is that the boys at Joeys will be right beside it!

Photo 1:  Sam ven der Burgh (Hunters Hill) learns the ways of his new MacBook.

Photo 2: The boys go through their stretches during their Physiocise session.

Photo 3: History in the making – 156 boys receive their new computers.