Last week, A.B. Paterson College proudly welcomed our sister school, Honjo Higashi High School, all the way from Japan!
Our College families opened their hearts and homes as host families, giving the visiting students a true Aussie experience. From attending classes to sharing laughs at lunchtime, the bonds formed during their stay were nothing short of extraordinary.
This cultural exchange was not just about sharing traditions, it was about building lifelong friendships, understanding, and global connection.
To our Honjo Higashi friends:
Thank you for bringing your energy, respect, and curiosity. You have left a mark on our hearts and our community.
Until we meet again - mata aimashou!
Neurodiversity Celebration Week & Mental Health Awareness Week
This week, we celebrated Neurodiversity Celebration Week - a time to recognise the many different ways people think, learn, and engage with the world.
In the video below, Mrs Cheryl Wheeler and Miss Mitali Dayaram from the Learning Enhancement Team share why recognising, respecting, and supporting neurodivergent individuals matters - in classrooms, in workplaces, and across our communities.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is more than just a date on the calendar - it’s a powerful reminder to embrace all ways of thinking, learning, and being.
Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us: You are a whole person - with strengths, struggles, and stories that matter.
In the video below, Ms Emma Legg and Mrs Renee Grosser from the Learning Enhancement Team open up about the power of walking alongside students - to support them as they navigate study, stress, and self-discovery.
Mental health, like neurodiversity, isn’t a barrier- it’s another layer of what makes us beautifully complex.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data Notification
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about support provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
year of schooling
category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.
The College will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).
If you have any questions about the NCCD, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Learning Enhancement Faculty.
Charlotte Brook | Deputy Principal
Opera Queensland - The Adventures of Figaro
Our College was swept up in a whirlwind of colourful costumes, catchy tunes, and contagious laughter as Opera Queensland, in creative collaboration with Shake & Stir Theatre Co., brought The Adventures of Figaro to life right here on campus!
It was a high-energy show where students experienced the wonder of opera in a fun, relatable, and hilarious way!
Bravo to this talented trio who made opera feel cool, current, and captivating.
Emelia Surch – World University Games Bronze Medallist!
Emelia Surch
Congratulations to 2021 graduate and current athletics coach at the College, Emelia Surch, who has made the A.B. Paterson College community incredibly proud, claiming bronze in the heptathlon at the FISU World University Games in Germany – with a personal best total of 6068 points!
Coached by Olympic gold medallist, Glynnis Nunn, Emelia made her presence felt from day one of the games, posting strong results in the 100m hurdles (13.95), high jump (1.71m), shot put (12.67m) and 200m (24.89), positioning herself among the leaders.
But it was on day two where Emelia delivered a clutch performance:
Emelia threw a massive javelin personal best of 42.13m on her final attempt
She shaved three seconds off her 800m best, finishing in 2:13.66
Now an inspiring coach for our Athletics Program, Emelia’s success on the world stage shows our students what’s possible with passion, persistence, and hard work.
Matt Stopel | Acting Director of Co-Curricular Activities
Speech & Drama News
We have had an exciting start to Term 3. Prep and Year 1 students really enjoyed creating some very imaginative stories with puppets.
The Somerset Young Performers Festival will be held on 23 & 24 August. The program for this event will be out on Friday 1 August and you will be emailed about days and times of performances. Please encourage and listen to your child’s pieces so that they will feel confident.
Gold Coast Eisteddfod for Speech & Drama will be held from 1 to 18 September. Performance days and times have been sent out already. All pieces need to be memorised by Week 4.
I am thrilled to see students using their new found techniques and watching them blossom with confidence. Keep up the good work.
Yours in Drama
Sue Howell | Speech & Drama Tutor
Book Week Creative Competition
The College Libraries are pleased to announce another creative opportunity for our students to be involved in the upcoming Book Week, which we will celebrate in Week 10 of this term (Monday 15 Sept to Thurs 18 Sept).
Students in Pre-Prep to Year 3 are invited to create their own adventure character, and Year 4 to Year 6 students can build an adventure world.
Please click on the links below for flyers with more information or drop into the Lilly Pilly Learning Centre or The Homestead.
Got questions or want to lend a hand? The Uniform Shop team would love to hear from you! Call us at (07) 5561 4131, or if you are keen to volunteer, reach out directly to Jessica Chapman at uniformshop@abpat.qld.edu.au.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
FUN RUN Opportunity at Dreamworld
On Sunday 17 August there is a FUN RUN opportunity at Dreamworld Theme Park.
Make FUN RUN memories and register for our 5km Fun Run supporting LIVIN, or the 2km Junior Dash supporting Guide Dogs Queensland, where you will weave through Dreamworld and Whitewater World, and enjoy plenty of entertainment along the way! Meet your favourite characters and enjoy sensory experiences like bubbles, artificial snow and a colour smash!
Prefer to walk it, skip or hop along? That's perfectly okay!
This is a fun event that would be great for all Brumbies, Junior Brumbies and parents of Brumbies to attend.
