Welcome to the 2023 school year and a special welcome to any new families joining the Belridge community. The beginning of the year has been a very busy one as all students have settled into their new classes. The Year 7 students are beginning to find their way around and based on feedback at the Year 7 BBQ are enjoying Belridge! I am excited at the number events coming up this term for students - our annual Belsurf beach carnival, which you will have already received details for and the Ice Cream Reward Truck in Week 6 for all those students with Good Standing. These are both opportunities to celebrate the talents and fantastic students we have here.

Year 7 Welcome BBQ 

It was great to meet many of our parents and carers at the Year 7 BBQ. Thank you for taking the time to come along. Hopefully you found the information useful and got to meet some of your child’s teachers. We look forward to seeing you at other events throughout the year.

Year 7 Immunisations 

For those who have returned consent forms to the school, Year 7 immunisations will be held on Monday 13 March. The health department have advised us that from 6 February 2023, Year 7 students will only require one HPV vaccine to be fully vaccinated. You may have already provided consent for 2 doses of HPV vaccine, however, once your child receives one dose, they will not need any further doses.

Year 7 & Year 9 NAPLAN

From 2023 NAPLAN will be run in Term one between: Wednesday15 March to Monday 27 March 2023. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time. Our teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. In school students will also complete some practice tests as this is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best.

NAPLAN supports inclusive testing, so all students have the opportunity to participate in the national assessment program. Adjustments are available for students with disability who have diverse functional abilities and needs. If you would like to discuss adjustments further, please contact Mikaela Shirley our Inclusive Education Coordinator at the school.

More information can be found at: https://www.nap.edu.au/home

Peer Support

As part of our transition program all Year 7 students take part in peer support from Week 4 to 10 for 1 hour per week. The sessions will be run by our Year 10 Peer support leaders, and it is a fantastic opportunity to help build new friendships, introduce students to key student services staff and take part in some fun activities!

Louise Hall
Deputy Principal Middle School
Years 7, 8 and 9