Dear Somerset community
The Weekend Australian Magazine recently wrote an article about what many are calling the greatest social experiment, in providing smartphones to children. The article entitled The kids are not alright has taken a broad look at phone use by this generation of children, both at home and school.
There was nothing new or earth-shattering in the report. We know the overwhelming dangers of social media and the impact it is having on the social and emotional wellbeing of our children. So many issues we deal with both at home and school are linked to online activity, that extend from bullying on one extreme, to sexting and other inappropriate interactions on the other.
We also know the incredible amount of time our children are spending at home and sometimes at school, on these devices. Psychologically, the platforms are designed to keep you scrolling or checking in. We know that schools are trying to ban or heavily minimise phones, but continue to struggle with this. We know the government is implementing changes that they hope will increase the age at which children can access some of the platforms, although, I’m sure many will manage to work their way around this. But we also know there is now a growing number of parents who are actively working together to try and withhold smartphones from our children until they are much older.
I appreciate the push to ban phones in schools or at various events and outdoor experiences, which makes it easier for us to teach and engage, but sadly, all this does is push the interactions back into the home, making it even harder for parents to navigate. My wife Elizabeth and I have journeyed through this, and with four young adult children, it was often incredibly hard to take a stand and have very clear rules around time and place for use within our home, as well as teaching the value of face-to-face communication and discernment. These challenges are probably even harder for parents now, a decade on, and phone addiction is still lethal for the teenage brain.
I have spent many years watching and reflecting on this and wondering what the solution might be and I’ve come to the hard conclusion that the best solution may be to acknowledge the undeniable damage these devices are doing to our young people and continue to advocate for a reprioritisation of the age at which we provide a smart phone to our children; but also to reflect on our own use. To clarify, I think the old fashioned Nokia style phone, that allows you to ring or text is still a great tool and one I support for teenagers. When we are running late, or a training session is cancelled, a quick text is great. The danger is the smartphone that provides unlimited and unchecked access.
So, I think schools have begun to embrace their challenge in endeavouring to minimise the impact a phone has during the school day, but the next step is for our community to embrace a similar stance. For many senior school parents, the horse has already bolted, and I simply want to encourage you to stay strong on keeping boundaries around the home and the amount of time students have access to their devices.
For those in the junior school, I do want to acknowledge the work a number of our parents are doing in this space, encouraging a much later access to a smartphone, and I understand they will be holding events to further support families. In addition, we have booked Wait Mate for our conversation evening in Term 4. In the coming weeks, our aim is to bring a lot of these resources and opportunities together on Schoolbox as a place to support parents, and we will continue to talk about this in the weeks ahead.
As some of you may know, when we work together collaboratively, we can achieve so much more, and this is a great example of this.
Best wishes
Chris Ivey
Headmaster
We are proud to share that Somerset College student Jackson has been shortlisted in the Economics category of the John Locke Institute 2025 Global Essay Prize, an extraordinary achievement given the competition attracted over 63,000 entrants worldwide.
The John Locke Institute Essay Competition is one of the most distinguished global platforms for pre-university students, encouraging critical thinking, research, and persuasive argumentation across a range of disciplines, including philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, and more. To be recognised among such a large and talented field is a testament to Jackson’s intellectual curiosity and academic ability.
In this week’s message, the Headmaster reflects on the importance of gratitude and empathy, sharing a personal story from a recent trip. He highlights Somerset’s commitment to service-learning opportunities, such as the Homeless Sleepout and Myall Creek, that foster personal growth and responsibility.
As NAPLAN results spark discussion across the country, the Headmaster reflects on Somerset College’s strong performance and the importance of using these results to improve, not compare. He highlights the need to balance explicit teaching in literacy and numeracy with inquiry and curiosity, as embodied in the PYP and MYP programs. Looking ahead, the College remains committed to continuous professional learning to ensure high-quality teaching and well-rounded student development.
Attending the Griffith High School Mooting Competition alongside two of my peers, William and Dylan, was an incredibly rewarding and insightful experience. The competition gave us a deeper understanding of the law and helped us build confidence in our public speaking and quick-thinking skills. Mooting in front of the judges allowed us to receive valuable feedback that helped us reflect on how we could improve our performance for future moots.
Most importantly, my peers and I are thankful for our coach Lilliana, who taught us so much about how to structure arguments, speak with confidence, understand the law and respond effectively under pressure. We’re incredibly grateful for the time and effort she put into helping the team improve, and her support gave us the confidence to perform at our best.
Alongside our coach, we were fortunate to practice with two guest judges who gave us thoughtful feedback before the competition to ensure we were prepared. The experience was challenging yet fun, and it’s something that I will carry with me as I continue to explore my interest in law.
Dear Somerset Community
Last Friday, we celebrated our 43rd Founders' Day, and I was again reminded of the incredible story of the founding of our College. As part of the day, I was privileged to spend time with people who were on the founding Board in 1983, and their partners who were pivotal in so many ways in ensuring the College was up and running for its first day.
As I listened to their stories, I was humbled by their vision, courage, their commitment and their persistence. The coast was a very different place over four decades ago, when things weren’t going to plan, or others said it wouldn’t work, they pushed through and found a solution. Somerset is today, because of our founders, people of immense vision, insight, energy and a lot of faith. I shared with the students on Friday that there is a lot we can learn from our founders, but more importantly, it’s important to acknowledge what they have done, by embodying some of the resourceful qualities they demonstrated in those early years.
When I think of courage, resilience and commitment, I can’t go past one of my favourite events, the Kokoda Challenge. I was so encouraged to hear of the teams who participated last weekend. I competed in my first Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge in 2009, and with a group of Year 10 boys we undertook the 48km challenge. Over the years, I have competed in around 7 challenges, with different teams, doing different courses (as they now run Kokoda Challenge across multiple sites), but what still stands out for me is the opportunity this and so many other events we offer provide to our students that allow our students to develop these character building skills.
One of the mistakes we can so often make as adults is to try and protect our children by not allowing them to engage with activities that may be uncomfortable or at times, challenging. The ability to cope with adversity needs to be built, like a muscle. Next week, our Year 8 camp will be a chance for our year 8 students to try something new, possibly experience some challenges. As educators we know that the benefit of engaging with these events is so invaluable to their long term well-being and just as importantly, they take place in a safe and secure environment, and this is so important for adolescents.
One of our challenges as parents and educators is to make sure we ask the right questions on their return. It’s often easy to go to the default, how was the food, how sore are your feet, did you get cold? But reflective questions like, what did you learn about yourself, what did you learn about others, what did you discover about nature, are where the real learning takes place. Sadly many schools and organisations are moving away from these sorts of opportunities and sometimes we even see it with our own parents who don’t send their children.
I do want to encourage all parents to look at the long term benefits of opportunities where your children are challenged and where they develop life long skills. We all stand on the shoulders of those who went before who had these skills. Our founders had no choice. They had committed to something big and at times hard and so they had to push through. Like our Kokoda teams, once you start the race, you need to finish, no matter how long it takes and so for all that we offer here at Somerset, let’s see these opportunities for what they are, the chance for our students to learn more about themselves and others and develop those skills that will enable them to achieve their personal success beyond Somerset College.
The Headmaster's message this week highlights Somerset College's commitment to developing students of character, preparing them for a rapidly changing world—a focus on holistic education, skill development, and a strategy that nurtures the whole child.
The Senior School Swimming National Championships splashed into Brisbane from 26–31 July, and Somerset was right in the action!
Seventeen talented Somerset swimmers competed at the championships, with eight representing Queensland and showcasing their skills on the national stage. The Somerset Swim Club also made waves, with 14 swimmers racing hard, including one standout swimmer representing NSW. It was an incredible week of speed, skill, and school spirit!
National Champions:
Kasia (14 yrs)
• 1st – 100m & 200m Breaststroke
• 2nd – 50m Breaststroke
• 1st – 4x50m Medley Relay
Olympia (17–19 yrs)
• 1st – 4x50m Mixed Medley Relay (New Record!)
• 2nd – 100m, 200m & 50m Breaststroke
• 2nd – 4x50m Medley Relay
Leny (16 yrs)
• 1st – 100m & 50m Breaststroke, 200m & 400m IM, 200m Breaststroke
• 3rd – 4x50m Medley Relay
Cohen (15 yrs)
• 1st 4x50m Medley Relay (New Record!)
• 1st 4x50m Mixed Medley Relay
• 2nd 100m & 50m Breaststroke
• 3rd 200m Breaststroke
Ryan (17–19 yrs)
• 1st – 100m & 200m Breaststroke, 200m IM
• 2nd – 400m IM
• 3rd – 50m Breaststroke
• 3rd – 4x50m Medley Relay
Medalists
Sophia (13 yrs) – 100m & 50m Breaststroke
Finalists
• Holly (17–19 yrs) – 5th 50m Breaststroke
• Sasha (17–19 yrs) – 4th 50m Freestyle, 4x50m Medley Relay
These results are a testament to the strength, dedication, and talent within Somerset’s swimming programme. Congratulations to all our swimmers!
What a weekend in Bundaberg for Somerset’s young cyclists! 🚴♂️
Lucas Soegaard (Year 10) and Rohan Fox (Year 3) dominated the Queensland State Road Cycling Championships, bringing home a clean sweep across all three disciplines:
Despite being just 8 years old, Rohan demonstrated incredible grit and composure in the Junior U11 category, earning State Champion status in all three races.
Lucas (Junior U17), fine-tuning his form ahead of the AUS Cycling National Championships, was equally impressive, also claiming the State Champion title across the board.
After a well-deserved recovery week, the athletes will return to action on Saturday, 19 July, at the QLD State Duathlon Championships in Toowoomba, joining the Somerset Triathlon Academy for a run/cycle/run challenge.
📸 @steverichter.photographer
What a weekend it was for our Spartan Rowers, who took on the challenge of the South Queensland Championships! This major event brought together some of the strongest crews in the region, testing every athlete with high-level competition and even some strong winds, across a huge two days of racing.
Against fierce competition, our Spartans rose to the occasion, showing resilience, teamwork, and grit. The results speak for themselves: multiple medals, personal bests, and an incredible 6th overall in the region.
🥇🥈🥉 Medal Highlights
Gold: Ethan (Boys Yr 9 Single), Boys Yr 9 Quad (Ethan, Ed, Charlie, Hayden, Cox Elijah)
Silver: Byron & Luke (Boys Open Pair), Ethan and Ed (Boys Yr 9 Double), Lila (Girls Yr 8 Single)
Bronze: Misha (Boys Yr 8 Single), Girls Yr 8 Quad (Lila, Alba, Ava, Isabella, Cox Garin), Misha and Ezra (Boys Yr 8 Double), Charlie and Hayden (Boys Yr 9 Double), Open Boys Four (Luke, Max, Michael, Byron, Cox Elijah)
A special shout-out to Amelie who was awarded Tournament MVP for her leadership and skill, and to coach Issy Garland, whose guidance and dedication were key to the girls’ success.
Early Starts & Extra Effort
Some of our Spartans went even further, starting at 3:30am on Sunday to race in the South Coast regional time trial. Congratulations to our five rowers selected for the Under 17s and Opens South Coast quads:
A massive congratulations to all our rowers and a heartfelt thank you to our coaches for their tireless support across such a demanding weekend.
Next stop - Queensland School State Championships in September. Let’s go, Spartans!
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