Category: Sport

Diving Shearwaters

25/2/2019

Blue skies and a hot sun graced our swimming carnival on Tuesday February 12. The High School students started the day off with a splash and we had some great participation, especially from our younger students. Jack Russell won the inaugural doggy paddle while Oliver Pickering swam the fastest lap of the day with a slim 28 seconds for the 50m freestyle.

The Primary students arrived at the pool for the afternoon on a wave of enthusiasm. As the temperature increased, so did the participation level, with the Great Class Race luring many students into the pool. The effort in the pool was matched by those in the grandstand as the younger students eagerly cheered on their peers.

A big thanks goes to the Year 11 PDHPE class and the Year 7 student volunteers who were fantastic time keepers, along with our wonderful parent helpers. You all did a very professional job and made the day run smoothly. Thanks also to all the staff who helped out with extra duties, including the maintenance crew who were there from start to finish to help set up and pack up all the gear, along with the PDHPE faculty. Thanks to Craig and his team at the Mullum Pool for having us and thanks to all the students for competing in a fun and friendly manner… even if they didn’t let the staff relay team win.

Congratulations to all of the swimmers who qualified for the NCIS Regional Swimming Carnival in Alstonville this Thursday when a team of 35 Shearwaters will be competing against other independent school in the Northern Rivers for a chance to swim at the state titles. We look forward to seeing our students compete in some happy and healthy sporting competition. Stay tuned for further results.

Emma Sweeney
High School Sport Coordinator

Chess Tournament

21/11/2018

Last week, 11 of our elite Shearwater chess players attended their final interschool chess tournament for 2018, at St Joseph's Primary School in Alstonville. With over six different schools and various age divisions competing, our students showed great talent and exceptional manners in what turned out to be another fantastic social event. Their energy and effort resulted in some fantastic achievements, evidence of their continuous cycle of strategic learning.
Beau Devonshire

Term 3 Sport

27/9/2018

Term 3 was very busy for sports at Shearwater. We sent representatives from our school to the North Coast Independent Schools (NCIS) regional athletics and, for the first time, we entered the NCIS tennis and netball competitions.

The athletics carnival was held at Coffs Harbour and the tennis and netball competitions were held in Grafton during some very wet weather. It was wonderful to see the student’s enthusiasm and dedication as they represented the school at these events.

Participants in the regional Athletics carnival had a very successful day with four students continuing on to represent our school at the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) state athletics carnival in Sydney - Elvis Wallace, Matilda Vial, Wyana Pietramale-Sewell and Ezra Pitman-Blackley.

At this event, Matilda came 1st in the 200m, with a time of 28.60s, and 1st in the long jump, with a distance of 4.28m. She also came in 2nd in the 100m, with a time of 13.76s. Ezra came 4th in the shot put, with a distance of 11.24m; Elvis came in 21st in the high jump, at 1.20 metres, and Wyana achieved 23rd place in the long jump, with a distance of 3.56m.

We would like to congratulate all student participants in these events with a special mention to Matilda who has been selected for the CIS team and will continue on to the next level of competition.

It was a joy to take so many energetic and engaged students to an inter-school sporting event. Big thanks to Emma, Sonia and Rhys for helping out on the day and all the parents that came along to offer their support.

Magnum Brotto
PDHPE

A pirate's life for… the Marine Studies students

21/8/2018

What is a pirate's favourite letter?
R?
You’d think so… but actually it’s the C!
This term the Year 11 Marine Studies students have been working towards obtaining their boat licences, venturing out on the School boat with Nick, to tick off their practical hours. Last week, they sat their theory exam and all passed. This week, they headed down to the Roads and Maritime Centre in Ballina to finalise the paperwork and pick up their new licences.
The Year 12s have worked hard to complete their Personal Interest Projects, which will be on display at the HSC Showcase at the beginning of next month. There was a wide variety of projects submitted, from cool colouring books to slick hydro foils, emotion art pieces, inspiring business ideas and much more.
The students working towards their Advanced Dive certificate clocked up more diving hours last week with Gerard. Learning to navigate underwater along the bottom of the Tweed River, the students removed a large volume of fishing line in the process, a perfect segue into our next unit of Commercial and Recreational Fishing. The students are hooked.
Emma Sweeney
High School Sport Coordinator

Diamonds Shine: Shearwater Athletics Carnival 2018

21/8/2018

Congratulations Silver Diamonds, Athletics Champions 2018, you proved that when placed under pressure, you shine brightest! Shearwater's 2018 Carnival was a great day and those who attended competed in a happy and humble manner, with a total of 38 records broken on the day - a record of records. Matilda Vial from Class 5 equalled one and broke three individual records, as did Monica Brandolini in Year 10. Tali Sloane from Year 11 finished the day on a high note, smashing the school high jump record in front of a captivated crowd.
A big thank you to all the staff who helped out on the day. It’s a big day and can only happen with help from many people. Special thanks to the grounds crew who were there from start to finish. A big thank you also goes to the Year 11 student helpers, they did a great job, not only helping run many of the events but also participating and setting a great example for the younger students. Thanks to the sun for shining all day.
Congratulations to the 45 students who qualified for the NCIS Regional Athletics Championships, held down in Coffs Harbour this week. Watch this space for more details!

The results of the 2018 Shearwater Athletics Carnival were:
4th place: 2820: Breakers
3rd place: 3405: Nimbus
2nd place: 3460: Firestormers
1st PLACE: 3860: Silver Diamonds

Emma Sweeney
High School Sports Coordinator

Lucy's dressage win

15/8/2018

Congratulations to Year 9 student Lucy Alati who was named Queensland State Medium Dressage Champion when she competed for Shearwater at the recent inter-school equestrian championships held at Caboolture. The event attracts hundreds of competitors, who must have achieved two qualifying scores at two separate events, and is held over five days. Due to Shearwater's proximity to the border, Lucy is able to compete in the Queensland competition, rather than travelling to Sydney.
Last year Lucy was the National Inter-school Novice Champion. This year, she jumped up two levels and competed in the Medium level dressage. Lucy was awarded an embroidered rug and a perpetual trophy which will have her name and the school’s name on it. She was given the opportunity to compete at the national titles in Victoria. But unfortunately the event clashes with the Year 9 camp to the Northern Territory next month. Well done Lucy!

Australian Schools Marbles Championships

3/7/2018

Congratulations to Class 3 students Oliver Heath and Finley Pichler (pictured above) who won the Australian Schools Marbles Championships held recently in Brunswick Heads. Oliver then went on to win the Junior Australian Marble Championships. Oliver and Finley were the youngest competitors in the event, along with Liminal Casidy, also Class 3, who came second in the individual event. Well done to all the Shearwater participants!

Marine Studies

19/6/2018

Not all classrooms have walls. The Year 11 Marine Studies students have been working towards gaining their boat licences. Students have been working through the theory content online while also receiving real-life lessons from wise man Nick Thorne. Practical boating experience, in the company of an experienced skipper, is a key requirement for obtaining a boat licence. so it is great the students can gain this experience during class time. A boat licence allows students to operate a power-driven vessel on NSW waters over 10 knots and is an important step to obtaining employment in the marine industry.
Speaking of life experiences, students from Years 11 and 12 have also been working towards gaining their Advanced Open Water Dive certificate. This course is designed to advance diving skills and confidence from the Open Water Dive certificate students gain in Year 10. The class recently ventured out to Julian Rocks, in clear, crisp conditions, to clock up some diving time. Diving to 20m for almost an hour, the students hung out with some grey nurse sharks, rays, mulloway, big grouper, eels, and a vast array of other species enjoying the crossover seasonal currents. Those that were not diving enjoyed expanding their lungs doing some free diving on the north side of the rocks, getting up close and personal with a friendly turtle.
Thanks to Sundive for taking us out, Gerard for organising the scuba trips and Nick for being an all round legend. Let’s “sea” what adventures we’ll go on next term.
Emma Sweeney
Marine Studies Teacher

Congratulations Shalev and Pleiades

19/6/2018

Congratulations to Class 6 student Shalev Haver (pictured above) and Class 5 student Pleiades Kerry, both of whom were selected to represent the Far North Coast region in the soccer State Championships in Coffs Harbour over the Queen’s birthday long weekend. Both teams came out on top - marking the first time that the Far North Coast has won this championship - a fantastic effort.

Cross Country

24/5/2018

It was a fresh autumn Friday at Pop Dennison Park in Ballina last week, as students from across the region laced up their runners for the NCIS Regional Cross Country Carnival.
Shearwater had 41 runners represent the school in a happy and humble manner. It was a great day, and all competitors should be proud of their efforts of qualifying for the regional team. The students cheered each other on with genuine enthusiasm, weaving a strong sense of belonging between the primary and secondary runners. Six students qualified for the state championships at the Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney on the 14th June. What a fantastic achievement! We wish Sam Darbyshire, Wyana Pietramale-Sewell, Charlie Heath, Matilda Vial, Star Eichler and Rosa Tansely-Beckerman all the best for the next stage of the competition.
Congratulations to all runners, it was a joy to take so many energetic and engaged students to an inter-school sporting event. Big thanks to Nick Thorne, Magnum Brotto and Beau Devonshire for helping out on the day and all the parents that came along to offer their support.
Emma Sweeney
High School Sports Coordinator

Medals for Matilda

28/3/2018

Congratulations to our lightning-quick Class 5 student Matilda Vial who won gold and silver at the Queensland State athletics championships recently.

With a silver medal for the long jump under her belt, for a distance of 4.24 metres, Matilda then went on to win gold in the U/11 100 metres and 200m sprints, clocking personal best times in both events - 13.61 for the 100m and 28.01 for the 200m.

Matilda also qualified third fastest for the 60m hurdles, finishing fifth in the final.

The athletes arriving in Queensland for the Commonwealth Games this week had better hold onto their hats!

Gabe heads for the Games

8/3/2018

High School Coordinator Gabrielle Karkkainen is heading off to the Commonwealth Games, being held on the Gold Coast next month. Gabe, who is also the High School's PDHPE Coordinator, will be volunteering in the event control room, which is part of the medical team, and will be stationed at the beach volleyball for the entire event. Gabe says she's looking forward to working with medical professionals and emergency services and being amongst the excitement of the event. "Volleyball is a personal passion of mine so I'll certainly be in the right place!".

Shearwater Swimming Carnival 2018

21/2/2018

The annual Shearwater Swimming carnival happened this week on Tuesday. The High School carnival started off with the Great Year Level Race, whereby each year level had 10 minutes to swim as many laps as possible. This allowed time for some students to warm up, some students to cool down and the Year 11 PDHPE students in charge of time-keeping and tallying to get switched on.
The 50m freestyle was next on the schedule with some fast times across the board. Oliver Pickering from Year 8 clocked the fastest lap of the day with 32.76 seconds. The breaststroke saw many participants and some smooth, slick styles. The butterfly event is often exhausting for participants and entertaining for the crowd but Year 12 student, lifeguard and long time swimmer Luca Tansley-Beckerman dove in and showed the younger students how it’s done. The backstroke saw some fresh faces crossing the finish line first.
The 100m freestyle offered the keen beans a chance to really kick things up a gear. Ariel Jeffreys from Year 9 swam the fastest time with 1 minute 26 seconds for two laps. The day ended with the year level relays. The teachers even submitted a team which was looking good for gold before some allegedly cheeky transitions from another team. Third umpire footage is still being reviewed.
The energy and participation levels greatly increased as the Primary School carnival took over layter in the day. There was lots of splashing from the pool and many squeals from the excited crowd. Mallee and Wyana from Class 6 tied for the fastest lap of the day of 40 seconds in the 50m freestyle. The breaststroke event had many participants and some close finishes, even requiring finals as times were so tight. The students did well with the butterfly and backstroke event, some even giving the 100m freestyle a go. It was great to see some beautiful swimming technique in the 25m novelty events as well.
At the end of the day 45 students qualified for regionals, which will be held at the Tweed Aquatic Centre in Murwillumbah, next Tuesday February 27. This is a great achievement and the students should be very proud of their efforts. We wish them all the best.
A big thank you goes to the Year 11 PDHPE students who helped time keep all day and were great role models to the younger students. Thank you to the parent volunteers and to all the staff who helped out before, during and after the event. Special thanks to all the happy and humble swimmers. It was a fun day with a strong focus on participation not podiums.
Emma Sweeney
PDHPE

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