Students were tasked with analysing a wide variety of primary historical sources, interpreting what they were used for and what they told us about Ancient Egyptian life. Students also had to identify their favourite source from the exhibit, which led to some interesting discussions. The exhibit was well worth the visit, further enriching student learning from Term 1.

UWA Workshop

Yanchep Cultural Day 2023

Follow the Dream students at Belridge Secondary College had an amazing day out at the Yanchep National Park, celebrating their culture, meeting fellow students from other schools and having the wonderful opportunity to meet Aboriginal Elder Dr Noel Nannup. The event was very well organised by Tina Purdew-Deegan, who co-ordinated numerous activities for the students which included:

• Didgeridoo playing 
• Women's traditional dance
• Dot painting
• Spear-throwing and hunting techniques
• Dreamtime stories and nature walks

A special mention to Howie Eades (Year 12), who made a heartwarming speech in tribute to Dr Noel Nannup. Along with fellow student Neville Rundle (Year 12), they both showed exemplary leadership skills among their peers and took the initiative to get the lower school students participating and having a great time. Follow the Dream is a fantastic program designed to build cultural identity, academic outcomes and unite indigenous students across schools in Perth. 

Mr Mohammed
HASS Teacher

CO2 Dragster Competition 2023
WA State Round

On Friday, 15 September, Belridge Secondary College had the privilege of hosting the 2023 CO2 Dragster Competition – WA State round in the school gym. This is the second year we have had this opportunity and it proved to be an exciting event, allowing students to see their creations race down a 20M track at high speeds.

This year saw entries from all education sectors, Private, Catholic and State schools competing for the opportunity to compete in the National Competition that will be held in October. Belridge Secondary College and Belridge Secondary Education Support Centre were represented by students from Mr Brinkworth’s Education Support class and Year 9 Mechatronics class, with a total of 16 entries, as well as 2 entries for the Teacher category. While none of our dragsters won on the day, of the 18 entries, 7 students’ dragsters and both the teacher dragsters will compete in the National Competition with the chance to bring back the trophy to match the trophy won by Belridge Secondary Education Support Centre in 2022.

Thank you to staff and students who helped out on the day to ensure the event was smooth and successful. Thank you to the Physical Education Department for allowing us to take over the gym for the day. Also, thanks to Peter Pooley, Event Coordinator and the judges who volunteered their time to judge the entries.

Lucius Chen
HOLA Design & Technologies

Belridge Beats

Being a DJ is about more than just playing music. In the Belridge Beats DJ classes, students have been learning about setting up and maintaining equipment. In recent lessons, students have learnt about and set up a variety of different lighting systems. Students have also practiced setting up a speaker system including cable management techniques.

Stephen O'Neil
Information Technology Teacher

Science Experiments!

Year 11 Outdoor Education Camp - Moore River

In just two weeks, we experienced two completely different camps. The first camp had us sweating in 40 degree heat, while the second camp chilled us to the bone with its relentless wind. But despite the weather extremes, we had an absolute blast!

Our fishing adventures were a huge success. We caught several fish from the shallow sand bank, providing a refreshing break from the heat. And in the creek, we had a few nibbles before finally reeling in the fish of the day. It was a triumph!

But fishing wasn't the only activity that got our adrenaline pumping, we also put our canoeing skills to the test as we navigated the Moore River. Our destination? An epic sand dune that awaited us at the end. With bravery in our hearts, we flew down the dune, some of us even crossing a third of the river at the bottom. It was a thrilling activity that left us all feeling accomplished.

And let's not forget the fun we had on the pontoon in the river, it provided endless entertainment as we splashed around and enjoyed the water. It was the perfect way to end an action-packed day.

On day two, we headed to Back Beach Lancelin, where we were greeted by the Green Room. The students showed off their impressive surfing skills, riding the waves with confidence and grace. It was a sight to behold. After all the excitement, we rewarded ourselves with a delicious pie from the local bakery. It was the perfect way to refuel and reflect on the incredible experiences we had.

Of course, no camp is complete without a few unexpected twists, with the trip back home from the first camp taking longer than we anticipated. But despite the delay, everyone remained in high spirits. It was a testament to the great camp we had and the amazing memories we created together.

Well done to everyone who participated, it truly was a fantastic camp that will be remembered for years to come.

Ms Tiffany Collins
Health & Physical Education Teacher

Telethon 2023

Exploring Careers - Year 9

Gaming Career Taster 

On Wednesday, 6 September, twelve Year 9 students were involved in a Game Design career taster, held at North Metropolitan TAFE’s Northbridge campus. Students and the College’s Career Practitioner, Mr Mouritz, travelled by bus for the excursion, which formed part of the Year 9 Career Taster Program. Attendance was based on an expression of interest basis, with numerous students unfortunately missing out on the event, due to a lot of interest in the gaming field. All attendees were excited to attend TAFE for the day and have the opportunity of being in an adult learning environment.

On arrival, students were Welcomed to Country in one of the large lecture theatres. This was the first time many students had sat in a functional lecture theatre. Once the day’s itinerary was explained, students were introduced to their lecturer for the day, Andy, who teaches Certificates III and IV in Screen and Media: Animation and Game Art. Attendees were excited to hear that they would be spending the day designing their own computer game graphics. During the day, students spent time learning how to code and embed graphics into their own versions of Space Invaders. Most students did a great job following instructions and creating their own unique characters, graphics and movements. The day opened student’s eyes to what it would be like to pursue a career in game design, as well as what an adult learning environment is like.

Lab Rats - Edith Cowan University

On Friday, 3 November, twenty six of our brightest Year 9 students attended Edith Cowan University’s (ECU) annual Lab Rats events, held at the Joondalup campus. The excursion involved students from the Year 9 Academic Enrichment Program (AEP) being exposed to what life would be like completing an undergraduate Science degree at university. During the day students had the opportunity to complete experiments in ECU’s ‘Super Lab’, discover the importance of cyber security protocols, program the School of Engineering’ robots, tour the enormous campus, and receive information regarding pathways and course options for university study at ECU in 2027 and beyond. The College’s Career Practitioner, Ashley Mouritz and Year 9 AEP Science teacher, Glenn Logan, were involved in the planning and supervising the excursion.

After a short introduction and induction, students participated in the ‘Great Race’, a 30-minute trek across the campus that required groups of students locating and noting various physical landmarks from across the campus. Each group admirably completed this task independently, with the assistance of a campus map. All students made it back to the checkpoint in time for their scheduled workshops for the day. The winning team was awarded a bag of ECU goodies, which went down well!

After the tour of the campus, students were split in to two groups with the purpose of simulating the smaller workshops that take place at university, compared to high school. The groups then completed three separate workshops in rotation: a Soil and Invertebrate workshop, a Robotics workshop, and a Cybersecurity workshop. Highlights of the day included students being exposed to working in state-of-the-art facilities and getting to demonstrate their information technology and engineering prowess by programming a robot to move objects.

At the conclusion of the day, students were informed of the many different student options available to them at ECU, on completion of their secondary studies. ECU staff commented on the impressive level of engagement and respect demonstrated by our students. Hopefully involvement in the event assisted students to become more aware of the many study and career options they have once they are ready to transit to tertiary education.

‘Belt Splicing’ Career Taster

On Friday, 22 September a group of Year 9 students attended North Metropolitan TAFE’s Midland campus for a Belt Splicing career taster. ‘What is Belt Splicing?’ was the question that was asked by students prior to the excursion.  Belt splicing is an important and extremely lucrative career that involves conveyor belt maintenance, repair and installation. It is an essential role in the mining, manufacturing, and transport industries. There are currently 100's of job opportunities available across the state, due to the shortage of skilled and experienced workers. Historically, belt splicing has been learnt on the job and there has not been a qualification attached to the role, however, due to the wide scale industry skills shortage and technical components of the job, belt splicing has recently been professionalized. This means that employment in the industry now involves completion of an apprenticeship, which includes on the job training, in combination with theory and practical assessments at a training organisation, such as North Metropolitan TAFE.

During the day students participated in a range of hands-on activities at the recently constructed and purpose-built Belt Splicing training shed. Students benefitted from the instruction of their lecturer for the day, Marius, who delivers Certificate III in Polymer Processing, the qualification that required to complete the 3-to-4-year apprenticeship. Students learnt about the importance of safety in the industry, the tools and equipment used in the workplace, and they even had the opportunity to perform simulated maintenance on a functional conveyor belt system. Lecturer, Marius, shared his 25 years of industry insights and explained to students the importance and lucrative nature of the work performed by ‘belties’. He explained that the necessity and shortage of staff across the mining, manufacturing and transport industries has led to employees in the role earning between $120,000 and $250,000 a year! This information was well received by Belridge students in attendance, many of whom have decided to gain a trade qualification on completion of their secondary studies.

Attendees also benefitted from a comprehensive tour of many of the facilities and different workshops at the site. Students were able to view and speak with TAFE staff from a range of different trades that deliver training at the Midland campus, including fitting and machining, metal work, automotive, carpentry and graphic design. Students were enlightened by the tour, as it made them aware of the certificates, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training that are delivered at the Midland campus. During the afternoon session students were filmed and photographed by TAFE’s media team, with a video on North Metropolitan TAFE’s website showing the students engaged in the Belt Splicing activities. At the end of the day students were praised by Marius, the lecturer and Career Practitioner, Mr Mouritz, for the impressive way they all conducted themselves during the event. The career taster opened student’s eyes to the many trade-based pathways they can follow once they complete their studies at Belridge Secondary College.

Mr Ashley Mouritz
Career Practitioner