Welcome back to Term 2

In what has been a time of uncertainty and frequent change, the staff of Belridge SC have risen to the challenge. With the adaptation to distance education and then the return to face to face teaching our staff have been amazing. At the forefront of their efforts has been ensuring that our kids get the best possible education and that nobody is left behind. Moving between online, paper packages and face-to face, they have been nothing but professional.

Due to the disruption of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting in Semester 1 will look different for students in Years 7-9. Under new guidance, schools are currently not required to report learning area grades for Semester 1 2020.

This means the overall Learning Area achievement section of the report may be unshaded, and the components for a Learning Area, if applied, may be unchecked or marked as “Not Assessed”.  Reports will still be provided, however will contain a comment around progress rather than a grade. The usual attitude, behaviour, effort attributes will also be completed.

With changes to government guidelines at the start of term, we initially saw attendance rates of around 57% for the first week, a high of 76% in week 2 and 87% in week 3. As of 20th May our attendance for the day was 90% reaching a new high. This is such a positive for our school community and I thank our parents for their support in ensuring, where possible, their children return to school.

Although the COVID situation is currently under control in WA the Department of Education is still funding the addition of extra cleaning staff to ensure the high traffic areas of the school are cleaned regularly. The messages around hygiene still stand and visitors are not to enter the school site at present, other than to visit Administration or attend case meetings.

As you may be aware the construction of our Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is underway with massive changes occurring over the last few weeks. The Art work for the side of the building has been finalised and major walls have been removed. Please be aware that this may lead to some room changes for your child over the next few months until we have our new completed space - see article further on in newsletter. 

Other changes around the school include the installation of our new Bush Tucker native garden. I would like to thank staff, students and members of the community who have been a part of this project so far, whether that be in assisting with the construction or the donation of materials and plants. It is such a lovely addition to the school grounds and I know it will be a place for students to enjoy for years to come - see Bush Tucker Garden article. 

It was brought to our attention last year that our students would like an update to components of the College uniform. One aspect that received such feedback was the school jacket. The students found that this was not warm enough and did not protect from the elements. A new design – that is thicker and wind/water resistant has been selected and will hopefully be available for purchase next year. Existing jackets are still part of the school uniform, however these will be phased out over the next two years, subject to stock. Other additions to the range will now include wider fitting shorts, the option of a skort and new style track pants. 

Our annual open board meeting will take place on 3 August 2020. Registrations to attend are now open. I would love to see as many of our parents and staff there as possible, to share ideas and hear about our future plans.

Our 2019 Annual report is now available on the school website. This provides an overview of the school’s achievements throughout the year, and identifies some areas for development in which we will work on over the coming months.

Just a reminder, Friday 29 May is our next School Development Day. This is a student free day which allows time for our staff to focus on the strategic planning and development of the College.

Once again, I thank you all for your understanding and support in what has been a difficult time. Take care.

Sharon Lyon
Principal