Fashion Design

On Tuesday, 5 March 2024 our Year 9 Fashion Design students spent the day at North Metro TAFE completing a career taster print making course. Students learnt how to use print press machines and each made a screen printed tote bag and were given an inspiring tour of the fashion department. The lecturers were full of praise for our students, commenting on their high levels of creativity and enthusiasm and capacity to complete very technical pieces. 

Ms Kristie Wintle
Fashion Design Coordinator 

Year 7 AEP Science Scitech Excursion

On Friday, 8 March 2024 students spent the day at Scitech engaging in the STEM Education Program and participating in three activities: 

• Mystery Hunters Show (exploring how energy is transferred and transformed). 
• Drop Zone Challenge (a hands-on workshop where students design, create and test a prototype moon lander); and 
• We Are Astronomers (unravelling the secrets of star light) in the planetarium.

Students also had free time to explore the general exhibit. 

Feedback from students placed the Planetarium as the best activity (it was awesome!), learning about the background of constellations and the STEM technology behind the latest telescopes.

Mrs Green’s favourite activity was the Drop Zone Challenge. In teams, students created, tested and redesigned their “moon lander”; this took teamwork, communication and innovative thinking, all under a time limit! Fast work and running around to establish the best design and winning team.

Ms Claire Green
HASS Teacher and AEP Coordinator 

Year 7 Science

Butler Cup Netball Carnival 

The Butler Cup ‘Netball Carnival’ was held on Thursday, 7 March 2024 at Butler College. This netball carnival provided great preparation for our netballers in the lead up to our big netball event next term, the High School Cup. Our students showcased their talents and sportsmanship winning every pool!

In the Years 7 and 8 category, our teams demonstrated their skills admirably. Belridge 7.1 showed they are going to be a strong team this year securing the top spot in Pool A, while Belridge 8.1 came Runners-up only losing by 1 goal to our 7.1 team. Belridge 7/8 showed great sportsmanship playing together for the first time as a split team and gelling well to emerge victorious in Pool B.

In the Years 9 and 10 category, our students continued to impress. Belridge 10.1 showed exceptional skills to claim victory in Pool A, while Belridge 9.1 were Runners-up in the same pool, only losing to Belridge. Furthermore, Belridge 9.2 showcased their talent by winning Pool B, adding to our day of success.

We extend our congratulations to all the academy students who participated, your hard work and dedication was evident throughout the day, and we are proud of each one of you for representing the College with integrity and skill.

A special thank you goes to those students who volunteered as umpires, your willingness to support your peers and ensure the smooth running of the event embodies the spirit of teamwork and community that we value at Belridge Academy.

Janneke Markovic
Netball Coordinator  

Student Council - GRIP Conference 2024

On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, the student leadership attended the annual GRIP Leadership Conference at the Convention Centre in the city. What an amazing opportunity to learn more about implementing change, improving our school community and supporting others. We were even lucky enough to be greeted by Belridge Secondary College Community Board Member, Michelle Austin.

Thank you to Rebecca Edmonds (2 IC Student Services) for coming along with us. 

Jade Wright
Student Council Coordinator
and HASS Teacher

GRIP Conference 2024
Student Leadership Training Day

Year 12 Outdoor Education Rottnest Camp

Our Year 12 Outdoor Education students set off on their first camp of their final year of high school with high levels of excitement and anticipation. Once we arrived on Wadjemup we saddled up our bikes and headed to our first snorkel spot at Parker Point. Although there were some ominous looking waves breaking out the back, conditions inside were great. Lots of colourful coral and fishes on display. After a quick snack we were off to Little Salmon Bay for our second snorkel. Another fantastic location with some amazing views and underwater rock formations. We settled in for lunch before our final snorkel spot at Salmon Bay.

After riding back to town for a quick ice cream stop, our weary students made their way to the campsite. Tents were up in the blink of an eye, so we headed to Pinky's beach for a swim and some sport on the beach. It was a massive first day and everyone was ready for dinner and a solid sleep. Staff were very impressed with the quality of students' meals... Some more than others. After a few mishaps with the camp stoves, eventually all bellies were full, and it was time for bed before another big day. After waking up and discovering a few bikes had been misplaced, we made our way to Little Parakeet Bay for more exploration. The water somehow managed to drop a few degrees overnight but students still made the most of it. After a quick stop for morning tea at the Geordie Bay shops, we were off to The Basin for our final snorkel. Here students tested themselves by exploring various swim-throughs and rock shelves. Some managed to conquer all and leave with a feeling of achievement.

The behaviour and organisation of our students was a real highlight. Their positivity was infectious, and it was great to see and hear how enthusiastic they were, particularly those who had never visited Rottnest Island before. Despite being a physically demanding camp, everyone performed well and hopefully left with some lasting memories and excitement for our final camp scheduled in Term 3.

Mr Timu
Health & Physical Education Teacher

Career Taster Program

The Career Taster Programs at Belridge Secondary College are designed to provide students with opportunities to explore careers and pathways of interest.

Year 9 ‘3D Animation’ Career Taster 

On Tuesday, 27 February 2024 sixteen Year 9 students were recently involved in the first North Metropolitan TAFE based Career Taster for 2024, by attending a 3D Animation excursion to TAFE, Northbridge.

All attendees were excited to attend TAFE for the day and experience what life as a TAFE student, studying a multimedia-based course would be like.

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, Graham, 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 and modelling their own original robot, using Maya 2024 animation software, which current TAFE students completing qualifications utilise on a weekly basis. All students did a great job following instructions and creating their own unique characters. Liam Griffith’s ‘Mr Magnetic’ design was a highlight, with Graham stating his design was as impressive as any he had seen from a secondary student. Well done, Liam!   

Importantly, the day allowed students to be informed of how the skills they would develop during completion of a certificate qualification can be utilised for securing employment in animation environments, as well as in the construction, mining, and medical fields.

Mr Mouritz
Career Practitioner

AEP - Year 9 and 10 Excursion Microsoft
ABCN ‘Future Thinkers’ Event

On Wednesday, 6 March 2024 the College’s Pathways Coordinator – Senior School, Adam Smith and Career Practitioner, Ashley Mouritz had the pleasure of supervising a group of Year 9 and 10 Academic Enrichment Program (AEP) students during an Australian Business Community Networking (ABCN) coordinated excursion to Microsoft, located in the CBD, for the Future Thinkers event. The event aims to build creative and innovative problem-solving skills through the process of design thinking. Design thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation increasingly used by organisations to transform challenges into opportunities. Research on the future of work indicates that these problem-solving, critical thinking and judgement skills are key transferable enterprise skills for the Australian workforce to remain competitive and thrive in a rapidly changing global economy.

The day involved students working in small groups, supported by Microsoft staff, who acted as mentors who were keen to share details of their own career journeys and challenges. Belridge Secondary College students also benefitted from a tour of Microsoft’s Perth offices and the unique nature of a state-of-art, modern workplace environment, containing mini pods for on-line networking and communications, as well as soundproof rooms for private interactions with online clients. The students were keen to try out the ‘napping room’, designed for Microsoft staff to have a rest in a fully electronic, retractable leather lounge allowing staff to have a rest in privacy. Students and staff were also appreciative of the free catering offered by ABCN at lunchtime.

The event was a great success, with excellent feedback received from both students and mentors, as highlighted below.

Mr Mouritz - Career Practitioner; and 
Mr Smith - Pathways Coordinator – Senior School

Student Evaluation Summary Future Thinkers Program

The following are summarised student response results which demonstrate the percentage improvement from start of the program to end. (Note: the rating scale is a 1 to 7 measure with 1 being lowest through to 7 being highest rating. i.e. 5 to 7 is agreed to strongly agree.)  These results demonstrate that Belridge students gained a lot from the program.

STUDENT COMMENTS:

What was the most useful thing you learnt in this program?

“How to use empathy to approach a problem.”

“There’s a process that you can use to solve problems.”

“What it is like to work for Microsoft.”

“A better understanding of creative thinking.”

What was the most important thing you learnt from your mentor?

“There are multiple ways to approach a problem.”

“The most important thing I learnt was teamwork, which meant when you work with friends you can get an easy solution.”

“How cool and flexible it is to work at Microsoft.”

What would you like to say to your mentors?

“This program is engaging and encourages us to think outside the box to solve our problems. Walking through a work environment was eye opening.”

“It was great, and everyone was amazing!”

“I am grateful they were nice and welcoming to us and made us feel comfortable.”

“Thank you so much for the advice and for helping us and answering our questions.”

“Thanks for an amazing day!!!”

“Our mentor was really helpful, making the question more understandable.”

MENTOR COMMENTS: 

“They started off more reserved but became engaged the crazier and more fun the activities were.”

“The level of engagement - during the day the students seemed to get more and more involved.”

“Great to see the kids speak in front of the rest of the group confidently and be really engaged.”

“Highly recommend. You can improve your mentoring skills.”

“It's very rewarding working with these young people.”

“Watching and participating in the content also reminds me of how these work skills are applied in my day to day. It's also great seeing the kids engage and learn something new.”