Somerset Times | Term Four, 2025

As we approach the final weeks of the school year, our focus in the Junior School turns intentionally toward student wellbeing, guided by our Pastoral Care Framework. This term, we have centred our conversations and classroom practices around three key areas, Safety, Learning, and Respect, all of which help our young people finish the year with confidence, connection, and care for themselves and others.

As the Somerset Bell rings to mark their final ‘pens down’, we honour the Class of 2025 for their dedication, optimism, and determination. Deputy Head of College – Studies, Mrs Michele Sauer, reflects on their journey and the friendships, lessons, and stories that will stay with them long after graduation.

Throughout the year, I have spent a lot of time listening and reflecting on feedback as we begin to formulate a Strategic Plan with the Board and Leadership team for the next five to 10 years for our College.

Part of this has been to look at our teaching and learning and respond to the diverse challenges ahead. As a secondary educator myself, I have always understood the immense importance of the early years of learning. It is in these years when strong foundations in literacy and numeracy are laid, where a child develops and sustains a love for learning, and we encourage and promote creativity. As I have written in the past, these concepts are not an ‘or’, rather an ‘and’. We need to get the balance right.

There are constant pressures on the curriculum, the impacts of AI, the appropriate use of technology, the need to nurture social and emotional skills and so the list goes on. However, with all this, we absolutely must ensure we give our students every opportunity for academic and personal success from the moment they join our Junior School and to my mind, the quality of our literacy and numeracy programmes is still paramount.

We have employed a full-time Junior School Numeracy Coach from 2026. Ms Jacinda Kontoleon, an alumni from 1998 and her focus next year will be on supporting and coaching our staff in their teaching of numeracy, looking at how we plan and implement our numeracy programme and then working with individual and small groups of students to ensure that as students move from Prep through to Year 6, they have a strong and sequential numeracy learning journey.

Somerset has passionate and dedicated teachers across the College and part of our Strategic Plan is to ensure that in the years ahead, we continue to provide them with the skills and opportunities to grow as educators, to stay on the front foot when it comes to innovation in education, and to have the knowledge and pedagogical skills to give of their best to our students.

I do want to acknowledge the work our teachers do each and every day, and as we look to invest in their learning in the years ahead, I am confident this will be of benefit to our entire community.

Dear Somerset Community

Welcome back to Term 4 and what a busy start it’s been as we’ve begun to celebrate the end of year successes of our students and support our Year 12s as they move toward the end of their Somerset journey.

As I have shared previously, we are so thankful to all parents who participated in the 2025 MMG Survey. Your strong response rate of 69% demonstrates a highly engaged and supportive College community and within the feedback there are areas to celebrate and there are also areas for growth.

At Somerset College, our Outdoor Education program is far more than time spent away from campus, it is a carefully structured journey of personal growth, leadership, and connection. Each camp from Year 7 to Year 11 has been designed to challenge, inspire, and prepare students for life beyond the classroom.

In recent years, this journey has been strengthened through the introduction of the Rites of Passage (ROP) framework, in partnership with the Rites of Passage Institute. This framework provides meaningful structure and purpose to the adolescent years, guiding students as they navigate the transition from childhood to young adulthood.

Pastoral Care is at the core of the Somerset Experience, for our students, our staff, and our community. This week, we are proud to share insights from two perspectives: our Deputy Head – Pastoral, Mrs Allison Foster, on how our Pastoral Care programme helps develop the whole child and how it continues to evolve to meet the needs of our students. Our Head of Junior School, Ms Rebecca Collie, continues the theme, with how the Junior School’s Pastoral Care focus has been through Ubuntu, an African philosophy UBUNTU – “I am because we are.” Together, these perspectives demonstrate how we are fostering a culture that brings together the academic and pastoral care spheres across the College as we develop character and give our students the opportunity for personal success with a global outlook.

From national sporting triumphs to creative milestones, the ceremony showcased the breadth of student success across the College, honouring those who have not only excelled in performance but also embodied leadership, teamwork, and integrity.

Junior B (SOM 2) – Division Champions
Audrey, Aadhya, Jemma, and Zoe

Junior A (SOM 4) – Runners-Up
Angela, Anni, Cathy, Amelie, and Harper

Intermediate A (SOM 4) – Runners-Up
Sofia, Ella, Emma, Xinyi, and Ailin

Open A (SOM 1) – Division Champions
Kseniia, Abhiraj, Olivia, and Tony

Open A Speaker of the Debate: Abhiraj

With two division championships, two runner-up titles, and the overall Champion School trophy, Somerset’s results reflect not only talent and preparation but also a culture of curiosity, confidence, and respect for diverse perspectives.