The Belridge team is committed to celebrating our successes and to keep working towards being an even better Belridge.  We need to ensure that we are responsive to our community and to keeping our sights set firmly on the future. At times this will bring change.  Some of these changes will be obvious, such as our new format for our school newsletter.  Proudly partnering with Schoolzine has allowed us to now produce a newsletter that is modern and interactive.  Some of the changes are happening behind the scenes.  This includes a more strategic approach to the work of the school board who are currently formulating the future vision of our College.

In 2019 we will launch our social media presence and a new school website.  We know and appreciate that this is how our community like to receive information.  It will also be a great way of sharing our journey towards our new Performing Arts space. This project has begun this term and has a proposed completion date of 2021.

We have had a great start to 2019, and on behalf of the staff I would like to thank and acknowledge our families for their support.  

Melesha Sands
Principal 

Year 7 & 8 Immunisations

The first round of vaccinations were held on Wednesday 27th March. Students received the Gardasil and Boostrix vaccines. The next and final round of immunisations will be conducted on Wednesday 25th September. Please note this date in your diary as there are no catch up sessions.

Students absent on the day will need to get immunised through their local doctor.

Year 10 Immunisations (Meningococcal ACWY)

Parental consent forms have been distributed to students and these should have been returned to the school. If your child has lost their information/consent pack they can collect a replacement from the front office. It is then parents’ responsibility to return the forms to the City of Joondalup offices in Joondalup. Students registered to receive the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine will do so on Thursday 8th August. Students absent on the day will need to get vaccinated through their local doctor.

Year 7 & 9 NAPLAN

The 2019 NAPLAN testing is scheduled for Tuesday 14 May to Thursday 16 May (Week 3 Term 2). All the Year 7 & 9 students will sit literacy and numeracy tests. This is the first year the tests will be conducted online. Teachers are working with students in preparation for these important Australia wide external tests.
Year 9 NAPLAN student performance is now linked to secondary WACE certification. Students achieving Band 8 in Year 9 NAPLAN will be deemed to have met the minimum literacy and numeracy requirements for secondary WACE certification. Students who do not achieve Band 8 are required to sit the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessments (OLNA) tests in Year 10 and subsequent years until they meet the minimum standards.

2019 Open Day – Wednesday 22 May

The 2019 Open Day tour is scheduled for Wednesday 22 May from 9–10am. The aim of the tour is to give prospective and current parents the opportunity to view our college at work, including the comprehensive Year 7 to 12 programs, our Academic Extension Programs, the Specialist Cricket and Fashion Design programs and the Elite Netball and Arts programs.

Students in Years 5 & 6 can register to participate in a taster course of either Cricket, Netball, Music, Dance or Fashion Design. This half day event gives students the opportunity to see and participate in sessions that outline the benefits of each of these elite programs.

2020 Enrolment packs will be available on the day. Additional Enrolment packs will be delivered to feeder primary schools. Enrolment packs are also available directly from the College.

Student Planners

With the end of Term 1 rapidly approaching, it is timely to remind all students and parents about the Student Planner use. Students are expected to use their Planners in every lesson. There is also a Term Planner page which enables students to record all assignments and tests for each term on the one page to give them a visual picture of when everything is due. This encourages students to forward plan and time-manage better. Please check your child’s planner and see if they have used this tool effectively in Term 1.

School Sickness Procedures

I would like to remind parents/caregivers of the school protocols should a child fall ill during the day. During the class time, the class teacher will make an assessment and send the child to Student Services. If the child feels ill during a break time they are to make their own way to Student Services. The school will then contact the parent/caregiver if required. Students are not to contact their parents/caregivers directly to be picked up because they are not feeling well.

Mario Pisano
Vice Principal - Middle School

Year 11

Year 11 students should be in full stride now.  They should be using their school planners to organise their time effectively to not only have all their assessments completed on time, but also to be doing study.  Every week, they should be adding to their notes and factsheets and continually testing themselves. 

Year 11 ATAR Students

Mr Pisano is working with the Year 11 ATAR students every Wednesday afternoon. He has been working on study techniques and improving goal setting.

Year 12

On the matter of assessments, teachers are still giving me the names of students that have failed to submit these on time.  Students lose marks for late submission and this has an adverse effect on their grades and results.  Please do your best to help your son/daughter to be organised and plan ahead of time.   Students should write all assessment items in the term planner section on pages 18 to 25.  This gives a clear picture of what is due and when. 

Year 12 ATAR Students

I gave all the ATAR students a study program taking them up to the end of Week 1, Term 2.  It is not compulsory for them to use it, but they must be using some sort of study program.  The one I gave them had some very handy hints on it.  Please discuss these with your son/daughter.

Year 10, 11 and 12 Students

School holidays will be upon us soon. Although students should be using this period to refresh themselves, it can also be wise to put aside a few days to consolidate the concepts they learnt in  Term 1.

Years 11 and 12

We periodically email parents the externally provided exam preparation programs and study to give students extra confidence for exams.  These might be worth consideration.

School Environment

I continue to be impressed with the lack of litter in the school.  This shows that the vast majority of students take a great deal of pride in the school.  This is not only a credit to the students and staff of the school, but also a great reflection on our parents.

Rob Strickland
Vice Principal - Senior School 

The recent deregistration of VETIS Consulting, our RTO partner for Certificates II in Automotive, Business, Construction and Engineering has caused some concern amongst students and teachers involved.  We lodged an expression of interest for North Metropolitan TAFE to auspice these qualifications, and the teachers concerned, Mr Bond, Mrs Gendle, Mr Njegich and Mr Stumpers have been working hard to provide the documentation required to be approved as a trainer by TAFE.

I am pleased to let you know that North Metropolitan TAFE have recently approved our expression of interest for all four qualifications, and students will be able to complete their qualifications in the expected timeframes, and our new partner RTO, North Metropolitan TAFE will be issuing the qualifications on completion of the certificate courses.

Our new RTO partner for the Certificate I in Business, BSB10115, completed in Year 10, is Skills Strategies International, who also auspice our Certificates II and III in Information, Digital Media and Technology.

Workplace Learning ADWPL

The final opportunity for students to secure a work placement for the block release period, May 27 – June 8 is the end of Term 1.  The Department of Education has significantly increased risk management processes, which requires us to visit every workplace and develop risk assessment and mitigation plans with employers prior to students commencing their placement.  There are also a number of consent and information forms that need to be completed by students, parents and employers, which will keep Mrs Fuhrmann and Mrs Dastlik very busy in the second term.

NAPLAN

Included in this issue of the newsletter is information about NAPLAN Online, which will take place from May 14-24.  As this is the first time we will be doing the online version of NAPLAN assessments, there will be some practice tests scheduled next week for all Year 7 and 9 students to familiarise themselves with the online environment.  We encourage parents and students in Years 7 and 9 to also use the NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site to further familiarize students with the NAPLAN online environment. 

The site is at  https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

Carlos Notarpietro
Associate Principal 

SCHEDULED TESTING TIMETABLE FOR YEAR 7 & 9:

Harmony Day

BSC celebrated a low key, Harmony Day this year. Staff were invited to wear orange in support of recognising the very multicultural school community we have. Mr Spedding read out some interesting facts about Western Australia as a multicultural society (see attachment), and during form there were some activities to complete. Prizes were awarded to individuals and Form classes with the most correct answers, returned in the quickest time. See photos for winners.

Student Parking

There will be a system implemented regarding enabling students to park their cars at school in designated areas. Information regarding this will be sent with students that drive to school in their own vehicles. Parking permits will be issued to students and will be revoked if there is any poor behaviour regarding parking areas or safety. Can I please remind parents and students that there are signs up around the bituminised driveway areas designating where there is to be no parking. This includes near fire hydrants, gates or other areas where a car may cause a potential hazard.

Getting There Safely

Student Services has received a number of reports recently around the safety of our students getting to and from school. This is mainly around crossing the road where it is not safe to do so and riding bikes unsafely near cars. Students are reminded to cross the road at designated crossing points (manned with crossing guards) where possible and to look both ways. Students riding bikes are instructed that once they enter into the school gates, they must walk their bikes to the destination (bike racks), there is to be no riding through the school. Please use the bike racks near the D&T department and not anywhere else, as the safety of the bikes cannot be guaranteed. Following these simple steps will ensure that students arrive safely and that the cars that use the area can be free from obstruction.

Peer Support

During this term, our Year 10 Peer leaders have been supporting the Year 7’s with their transition to high school.  Each week, the peer leaders have been meeting with their Form class to work through a range of activities that focuses on resilience. Over the term, the Year 7 students have acknowledged their strengths and achievements, identified people who support them and have learnt how to view challenges as an opportunity for growth. Meeting in small groups allows meaningful connections to form, assisting students with the transition to secondary school at the same time developing the leadership skills with our Year 10 Peer Leaders.

ATSI Support Program

Last week we were fortunate enough to have Rebecca Garlett from Butler College come in and work with our Aboriginal students.  Rebecca is renowned for her local knowledge of the Noongar language and culture.  She yarned with our students for two hours, discussing the importance of the ‘Acknowledgement to Country’ as well as some of the stories of their ancestors.

Our students meet each week as a group to support each other but also to develop a sense of belonging and they are now working on a platform to share their culture with the rest of the Belridge community.

Bridgid Lafferty - Middle School
Hal Spedding - Senior School
Heads of Student Services

"We say no way to family and domestic violence"

At Belridge Secondary College, we believe our role is to support students to be much more than marks.  We want them to be the next generation of leaders who are caring, compassionate and have the skills to make our community a greater place to be.  This is why we applied to be a trial school for the new Respectful Relationship program, a program that sees us partner with White Ribbon Australia.This program is world-class and will provide our students with the skills to advocate for the eradication of violence and support others and themselves to respond and prevent violence in the future. This important work is the result of a partnership between the Department of Education and Department of Communities and we are proud to be making a stand for a positive future.

Melesha Sands
Principal 

March 2019 Report

Parents/Carergivers are warmly invited to come and meet our new School Chaplain at the annual Chaplain's dinner to be held on Wednesday 8 May from 6.30pm-8.30pm in the school cafe.  A superb three course meal will be prepared by our talented Year 11 and 12 Hospitality students.  The theme is Chinese 'Year of the Pig'.

Tickets $25 each and are now available to purchase from the front office or by calling 9408 8000.

Funds raised will support the vital Chaplaincy Program into 2019 and beyond.  Please bring a few gold coins to enter the special raffle on the night.  Details of the Grand Prize draw will be published soon, together with details on how to obtain your golden ticket!

Event is BYO with some soft drinks available on the night. Guests and friends welcome.

I am very pleased to announce the 2019 Belridge Secondary College School Ball went off without a hitch on Friday 15^th March at the Hyatt Regency Perth. The behaviour and maturity displayed by our students was impeccable. I had many students on the night who had made the effort to personally thank me for organising the event, and it was my absolute pleasure to have done so.

The room was awash with a blue afterglow with a twinkle of stars draped across the stage area where DJ Steil kept all the students dancing. “I’ve never had such an enthusiastic group before” Stephen O’Neil told me towards the end of the night. The photo booth was ever popular delivering an immediate print-out.  Students will also receive their ball photos, taken by Ms Grieve, in the coming weeks, who commented that students were “The most polite and well organised group ever”.  

Awards winners on the night were:

Beau of the Ball - Jason Dolzan
Belle of the Ball - Faith Reid
Best Dressed - Sol Williamson
Best Dancer - Brooke Crane

This year the students were also given the chance to nominate a teacher who had made a positive influence on them during their time at Belridge Secondary College. Congratulations to Lazo Njegich as the inaugural winner of the "Student Choice Award".

The comments and praise kept coming well after the buffet dinner and even after the ball's official closing; from the Hyatt staff who cleared the tables, to the teaching staff who stayed behind to see students off safely. 

I would like to thank everyone who helped make the night as special as it was and, in particular, I would like to thank the students. It was your night and you made it a wonderful night to remember - I feel privileged to have been a part of it. 

Joel Bond
Year 12 Coordinator

Belridge Secondary College Belsurf Carnival was held at Sorrento Beach on Friday 4^th March. The day was fantastic with very little breeze, cool temperatures (for this time of the year) and flat-water. Students supported the day with 75% of the school attending the event.

All students participated actively in all events. Participation points gave all students the opportunity to support their house. Students who wanted to push themselves could gain placement points for their house. Points scored by each house dramatically increased this year, which improved the atmosphere allowing for a positive, fun, but competitive, day. The number of competitors in each event increased with heats being run for a variety of races. The Year 7 students had their first experience of a whole school Belsurf Carnival and it was great to see them smiling and enjoying the day's proceedings.

Students had a great day with staff and students mingling out of the classroom in a friendly environment. The day provided students with fun events, for example sand sculpture competitions, tennis ball relays, boogie board races and many more. Two events, the FLAGS and the IRONPERSON events, allowed the competitive students to perform at their best.

Belsurf is as much about participation as it is about performance and throughout the day we saw fine examples of both. The day commenced with the traditional Iron Man and Woman events, consisting of the swim, run and body board legs.  This event is open to all students and individual medals are given to the winners and runner-ups.

The results were as follows:

	BOY WINNERS	GIRL WINNERS
Year 7	Charlie Williams	Baylee Skinner
Year 8	Kayden Henke	Phoebe Godecke
Year 9	Caleb Bailey	Jorja Huntley
Year 10	Shawn Seeley	Aaliyah Blackford
Year 11	Ben Herbert	Abbey Monaghan
Year 12	Lachlan Rewell	Sinead du Toit

WINNING HOUSES
At the end of the day the following houses emerged victorious for each year group:

Year 7	Manta Rays
Year 8	Sharks
Year 9	Marlins
Year 10	Marlins
Year 11	Marlins
Year 12	Sharks

OVERALL RESULTS

1st	Sharks	956 points
2nd	Marlins	911 points
3rd	Manta Rays	833 points

What a close result!  Well done to the MIGHTY SHARKS!

Special thanks must go the Physical Education staff for all their hard work on the day and Year Coordinators for assisting with the management of students and events. Also, to all the staff that took the time to re-qualify so that they could supervise students in the water, and finally, to all staff who helped ensure the day ran smoothly and safely - well done. 

Paul Bennett
Head of Health & Physical Education 

Term 1 Overview
Year 8 & 9 Cricket Academy

Both year groups have had a terrific start to the year. The work ethic and camaraderie on display has been great to see and this is reflected in the results against other schools. Out of the 9 games played against Kent Street, John Forrest and Butler College, we have won 8 of them across the year groups.

The mentality ‘train like you play’ has really flourished amongst these two year groups and is seeing immediate results in the training and game scenarios. The students are not only developing on the field but they are also becoming well-rounded individuals off the pitch, something that the Cricket Academy is really proud of. All students are to be commended and there are exciting times ahead.

Belridge SC First XI Cricket 2019

Belridge SC First XI have had a fantastic campaign for the Kim Hughes Shield for 2019. Belridge were victorious in all 4 out of the 5 round games against Newman College, Darling Range SC, Kent Street and John Forrest SC. As a result Belridge finished second on the ladder in the Metropolitan division and were then drawn against Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School in the semi-final to be played down south in Bunbury. Belridge, after a shaky start, settled and ended up piling on the runs and finished with 280 runs. We ended victorious by 150 runs. The final took place on Monday 1^st April at the WACA against Kent Street Senior High School. Belridge won the toss and elected to bowl first. It was a good start from Belridge who had Kent Street 6-100 after 30 overs. However some solid batting from Kent Street got them to 9-197 after the 50 overs. Belridge fought hard with Cooper Connolly, Jack McDonald and Mitchell Slattery all getting starts, but unfortunately Belridge fell about 70 runs short in the end.

Each student that represented Belridge should be extremely proud of themselves, playing hard, competitive cricket whilst demonstrating great sportsmanship along the way. The team were led brilliantly by Callum Andrews, as well as some terrific individual performances along the way and a big congratulations goes out to those students.

Finally, a big thank you to Mr Scott Ogilvie who has worked extremely hard with these students in and out of school hours to help them develop as young men and cricketers. Congratulations on a great job!

Brent Jarvis-Spinks
Health & Physical Education Teacher

Registrations are now open for parent tours and our course taster morning for Year 5 & 6 students.  Call 9408 8000 for full details and to register your place.  BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL.

Embracing opportunities.  Optimistic outlook.  Nothing to lose.  Many students from Belridge SC chose to listen and learn from the amazingly talented, internationally acclaimed Australian author and Gold Emmy Award Winner, AJ Betts, who recently visited our campus and shared her experiences. 

Amanda presented three distinct sessions focussing on: her new novel Hive, her life as an author and a small group of 35 invested students actively participated in an in depth writers’ workshop, where they played and developed their writing before sharing their scripts with their peers. The buzz from audience members in each session was infectious, particularly the writers’ workshop. The unexpected twist: writing the same scene five different ways, exploring action, senses, flashback, change of view from a different character and change of tone.

I am confident all participants will reflect on AJ’s wisdom and utilise the skills learned in future situations. The thirst for more life experiences exuded from students as they thanked AJ and enquired after similar opportunities available for them in the future. 

“Unexpected, better than I predicted.  So pleased I attended.” 

Glynne Bartle
AEP Coordinator 

Pi Day was celebrated by our Year 8 Maths class on March 14^th (3/14) because the first 3 digits of Pi are 3, 1 and 4. Pi (Greek letter “p”) is the symbol used to represent the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.  We learnt that Pi is a decimal that goes on forever, without stopping.  Activities included:

• a 3 minute challenge to list as many words as possible beginning with the letters “pi”;
• measuring the distances around various objects including paper plates and milk bottle lids;
• drawing a Pi skyline. This involved creating a skyline by graphing the numbers in pi. Some of the cityscapes look fantastic; and
• eating Oreos to round off the celebration!

Edna Pivetta
Mathematics Teacher

A large number of students were acknowledged for their achievements during academic year 2018 in a whole school assembly held in February.  Students were recognised with Honour and Merit Awards.

Congratulations to all Subject Award Winners for 2018!

Girls Footy

A huge congratulations goes to the Year 7 & 8 Girls Football Teams.  After only 3 training days, both teams played outstandingly.  The Year 7/8 Team won 4 out of 6 games and the Year 9/10 Team made it through to the Grand Final, but lost to Mater Dei (a Football Specialist School).  The girls showed amazing spirit and were great representatives of Belridge within the wider community. 

Lisa Pignatiello
Girls Footy Coach 

State Reps

Congratulations to Blake Houston who has been selected to represent WA for the State Athletics Team.  Blake will be travelling to Hobart in the April school holidays for the 'Australia Little Athletics Championships' competing in both Javelin and Discus, and possibly other events.  We wish Blake all the very best in his endeavours!

Braving the Rottnest Channel Swim

Seth Pierce in Year 11 recently completed the 19.7km Rottnest Channel Swim as part of a team of four.  Seth’s team were forced to pull out at the 12km mark last year, following the sighting of a large 4 metre great white shark. Not to be beaten, the team tried again in February, this year completing the race in a very respectable 7hrs 10mins. Two shark sightings this year were not enough to call swimmers out of the water! Seth was joined by his father Rob, and father-daughter Peter & Amelie Caporn. Next year Seth is hoping to go one better and complete the race as a duo with his Dad.

The Dream Dancers

Belridge Secondary College have built a strong relationship with The Dream Dance Company in Sydney. We are lucky enough to frequently have the professional dancers come and work with our students, to teach them new skills, help them develop their confidence and personal style.

In February, we hosted Marko Panzic (Artistic Director of The Dream Dance Company) and Mitch Wynter (Dancer for The Dream Dance Company) in a jazz/hip hop and contemporary/lyrical workshop.

Our dancers were challenged with fast paced choreography and new skills but did not give up and gave 100% commitment to the opportunity.

The energy in the room was amazing. The smiling faces and the laughter created such a wonderful atmosphere. Mitch Wynter has been given a contract to work with Cirque du Soliel and we wanted to give him an awesome send off before he leaves, and we did just that.

Marko and Mitch not only provide our students with skills for dance, but also have some wise words of wisdom that they pass on to the students, about striving for their best, not giving up and how they can reach their goals.

Thank you to all students who participated and took on this opportunity. Keep watching for future opportunities like this in the future.

A special note from Marko and Mitch:

"Working with Belridge Secondary College is always such a fun experience. The energy and vibe from the students is awesome! The passion and hard work in the room is really special and inspiring. It is such a great thing to witness to come to a high school and see the talent, hard work and personality in the room. Huge credit to Heather Currie. What you are creating and the opportunities you are giving your students is incredible! Always look forward to visiting Belridge again."  Marko Panzic

"Always have the best time working with the students at Belridge Secondary College. Every time I come and visit, the improvement from the students is really impressive. I am thankful to be able to work in such a safe, fun and caring environment." Mitch Wynter

Miss Currie
Performing Arts Teacher

Belridge Dance Company

"Empowerment; the process of building strength and confidence in oneself"

The Belridge Dance Company will have opportunities throughout the year to grow and expand as dancers and individuals. They have produced this video as part of the the first step to becoming empowered within themselves.

Heather Currie
Performing Arts Teacher

Music
Voices of Belridge Vocal Group

Does your child love to sing? If so, they may love the opportunity to sing in harmony with other likeminded individuals. Through our school vocal group, ‘The Voices of Belridge’, students get the opportunity to sing vocal arrangements in a range of different styles, meet fellow singers and perform at a number of events throughout the year. Rehearsals take place from 3:15 to 4:15 on Fridays after school. If your child is interested they can collect a permission slip from Mr Offszanka in the PAC office. 

Music Program and Free Trumpet Lessons!
Does your child show a passion for music?

We are fortunate to have the opportunity for a beginner trumpet course at Belridge SC this year provided we have enough students show an interest. These lessons are provided FREE by Instrumental Music School Services (IMSS) with the only cost being a one off payment of $110 for the hire of a trumpet for the year. If there are any students interested in this opportunity who are not already in the classroom music program, I would like extend an invitation for you to join. This is because in order to take part in this opportunity a student must be a part of our classroom music program and not already be learning IMSS instrument.

Contact zachary.Offszanka@education.wa.edu.au to express an interest or if you have any questions.

Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson Visit Belridge!

Australian fashion artists Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee were invited, through the City of Joondalup Urban Couture Festival, to hold a three-hour workshop with the Year 11 and 12 fashion students on March 6. Both artists were in awe of the student’s work on display and their colourful classroom and it quickly became apparent that colour was an important element in these ladies' life and work.

The students were shown ‘movies’ of the designer’s fashion parades that were hugely popular during the 1980’s and given an insight into their inspiration for pattern, colour and design.  Jenny Kee spoke of her development of design using the surroundings of her home in the Blue Mountains and the influence that the flora in her garden had had on developing patterns for her knitted garments.  The students and I were impressed to hear of the process from drawing, to grid pattern, to sourcing knitters and to sale.

Linda Jackson took the students through a journey of paper collage encouraging them to work freely with colour and shapes.  She enlightened them on how she uses the same process to create repetitive patterns for her fabric production.

The student creations will be used to create a repetitive pattern on fabric and further collaged together.  We hope to send photographs of the competed work to the designers.

Anna Dyer
Head of Fashion Design 

Year 12 Literature Excursion

On Saturday March 2^nd, Year 12 Literature students gave up their afternoon and evening to attend a Perth Festival Production of Gatz, presented by the American company Elevator Repair Service.  This production was a dramatisation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby where, over the course of eight hours, the writings of Fitzgerald were read and literally came alive with the people on stage.  The production was unique in style, presenting students with new ways to see the text and a new appreciation for the words themselves (in addition to the main lead, who, in becoming Nick Carraway, delivered the last ten pages true to every word Fiztgerald himself wrote). While it made for a long afternoon/night, we all came away excited by the experience, ready to find new meaning in the classic text.  This experience went far beyond our curriculum, not only breathing life in literature itself, but giving us a whole new way to view both the writing and the world; it was certainly an experience we won’t be forgetting any time soon!

Eyes closed tight.  Silence.  Not an animal to be heard.  The rustle of sleeping bags next to me as students rolled over on their camp mattress. My ears strained to hear the distant cries of animals.  Nothing. Surely there must be some animals awake close to midnight? We are, after all, sleeping overnight at Perth Zoo. Thwack! What was that loud din? Thud! Crash! Possums must be playing in the canopy above our sustainable eco barn which is our sleeping quarters for the night. Nuts falling from great heights and landing onto the tin roof, creating such a disturbing crash to ruin the silence of the night, yet, not one student stirs.  They are exhausted.  I am very pleased they are not like giraffes, who only sleep for seven minutes!

Our very talented young people from our Year 7 Academic Enrichment group camped overnight at Perth Zoo recently and participated in a range of activities including; up close and personal encounters with animals, constructing enrichment activities for animals such as the lemurs, a Race to Save around the grounds of the zoo, a night safari trek utilising red light torches through the African Savannah, team work games and mindfulness sessions. All these designed to challenge students by choice, develop trust, strengthen respect and develop deeper friendships within the group. 

Overwhelming success in the eyes of our students and the fabulous staff who attended.  Thank you to Ms Pignatiello, Mr Leenman, Ms Ferreri, Ms Steyn and students who all contributed to this unique and enjoyable experience.

Glynne Bartle
AEP Coordinator 

Year 12 Biology

On Tuesday 19 March the Year 12 Biology class had the amazing opportunity to go to the Harry Perkins Institute for Biomedical Research with Mrs Lopez and learn about some of the current methods used in genetic research and genetic engineering.

After the instructions were given, students were able to get down to work amplifying part of a gene that controls cell growth and is involved in skin cancer development in humans. The students used the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method to actually create multiple copies of DNA which were later separated using gel electrophoresis. Often these methods are modelled in a school environment, but the Harry Perkins laboratories allowed the students to actually do the real thing, just like a genetic researcher would do. Apart from learning about the tools in gene technology, the students also got an insight into a modern work environment in the field of biological and medical research.

Dr Michael Werner
Science Teacher

• Connect is used by the school to send out notifications and important information.
• Connect is available to all parents to access a secure, easy to use tool which enables you to communicate with teachers and view your child's course outlines, assessments that are due, and contact teachers.

See attached help sheet, together with 'Talking with Your College' factsheet (pages 2 and 3 refer).

Otherwise, please email elizabeth.cassidy@education.wa.edu.au for support.

Do you want to practice your French?
Then why not attend the 30th Perth French Film Festival?

Adult $20.00
Under 25 $15.50
Children 12 and Under $13.00
Students weekday sessions $13.00 (before 4.30pm)
Palace Cinema members, Luna Palace Privilege Card, Aliance Francaise de Perth and all concessions $17.00

Stephanie Westphal
French Teacher

The Design & Technology department are ALWAYS on the look out and in need of recycled timber.  If anybody is pulling down timber or has access to building or construction timber that they could donate to the school, it would be greatly appreciated.  The material could be dropped off to the Design & Technology department or contact Lazo Njegich on 0432 478 123 to arrange collection. 

Thank you. 

Lazo Njegich
Teacher - Design & Technology

Uniform Shop

See attached flyer for Easter Holiday Opening Times. 

Wine Fundraiser 

Stock up your wine rack and at the same time help raise much needed funds for the Belridge SC Year 12 International Development Cricket Tour in 2022. Orders close Friday 3 May 2019.  Belridge SC will not be handling any enquiries, orders or deliveries. Please see attached ORDER FORM for full details.  Enjoy!

Joondalup Festival 2019

Enjoy three fun-packed days of live entertainment and alfresco eating and drinking at Joondalup Festival, featuring oversized and interactive art installations, circus, music, comedy, children's shows and more.  Friday 5 April to Sunday 7 April. 

Exam Preparation & Revision Programs

Mastermind Australia will be running exam preparation and revision programs for students in Year 7 to 12 during the April school holiday.  See flyer for further information. 

We are delighted to inform you that Belridge Medical Centre have advised that they are able to provide the following services for students and staff of Belridge SC:

Belridge Medical Centre will BULK BILL for all staff and students, if informed that the patient is from BSC.  Students and staff would need to register as new patients to the practice.

Youth Friendly GP’s on site:

• Dr James Millward.
• Dr Heather Birk (also works at a local youth crisis accommodation).
• Dr Diana Fakes.
• Dr Eva Cronstedt (available two days per week).
• Travel vaccinations on site; including Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies.
• Practice nurses also do catch-up immunisations, Implanon insertion and Iron infusions.
• Patients can attend short notice appointments for minor injuries that do not require ambulance.

Belridge Medical Centre are keen in cultivating a strong relationship with the school and community.  If the reception staff seem unaware of the bulk bill offer, the Practice Manager, Margaret Chalk, will be able to confirm this arrangement. 

Deb Lawrence & Joanne Savoury 
Community Health Nurses

School Payments

Payments for student charges and contributions are welcome at any time.  Please note that Upper School subject charges ARE COMPULSORY.

To set up a payment plan please contact our Administration office on 9408 8000 - we are here to help. 

Payments can be made by cash or EFTPOS at the front office or Direct Deposit to our new bank details of Comm Bank.

BSB: 066 040
Account: 19906002

Please ensure you quote as your reference STUDENT NAME and YEAR GROUP (ie. JOHN SMITH Y10

Thank you

Kerrie Ward
Manager of Corporate Services

Uniform Supplies