I wish to welcome all Year 7 students and their parents/caregivers to the Belridge Secondary College community. Currently the Year 7 enrolment numbers stand at 208, which is fantastic for the College. We have also had new students from Years 8 - 12 join the school community transferring from other schools, interstate and overseas. I also welcome these students to Belridge SC.

Active parent/caregiver involvement is paramount to the educational achievement and success of the student. I look forward to establishing and maintaining strong and productive working relationships with all our new families to help achieve positive and rewarding outcomes for their children.

School Dress Code

I spoke to all Year 8 and 9 students at their first assembly. I was impressed and proud on how smart all the students looked in their school uniforms. Belridge SC has a policy that “if you are not in school dress, you are not in the classroom”.  I encourage all students to maintain this high level of appearance and to take pride in themselves and their school.

Year 7 Elevate Education Programme

On Monday 17 February all Year 7 students participated in workshops during Periods 1 & 2 conducted by Elevate Education. The workshops were titled Study Skills Kick Start and Junior Management Time and were presented by university students. The presenters established instant connections with the students and made the sessions fun, interactive and informative. I believe this programme will further assist the students in their transition to high school. A Year 7 parent evening was held on Tuesday 18 February from 6.30pm to 7.30pm facilitated by an Elevate Education presenter. Parents were presented with strategies to how best support their children both academically and socially.

Year 7 Welcome Barbeque - Wednesday 4 March

Many parents/caregivers took the opportunity to view the school during the 2019 Open and Orientation days. Invitations will be sent to attend the Year 7 Welcome Barbeque to be held on Wednesday 4 March from 5.00pm to 6.30pm. This is a great opportunity to meet staff and other parents/caregivers in an informal setting. We always have a fantastic roll up and it will be great to meet as many new families as possible.

Year 7 & 10 Immunisations

Immunisation forms for Years 7 & 10 (2020) were distributed and returned to the school late last year. Email reminders, with attachments, were sent at the start of this year. If you wish for your child to be immunised they need to be returned directly to the City of Joondalup.

For Year 7, the immunisations are conducted over two (2) rounds on the following dates:

• First round Thursday 27 February;
• Second round of immunisations Thursday 17 September

Year 10 immunisations will also be conducted on Thursday 27 February.

Please note these dates in your diary as there are no catch-up sessions. Students absent on the day will need to get vaccinated through their local doctor.

Year 7 & 9 NAPLAN 2020

All Year 7 and 9 students will be participating in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in May. These are compulsory national tests. Parents will receive through the mail later this term information regarding this testing program. Students will prepare for these tests in their Mathematics and English classes, becoming familiar with the format, language, response types and time constraints. Student performance is important as success in NAPLAN 9 determines whether students need to sit the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessments (OLNA) in Year 10. The Western Australia Certificate of Education (WACE) – Years 11 & 12, requires students to achieve a prescribed minimum standard in literacy and numeracy to graduate. Students who achieve Band 8 in NAPLAN 9 for both literacy and numeracy are deemed to have met this minimum standard, so therefore will pre-qualify for OLNA and do not have to sit it. Students will have two opportunities in Year 10 to attain this minimum standard. Further opportunities are available in Years 11 & 12 if necessary. Achieving Band 8 in NAPLAN 9 removes the pressure and stress in Year 10. Whereby in the past some students may not have tried their best in NAPLAN, I encourage all students to recognise the importance of these tests. I ask parents and caregivers to discuss these tests with their children and impress upon them to do their best.

Student Electives – Middle School

All Middle School students undertake an elective taster course. Students complete three electives in Semester 1 and three different electives in Semester 2. Students in a specialist or elite program should complete the full rotation of electives over two years. Unfortunately, due to timetable constraints, students completing two specialist programs cannot complete any of the electives. However, this will not impact on their subject selections when entering Year 11.

Mario Pisano
Vice Principal – Middle School