Term 4 is always an exciting and busy time of the year.  It signifies a time of change with the farewelling of the Year 12 students and the introduction and transition of the Year 7 (2020) students.

Farewell to Year 12s

The term started with the Year 12 Farewell breakfast in the café, followed by the final Year 12 assembly attended by parents and the Year 10 & 11 students. This was followed the subsequent week with the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony held at the Joondalup Resort, which was well received by invited family and guests. This was a fitting occasion to showcase the “Two Schools, One Community” that Belridge is. I received many positive comments from the invited dignitaries about the vibe in the room on the night. Many of these dignitaries attend numerous graduation ceremonies and are moved by the connectedness within the two schools. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the end of one journey and the commencement of another.

Public School Review

The Public School Review of Belridge SC was conducted in Term 3. All WA public schools are reviewed every three years by the Department of Education’s Public School Accountability Directorate. The review gives assurance to the local community, The Minister of Education and Training and the Director General that a school is operating effectively and delivering high quality education to its students. The review focused on the following areas of school performance: relationships and partnerships; learning environment; leadership; use of resources; teaching quality; and student achievement and progress. Belridge’s performance rating was deemed as EFFECTIVE with the school demonstrating effective practice in creating conditions required for student success. This was based on information gained from the self-assessment submission and the validation process. Fantastic recognition for all the work done by staff and community volunteers to ensure our students show their best. Well done!

Mobile Phone Policy

The new mobile phone total ban policy, as announced by the State government recently, will be enforced at the start of 2020. Belridge already has an effective Electronic Device Policy, this will be revamped to align with the total ban, as outlined by the government. Exact details of the new policy will be communicated to students and parents before the end of the year.

Building Works

Building of the new Performing Arts Centre will commence late February /early March 2020. This will be an exciting time for the school to have a state of the art facility that will benefit both schools and the surrounding community. This building program will create disruptions to the normal day to day operation of the school. The location of the building will be on the existing PAC lawn. Access to the construction site will be through the front carpark which, unfortunately, puts this area out of bounds during the build timeframe (approximately 12 months). On-site parking will be at a premium during this time. As such, there will be no on-site student parking from the start of 2020. Senior school students who drive to school will have to find alternative parking arrangements.

Planning ahead

Planning for 2020 started mid-term 1. This involves determining what subjects/courses are to be offered, disseminating information to parents and students, completing student course selection, development of grids and the timetable, new enrolments and appointment of staff. I need to acknowledge the enormous amount of work Rob Strickland has done throughout this entire process. This cycle of planning is almost complete and further information will be in the next newsletter.

NAPLAN

Parents should have received their child’s 2019 NAPLAN results. The results reflect the effectiveness of the proactive strategies the school has implemented to increase students' achievement and progress from Year 7 to 9. Staff, students and parents should be proud of these results. A more detailed analysis of NAPLAN results can be found in this newsletter.

With only a handful of weeks left in the school year, we look forward to finishing on a high note. With students completing final assessments and exams, staff writing Semester reports and the hosting of the Year 7 2020 Orientation Day, I urge all students to stay focussed.

Mario Pisano
Principal