With Term 4 well under way, there has been lots to celebrate at the College this term. The highlight being the celebration of 30 Years of Belridge.  The birthday event was celebrated on Friday 5^th November with staff and students from across the decades in attendance. The night started with a welcome ceremony including an Acknowledgement to Country performed by our wonderful students Howie and Shyne. We were then treated to a number of performances from the Belridge Dance Company. This was followed by Musical pieces from the Band and Guitar Ensemble. All performances were to a very high standard, with many positive comments received from the community. I thank Miss Powel-El-Gammal, Miss Markovic and Mr Offszanka for all of their efforts.

Guests were then treated to a wonderful gallery display, detailing the memories from each year for the last 30 years. This was a mammoth task and took a huge effort from staff to pull this together. A huge thank you in particular to Ms Gendle, Ms Millett, Ms Dyer, Ms Grieve, Cooper Chappel-Wood and all those who contributed to the collating the vast collection of photos and the displays.

We were then treated to some heart-warming vignettes from current and former long standing staff members Anna Dyer, Lyn Girvan and Lazo Njegich and former student Rebecca Munro as they spoke about “What Belridge means to me”.  Your passion and commitment to the school really shone through and I thank you for your services to the college.  The soundtracks of the night was provided by Mr O’Neil and the Belridge Beats students whilst the community joined in on some fantastic prize events and enjoyed a bite to eat from the food trucks, a big thank you to Carol Monks for taking on this task and  also the community for donating the prizes for both the raffle and the chocolate wheel and to Lazo for organising the food trucks and event area.  There were so many people who contributed both in the run up and on the night, and I cannot thank you enough for your efforts. However, I must acknowledge the efforts of my wonderful PA Nicky Harris who planned it to a tee and brought it all together to make sure the night was a huge success for all!

Another significant event this term has been the departure of our Year 12’s.  Their final days with us were celebrated in style starting with an amazing community breakfast, attended by many of our parents and staff. The event was catered by our Home Economics team and hospitality students, who did an amazing job. We then moved into our Year 12 assembly, which was a great celebration of these wonderful students. Such kind and hopeful words were spoken as we sent them on their way; it was a real pleasure to be a part of such a special event.

Our formal Graduation ceremony took place on the 28 October at Kingsway Christian College Auditorium. It was great to see the achievements of all students both of Belridge SC and Belridge ESC celebrated together in such a positive way. It was heart-warming to see the support for each other and the celebration of each other’s successes. A true example of our 2 schools, 1 community philosophy.

Our Year 6 half day Transition Program, involving students from our local intake primary schools have also started this term. These have been a great success so far, with lots of happy faces seen around the school as they prepare for their move to the College. A big thank you to Ms Edmonds who has done a wonderful job with the Year 6’s since commencing in her new role as Year Coordinator. The college staff are looking forward to building strong relationship with our new families over the coming months.  

We also held our annual open board meeting this term. Again such a well-attended event, with lovely food provided by our Hospitality students and a Dance performance from our students to get us underway. The night really showcased what Belridge has to offer, which is something for everyone. We heard from Ms Bartle our AE Coordinator who highlighted the successes we are having with our AE Program and the opportunities it has provided our students. We then heard from Ms Currie and Ms Shirley who discussed and highlighted the support structures available at the College for all students including those with disabilities. Mr Ogilvie then shared with us an insight into our Specialist Cricket Program, including its highlights and successes, along with plans for the future.

We also celebrated our very first Academic Extension Showcase – Wow! what a buzz there was in that room! Each student bursting with enthusiasm to share their project with the visitors. A huge thank you to Ms Bartle and the AE team for organising the event and giving up your time to support these students.

This term the college celebrated Mental Health Week and Health and Wellbeing Day, a big thank you to the Health and Wellbeing Lead Team in particular Student Services and our nurses Jo and Deb for promoting the importance of Health and Wellbeing at the College.

On 11^th November the College remembered all those we have lost in defending and protecting our nation. I would like to thank the staff and students involved in Remembrance Day, in particular, Virginia Linto, Nicky Harris, Alison Saare and Lisa Manning. The displays, including our photo acknowledgments looked amazing and I know meant a great deal to our families.

To finish, I would just like to remind the community that we will be running our Christmas Hamper Appeal again this term. Last year we were able to provide over 30 hampers to local families in need. I know this made a huge difference to our families, as well as providing our students with the opportunity to help others. Flyers will be out this week with key dates, please give what you can and support local during this festive season.

Sharon Lyon
Principal