As students returned to Penquite for the start of Semester 2, there was a sense of excitement and optimism in the air. The energy at the beginning of our recent assembly was palpable as students reconnected with friends, teachers and the routines of College life after the holiday break. It provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on the type of community we want to continue building together over the coming months.

In my address, I shared the story of Norway’s recent success in international football. After 28 years without qualifying for a major tournament, the Norwegian team captured the imagination of its nation during this year’s World Cup. What stood out was not only the team’s performance on the field, but also the way players, supporters and the wider community united behind a common purpose. I spoke to students about how, throughout those 28 years, there were periods when the team and its supporters were not always rowing in the same direction. This year’s campaign, however, was characterised by a strong sense of unity, belief and collective effort, with an entire nation seemingly pulling together towards a common goal.

One of the most memorable sights was the celebration that followed each victory, with players and supporters joining in a synchronised rowing motion. Simple yet powerful, it became a symbol of a nation moving forward together and a reminder that success is rarely achieved through individual effort alone.

At our recent assembly, I challenged Penquite students to embrace that same mindset throughout Semester 2. Rowing together means being kind and respectful in our interactions, making thoughtful decisions, contributing our ideas and strengths, and seeking to be a positive presence within our College community each day.

As the semester unfolds, we hope to maintain the enthusiasm and momentum that was so evident at our opening assembly. When we work together towards a common purpose, we strengthen our culture, support one another and create the conditions for everyone to thrive. I look forward to seeing all that our students achieve during what promises to be a rewarding and successful Semester 2.

Ross Patterson
Principal

From celebrating 100 Days of Prep to hearing directly from students during our Principal’s Lunches, it has been a wonderful start to Term 3. These special moments celebrate the confidence, growth and connections that make our College community so unique, while reminding us that every student’s voice matters.

The cast is ready. The band is ready. The stage is set.

One of the things that makes school productions so special is that they only happen once. This is a very short season, and once it’s over, it’s over. There won’t be another opportunity to see this cast perform this production together.

So if you’ve been thinking about coming along, now is the time to secure your tickets. Bring your family, invite your friends, and help us celebrate the extraordinary work of our students and staff. Your support means a great deal to everyone involved and helps create the atmosphere that makes live theatre so special.

Don’t miss Hadestown: Teen Edition, brought to life by our exceptional student performers.

Secure your seats now before performances sell out.

Horton Auditorium
Wednesday 12 August – Saturday 15 August
Book now: https://events.humanitix.com/hadestownteen

“To the world we dream about… and the one we live in now.”

As part of our continuous improvement process, all parents and carers will soon be invited to share feedback on their experience of the College across a wide range of areas.

The research will be conducted by MMG Education, a specialist education consultancy that works with schools in the areas of school strategic reviews and stakeholder satisfaction. MMG’s client schools include many schools across Australia.

Parents and carers will be invited to complete questionnaires over a two-week period commencing on Monday 17 August .  Detailed communication about the survey will be sent to the community next week.

Joel Brewer
Director of Marketing, Communications and Community 

This Term, our whole of College Wellbeing focus is the Learner Attribute of Self-Regulation. Self-regulation is an important skill that helps children recognise, understand and manage their emotions, behaviours and attention so they can engage positively in learning, play and relationships.

Throughout the Term, students will be exploring two key “I Can” statements:

I can notice and name my feelings.
I can identify what I need to be ready to learn and play.

Developing self-regulation skills in the primary years provides children with a strong foundation for both academic success and social-emotional wellbeing. When students can recognise how they are feeling and understand what they need, they are better equipped to manage challenges, solve problems, persevere with learning and build positive relationships with others.

Self-regulation is supported through teaching and learning experiences within our wellbeing programs. Students in Early Learning engage with Friendology, which helps children develop friendship skills, emotion awareness and positive social interactions. Students from Prep to Year 5 participate in Wellio, a comprehensive wellbeing program that supports emotional literacy, resilience, self-awareness and strategies for managing emotions and behaviour.

Importantly, we recognise that self-regulation is not simply a skill that students learn through lessons. A student’s ability to self-regulate is also influenced by the environment and context in which they are learning, playing and interacting. Factors such as feeling safe, connected, understood and supported all contribute to a student’s capacity to regulate their emotions and behaviours effectively.

We encourage families to support this learning at home by talking about a range of feelings, helping children identify what they need when they are feeling challenged, and celebrating their growing ability to recognise and respond to their feelings.

Renee Hodgetts
Director of Wellbeing – Elphin

We warmly invite you to join us for our Annual Fathers’ Day Breakfast on Friday 4 September 2026.

Following positive feedback about how much our community value our Mother’s and Fathers’ Day events, we also heard a clear desire to increase capacity and make these occasions more inclusive. We listened and, through collaboration with staff and our community, have slightly refreshed this year’s format to create more space for everyone to attend, connect and enjoy time together. There is no limit on guest numbers, so families are warmly encouraged to invite all the special people in their child’s life.

Join fathers, grandfathers and other supportive figures for breakfast in HPEC@Elphin from 7:30 am to 8:30 am. This special occasion provides a wonderful opportunity for students and their parents, carers and loved ones to spend quality time together while sharing in the spirit of the Scotch Oakburn College community.

We encourage you to book as soon as possible. Please remember to reserve a ticket for each child attending.

Book your tickets now via this link

For further information, please contact the Community and Events team on 6336 3368 or community@soc.tas.edu.au.

We look forward to celebrating with you.

Nicole Willcox
Community and Events Manager

For her EY8 community passion project, titled The Next Chapter, Year 8 student Chloe Annis has started a book drive to help encourage young people to read. Chloe is looking for books that suit students in Years 2 to 7.

Chloe said “I love reading and I chose this project to help other students find books to read that they love, and I hope they will keep reading”. There are book donation drop-off boxes in conneXions at the Elphin Campus, the Penquite library, and Middle School reception.

Anyone who can assist with donations, Chloe would be most appreciative.

Our Year 4 students recently enjoyed an engaging excursion to Hollybank Forest, facilitated by the Forest Education Foundation. The experience provided a valuable opportunity to connect classroom learning from our HASS and Science units completed last term, with further learning to continue in the early part of this term.

Guided by knowledgeable educators, students explored the diversity and connections of producers, consumers and decomposers within forest ecosystems, developing a deeper understanding of the role trees play in supporting life. They also searched for evidence of consumers living in the forest and participated in a hands-on food chain activity that helped bring ecosystem relationships to life.

A highlight of the day was the shelter-building challenge, where students worked collaboratively to construct shelters using materials found on the forest floor. This activity encouraged teamwork, creativity and problem-solving while fostering an appreciation for the natural environment.

Students also learned about palawa Country and the ways Tasmania’s First Nations Peoples have traditionally used and cared for the resources provided by the land. This important learning deepened students’ understanding of the connection between culture, people and place.

The excursion was a wonderful opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in an authentic setting and develop a greater appreciation for Tasmania’s unique forest ecosystems. We thank the Forest Education Foundation for providing such a memorable and enriching experience.

Danielle Pickett
Teacher

AI presents tremendous opportunities for education, and as a College we are continually exploring how it can be used in the classroom to enhance, extend and engage in learning. However, the technology also presents significant challenges and one of these is the impact of generative AI on academic integrity (often termed AIgiarism), where work created by AI is presented as a student’s own.

In order to minimise the impact of AIgiarism, the College is implementing a number of measures, including clear communication of any permitted AI use as standard practice for all assessment tasks. We are also redesigning assessments to include more in-class writing, process portfolios and oral presentations. However, it is not practical for all assessment tasks to be AI-proofed, particularly those that are TASC-mandated work requirements, and for this reason we must have measures in place to respond to suspicions of AIgiarism.

We know that AI detectors have limited reliability and, unlike traditional plagiarism detectors which can link to a source, their results can’t be verified. Teachers may use AI detectors as a signal that AI has been used, but will not base an accusation of AIgiarism on this alone. Rather, suspicions that AI has been used inappropriately are usually based on disparity between work produced in class and work produced at home, or on a misalignment between the work submitted and the expectations of the task.

If a teacher believes that generative AI has been used inappropriately on an assessment task, they may put the task through multiple AI detectors in order to see consistent patterns and findings; ask current or past teachers to also review the student’s work; and speak with the student to ask them to explain their ideas and choices.

Despite the inherent limitations of AI detection, it is essential that teachers are able to trust the authenticity of student work. Because educators can’t prove that AI has been used, we are moving to a practice where students must take responsibility for proving that they have not used AI. The best way they can do this is by retaining all drafts, notes and AI prompts used in producing their assignments. All assignments must be completed while connected to the College’s OneDrive, using a Microsoft product that allows the version history to be saved. If students do not comply with these requirements, and are unable to prove that the work is their own, we must conclude that the authenticity of their work is in question and apply our Academic Integrity Policy.

We recognise that this is an unprecedented approach to suspected academic misconduct, but the rise of generative AI presents unprecedented challenges to the integrity of our results and grades. Our approach to academic integrity in the age of AI will be clearly communicated to students when tasks are assigned to enable their compliance with these expectations.

Kate Gard
Director of Teaching & Learning- Penquite

Our students participated in the second interschool chess tournament of the year at Riverside High School in the last week of Term 2. It was a combined tournament of Primary and Secondary teams, with the College having 21 Primary participants (including 2 Year 6 students) and a reduced Secondary team of six students as Year 10 and TCE students were absent.

Our students performed superbly and showed grit, enthusiasm, and fair play all day.

Our Primary team finished third overall with Year 5 students Jason Wu and Charles Clifton scoring five wins out of six matches.  Year 4 students Pip Will, Charlie Tan, Theo Gillespie, and Year 5s Charlie Wood, Phillip Yuvchenko, and Floyd Gordon all achieved 4 points out of 6.

Our Secondary team finished fourth with an impressive performance of three wins out of six or more for many of the players. Angelo Wickramanayaka Arachchilage (Year 7) has an outstanding event with only one loss (achieving five points). He finished fifth in the individual competition, while Year 9 students Bowen Yang Sun and Anu Bhattharai scored four and Henry Chilcott, three and a half.

We congratulate all players for a fun and very enjoyable display of brain power.

Fabrice Dauchez and Riley Jones
Persons-in-Charge of Chess

We are excited to begin Semester 2 Student Representative Council (SRC) meetings at Elphin this Term. Class nominations for Year 1-4 SRC representatives will be shared with students on Monday 9 August, with the first Semester 2 SRC meeting to be held on Thursday 13 August.

This Term, SRC members will continue supporting and building on the initiatives developed by our Semester 1 class representatives. Students will also be assisting with the donation of much needed items for our wider Launceston community to the City Mission organisation, an initiative that was first inspired by current Year 1 student Arthur Gordon in 2025. Further information will be shared with families about items to donate and where these donations can be made at Elphin Campus, next week. We look forward to continuing to make a positive difference in our community.

The SRC is also supported by our Year 5 Round Square Captains, who work alongside students to encourage leadership and service opportunities across the school.

Participation in the SRC helps students develop valuable skills including leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, organisation, decision-making, confidence, active citizenship, and community service. Through representing their peers and contributing to school initiatives, students learn how their voices can create positive change.

We look forward to another Semester of student leadership and community action.

Renee Hodgetts
Director of Wellbeing – Elphin

It’s been a busy and rewarding start to Term 3. Many of our students have been involved in Community Service events.

Values in Action

During the July holiday period, Maki Fulton, Grace Watters, Jett Upson and Ryan Lifshen volunteered with Vinnies as part of their Buddy Day activities on 23 July 2026. The day was spent at Launceston Lanes, and our students had a wonderful day supporting 8 young people to have a wonderful and fun day.

Last week, 9 students in Years 10-12 volunteered to assist with the Cancer Council Tasmania annual gala event, 2026 Daffodil Gala Ball held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Saturday evening 1 August 2026. Students allow gave up their school day to assist with the event set-up on Friday 31 July 2026. Students had a wonderful time welcoming guests and assisting with the evening festivities.

Award recognition

In 2025, then Year 9 students, Grady Firth, Luke Veldhuis, Charlie Graham, Owen Copestick, Patrick Russell, Dougal Johnston, Fergus McBroom and Ollie Routley volunteered at the City Mission Uptipity site at the Mowbray Waste Management Centre during our Service in Our Community week in Term 4. Through their dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to serve others, they made a significant impact on the work of City Mission and the broader community.

In recognition of their exceptional efforts, the site manager, David Stearnes, nominated our program for the City Mission Associate of the Month Award, which was subsequently awarded to the group. We are delighted that the students themselves were formally recognised for their contribution and commitment to community service last Friday.

Homelessness Week 2026

This week, 20 students in Years 11 and 12 participated in an event organised by St Vincent de Paul Society joined City Mission, The Salvation Army and Shelter Tasmania to host an annual walk in Launceston for Homelessness Week. The walk took us through the Launceston CBD from City Park to Royal Park to raise awareness for of Homelessness.

This was an opportunity for our students us to come together with our community, raise awareness of homelessness, and show our support for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in our region.  Year 12 Student Executive member and Community Liaison representative, Maddie Hassell, was interviewed and appeared on 7 News Tasmania. You can see her interview here.

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The many service opportunities undertaken by our students so far this Term are a powerful demonstration of our College Values in action. Whether supporting young people through Vinnies Buddy Day, assisting at the Cancer Council Daffodil Gala Ball, serving the community through City Mission, or raising awareness during Homelessness Week, our students have shown compassion, respect, integrity and a genuine commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

Through these experiences, students are encouraged to look beyond themselves and respond to the needs of their community. We thank all students who have generously given their time and energy in support of others and continue to be positive ambassadors for our College.

Jamie Breden
Head of Faith and Community

SWIMMING

Congratulations to Sophie Tan, Sienna Nesbit, Jessica Llowe, Steve Hanson and Jorja Geale who recently swam for Tasmania at the School Sports Australia Swimming Championships.

Highland Dancing

Year 6 student Minke Nel has achieved great success at the recent Highland Dancing Championships held in Gosford. Minke competed in the 12 Years Championship and achieved some fantastic results, third in the Highland Fling, sixth in Seann Triubhas, the Reel and overall in the Championship, and winner of the Highest Restricted 12 Years Old Scorer Award.

Minke also competed in the Restricted Premier Titles 12 and 13 Years age group, achieving second in the Earl of Errol, first in the Lilt, third in the Blue Bonnets and first in the Village Maid. In the Pre-Championship 12 and 13 Years section, she achieved third in Seann Triubhas and fourth in the Reel.

Netball

A wonderful achievement for Macie Petterwood (Year 11), who recently travelled to Canberra and the AIS to participate in the U17s National training camp. She has now been selected as part of the U17s Australian Netball Squad.

Cross Country

Congratulations to Chloe Horsman, Sarah Horsman, Olivia Raff, Joshua Mau, Jakai Wescombe, Isla Powell-Dean, Katie Hyde, and Charlie Wood on their selection in the Tasmanian Cross Country Team for the 2026 Australian Cross Country Championships.

The Championships will be held at Victoria Park, Ballarat from Saturday 22 August to Sunday 23 August.

Athletes were selected based on their performances at the Tasmanian All Schools Cross Country Championships in June and the Tasmanian Cross Country Championships in July.

We are proud to see so many of our Scotch Oakburn students earn the opportunity to represent Tasmania on the national stage and we wish them every success as they prepare for competition.

Basketball

Congratulations to Year 7 students Violet Allanson, Georgina Chilcott on their selection to compete at the Basketball National Club Championships in Western Australia as members of the U14  Girls Northern Tasmanian team. The event will take place in late September.

Ali Foot
Head of Sport