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

Year 6 Transitions

Over the last few weeks Mrs Edmonds (Year 7 Co-Ordinator for 2022) has conducted the half day transitions for incoming students. These transitions have been very successful with the students navigating their way around the school with the assistance of the Year 9 Peer Support Leaders.  The projected enrolments for Year 7 2022 is 190–200 students. Parents of students within the local area who have not yet enrolled are encouraged to enrol immediately so they can participate in the transition and orientation programs.

The full Orientation Day will be held on Tuesday 7 December when all the incoming students will meet together for the first time. Parents are also invited to stay for the first hour and participate in a school tour at 9:00am.

Year 10 2022 Meningococcal Vaccinations

All Year 9 students have now been given information and forms regarding the Year 10 2022 Meningococcal vaccinations to be held at the College on Monday 14 March 2022. Forms are due back by Thursday 25 November to allow for processing. Please contact the college reception if you have not received the information pack.

Year 7–10 Semester 2 Reports

The end of the term and year is fast approaching. Semester 2 reports will be emailed to parents/caregivers on Tuesday 14th December. Please review these reports and book a parent/teacher interview, if required. I hope Semester 2 reports reflect the fantastic work all students have produced and the progress they have made.

Mario Pisano
Vice Principal - Middle School 

On Thursday 29 October the school had a great graduation ceremony for our Year 12 students at Kingsway Christian College. I felt very privileged to oversee the proceedings at this wonderful event, that has been widely praised by those in attendance.  Congratulations to all of our Class of 2021 on your achievements.

It is important that we have gatherings like our graduation ceremony, where we can celebrate our students. It is nights like these that realise that our future really is in safe hands. I wish all our Year 12 students the best for the future and hope they stay in touch with the school and share their successes with us.

As for our students in Years 7 to 11, it is business as usual.

Year 11 students have been undertaking either exams or workplace learning in the past two weeks. Reports for Year 11 students will be emailed on December 7th. This provides for parents and students, with concerns about progress and their subject selections for 2022, and to come to the school and discuss changes. It is important that students start 2022 in the correct courses that match their abilities and interests, and we encourage all students to reflect on their Year 11 results to ensure the best possible outcomes in 2022.

Year 10 students should be putting in their best efforts, in preparation for Year 11 courses.

I wish all parents and students the best of luck over the next few weeks.

Several firms have sent me information regarding holiday preparation programs for Year 11 and 12 courses and OLNA. If you are interested in these options, please contact me at the school on 9408 8000.

Wednesday Period 5 in 2021 for Years 11 & 12

A reminder to all Year 11 and 12 students that they must be available to stay at school when required on Wednesday afternoons. Reasons to stay include:

• Year 12 ATAR required every Wednesday for study purposes
• Any student behind in assessments
• Work placement meetings
• OLNA preparation work
• Information sessions and talks

Students should not organise part-time work or driving lessons during this time.

Special Exam Conditions

Please note if your son/daughter does ATAR courses and has any of the following conditions:

• Vision or hearing impairment;
• Learning disabilities, such as dyslexia or dysgraphia ;
• Medical conditions such as ADD/ADHD, illness, psychological, physical disability or fine motor disability
• Conditions such as diabetes

then they may be eligible for extra time or special conditions in exams. If this applies to your son or daughter please contact me at the school so that we can put measures in place this year to ensure that 2022 is a successful one for everyone. SCSA does have deadlines for the submission of paperwork, so early action is imperative.

Student Mobile Phones in Public School Policy

A reminder that  all students must have their phones off and out of sight during the school day. The school day is defined as between the times when the student arrives at school and leaves at the end of the day.

Road Safety

It is timely once again to remind all parents and students to take care on the roads around the school. Occasionally, members of the public call the school to inform us that some students have behaved in such a manner to put themselves in danger. Please have a conversation with your son or daughter about the need to behave responsibly and take care when making their way to and from school.

Joanne Baker
Deputy Principal - Senior School

Lest We Forget

This year for Remembrance Day Year 7 students continued a tradition that was  started in 2020. A collection of hundreds of poppies were made by Year 7, 8, and 9 students last year, and we added to it this year, with the 2021 Year 7’s creating their own.  The library looked beautiful, awash in a sea of red poppies, to symbolise the following:

• The red represents the blood of all those who gave their lives;
• The black represents the mourning of those who didn't have their loved ones return home;
• The green leaf represents the grass and crops growing and future prosperity after the war destroyed so much; and
• The leaf should be positioned at 11 o'clock to represent the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the time that World War I formally ended.

We also continued our tradition of displaying photos of those in the Belridge Family, who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Forces and across the world. The photos were lovingly displayed in the library alongside the poppies. We have incredible photos from Defence Force Personnel, dating as far back to World War I.

James Lun, Gemma Speirs and Kate Tobin very gracefully read the ceremony over the PA to the entire school. Students remained respectful and silent during the playing of the Last Post, as well as for the minute silence and the Rouse. 

It was pleasing to hear that some classes stood at the desks, with eyes down cast, out of solemn respect for our fallen soldiers and Defence Forces. 

Ms Linto
Head of Humanities and Social Sciences

Class of 2021 Graduation

The Belridge community came together to celebrate the achievements of the Graduating Class of 2021 on Thursday the 28^th of October at the Kingsway Christian College Auditorium. 

The final school event representing the last 13 years of students’ education was a night to remember, and as always, students represented themselves impeccably.  The Class of 2021 have been outstanding representatives of Belridge throughout their secondary education and they have left an indelible mark on our school community. 

I would like to thank the families and the staff who have worked tirelessly in support of the students over the years.  And particularly, I would like to thank the students of the graduating class themselves, for allowing me to share in your journey as your Year Coordinator.  You have developed into exceptional human beings.  

I wish you well in all your future endeavours.

Alicia Holliday
Year 12 Coordinator

2021 Infinite Energy Solar Car Challenge

On Thursday the 29^th and Friday the 30^th of October, two students, Oscar Longworth-Baker and Cameron Spence, represented Belridge Secondary College in Western Australia chapter of the Australian 2021 Infinite Energy Solar Car Challenge at Riley Oval, UWA. The boys have spent recess and lunch times on a Monday in the Design and Technology Learning Area for the past ten weeks, and then a few full days in the workshops after their peers had left school to prepare their cars for the big event.

On the Thursday, accompanied by Mr. Cox, the boys presented for scrutineering, which they passed with flying colours and then raced their cars in a knockout tournament where they adjusted and honed their cars into finely tuned racing cars ready for Friday’s big event.

On Friday, the boys, escorted by Mr. Kovacs, represented the school in the finals, where one of the cars finished 5^th overall and the other represented the school well, but did not make it into the final 16 cars. One of the Belridge cars won the tournament award for “Most Eco-Friendly Car” as it contained renewable resources such as balsa wood and newspaper.

Whilst both Oscar and Cameron represented the school well on track, it was noted by several staff from other schools at the event, that their attitude towards helping younger students from other schools to improve on and repair their cars was quite exceptional. On all accounts, we should be immensely proud of how Oscar and Cameron represented Belridge SC at this event, especially given how close the event was to their ATAR exams and graduation ceremony and the noticeably short lead up they had to the event.

Matt Kovacs and Dean Cox
Design & Technology Teachers

Adobe Trials 

Students from Belridge SC have recently been working with Adobe to provide feedback on Adobe products. The Year 10 Interactive Multimedia class have been making extensive use of Adobe applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign and others as they unleash their creative abilities through assessments in the course.

Adobe was kind enough to provide the students with some Adobe merchandise as a show of appreciation for the students’ participation in the feedback program.

Stephen O'Neil
Digital Technologies Teacher

Humanties & Social Sciences

Did you know that agriculture accounts for around 70% of global freshwater withdrawals and that 500 sheets of paper require 6000 litres of water to produce?

On Friday 29 October, the Water Corporation came to present an interactive Waterwise incursion to the Year 7s and 8s during their HASS classes. Set up on the oval in tents, the students were asked to work in small groups, put on headphones and follow the instructions given. This saw them move between the tents and complete an assortment of activities, along with learning about the importance of water. The students were all engaged and enjoyed the experience.

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher

Home Economics 

CUPCAKES FOR CHARITY 

In Week 4 this term, the Year 11 Food Science and Technology class completed their last assessment for the year. They were given creative freedom to produce not only delicious cupcakes but cupcakes that would look amazing on a digital advert. The students were required to make six cupcakes, and present their best one for assessment. As a class collective, the students decided they would like to sell the rest, (rather than eat them themselves) and donate the proceeds to charity. I asked my students to each write down a charity that they would like the proceeds donated to and then we would have a class vote. As a group, the charity they decided on was Huntingtons WA. The cupcakes were sold to teachers on the day and $163.00 raised for the charity.

LIFE'S LITTLE TREASURES

Our Year 10 Family, Children, and You students have been working hard on making Developmental Hearts for care packages to send to the Life's Little Treasures Foundation. This Foundation put out a call for people to make Developmental Hearts, these hearts are made from flannel or fleece and are given to parents whose newborn infants have been admitted to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. The fabric heart is worn against the parent’s skin so that the fabric might absorb the scent of the parent. The heart is placed with the baby in the isolette or crib so the mother is always with her child.

If you would like to learn more about the Foundation or contribute by donating through knitting, sewing or crafting products please take a look at lifeslittletreasures.org.au

YEAR 11 HOSPITALITY

Our Year 11 Hospitality successfully catered at their first function this week. They provided an array of food for the College’s Open Board meeting and received rave reviews. The students have also started barista training and are making coffees for our pre-school Perks Program.

City of Joondalup Youth Forum

Earlier this term, three Year 10 student councillors were invited to the City of Joondalup Youth Forum and Open Council Meeting. Along with other local high schools, they participated in a workshop led by Sain Dzemail from Insain. This session was focused on positive and proactive youth-led change, helping young people to deliver actions to improve an area or issue. Students also learnt the importance of sharing their ideas to help make a difference in the City of Joondalup.

The students then sat in the public gallery for the council meeting. Joondalup Mayor Albert Jacob addressed them and answered a range of questions from students. They were able to see how a council meeting runs, the questions and concerns raised by members of the public and how the councillors work together to get the best outcomes for the City.

Rebecca Edmonds
Student Councillor Coodinator 

ATHIM - USA Consulate Guest Speaker

The Year 12 ATAR Modern History class recently went to Warwick Senior High School to hear from a guest presenter from the U.S. Consulate. Matt, a diplomatic officer, spoke to the students about the different aspects of his job, sharing stories of his time abroad. He also spoke about the close ties the U.S.A has with Australia, which linked in with the current unit of study.

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher

Footy Colours Day

On Friday 17 September, many staff and students donned their favourite sporting team colours for Footy Colours Day. This was paired with Jeans for Genes day, as a fundraiser for the Fight Cancer Foundation and Children’s Medical Research Institute.

Students had their hair sprayed in bright colours and completed a sporting quiz during the day. Evie, one of the Year 12 students bravely had her long hair chopped off as the main event at lunch for Hair for Heart. This donation will help to make wigs for people with cancer.

Our two schools raised over $300 which has been donated to these charities.

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher

Ensuring Safe & Healthy Lifestyles

Learning Made Just For You: Girls in Stem 2021 – North Metro TAFE

"... there are barriers for our girls in STEM - there are but there shouldn't be!" 

This was the message more than 200 girls heard on Friday 29 October, at North Metro TAFE Girls in STEM Day!  They were encouraged to jump at opportunities, seek knowledge and ask questions.

The day started early celebrating the intrinsic thirst for knowledge as our girls read STEM magazines as we waited for the bus at 7am. The girls explored spectrophotometer as they determined unknown elements by analysing samples and comparing flame colours within the chemistry labs.  They spend an hour exploring virtual reality, augmented reality, gaming and physics followed by a lesson in cyber security.  Recently at the 2021 Skills West Expo and National WorldSkills Competition, North Metro TAFE cyber security students won gold silver and bronze!  Our girls were learning from the best in the world.  They also experienced a taste of dentistry as they recreated teeth before using their creative skills in engineering to construct suspended load bearing structures with limited resources and limited time.  The day in STEM ended on the rooftop garden where our girls learned about horticulture and the benefits of rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) – helps with memory and clarity, (Moss, 2013).

Providing opportunities like this to: engage with like-minded peers from across the state; learn new skills, insights and information; engage with complex and abstract ideas; and ignite their passion is essential for our bright young minds to flourish.

Ms Bartle
AE Coordinator

Belridge Students Engaging with Leading Research Project

Last term some of our Academic Enrichment students worked with Edith Cowan University researchers to learn first-hand how an idea can spark a research project which may change the delivery of education for future generations.  Our students partnered with the School of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Education, School of Science and the Amanda Young Foundation to investigate learning through game based apps.  Students discussed the hypothesis, “Does learning through participation in game based applications support learning?” They experienced random selection as they were separated into two groups: half participating in face to face delivery of information and half participating in app engagement.  Students also discussed sample sizes and bias with reference to research projects, data confidentiality, big data and follow up data.  Making learning for our students real and allowing students to support other organisations is greatly beneficial for our young people; our students were able to give back to our educational community.  Through participating in this research, our students not only appreciated the complexity of research, the necessity to continue to improve and change methods but they also learned about Meningococcal infection, prevention and protection. 

Ms Bartle
AE Coordinator

LabRats at ECU Joondalup

Year 9 STEM students experienced a taste of what tertiary education at ECU is like as they were immersed in activities across the Joondalup campus.  Led by Student Engagement Coordinator, Michelle Austin, and current Marine Science student volunteers, our students navigated their way to complete a race around the campus before participating in Biology and Chemistry workshops in the SUPERLAB. 

Students analysed the health of the campus lake ecosystem by utilising a dichotomous key to identify live species within their sample taken from the lake earlier that morning in the Biology laboratory.

Within Chemistry, students completed two activities.  The first involved conducting a series of reactions that eventually produced a sudden colour change in what is known as The Iodine Clock: where triiodide reacted with thiosulphate ions to form tetrathionate and more iodide ions.  Triiodide combined with starch results in a colour change to blue/black which our students were able to reproduce and alter the time in which the reaction took place.  The second experiment saw students coat the inside of a test tube with real silver to create their very own silver mirror test tube!  A copy of exactly what took place in both reactions is included in attachments for your interest.

Cyber Science saw our students memorise, analyse and synthesize information to decode a situation presented to them by a cyber-security expert.

Listening to current students share their learning experiences and journeys through a series of vignettes, opened students’ eyes to the world of opportunities currently on offer to our bright young STEM enthusiasts. Belridge SC students are now more aware of what is available for them and how to pursue potential pathways; continuing on their learning experiences at Belridge SC. 

Thank you ECU Joondalup for this amazing opportunity to engage with science at the tertiary level.

Ms Bartle
AE Coordinator

Olympiad 2021

On Tuesday 19th October and Saturday 23rd October, myself and a small group of keen math Olympians took part in the West Australian Junior Mathematics Olympiad 2021. The WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad is a mathematics contest comprising an in-school solo math competition and a 4-person team competition held at the University of Western Australia. The Olympiad is held for all bright Year 7, 8 and 9 students from many schools across Western Australia.

The first part of the competition was an in-school solo contest, which took place online over 100 minutes. Using our knowledge of different math topics, we answered the many questions using different equations and working hard. We also used creative thinking to work out which formulas to use and different ways to work out our answers.

The second part of the competition was different from the first, as we were working in teams at UWA instead of the school. I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with my peers in the group competition as it was very enjoyable working together to answer the team questions. Overall, I had a lot of fun participating in my first West Australian Junior Mathematics Olympiad. It was a great experience to work together with my peers and on my own. I loved the opportunity and I'm looking forward to next year.

Charlotte Vinson
Year 9 

On Tuesday the 21st of September, the Year 9 AE class embarked on an excursion to Optus Stadium. We were set with the task of producing an infographics chart about the stadium as part of our Mathematics curriculum and to collect useful information to use in our charts while we were there. Our class had the wonderful opportunity to tour the stadium itself and visited many of the rooms most people don’t see, including the Media Box, training room, ice baths, locker room and the dug out. It was an exciting experience to go backstage at Optus Stadium to visit areas journalists and sporting coaches use during events. Our tour guide, Ron was very engaging and shared with us many interesting facts about the stadium and its four year history. As well as touring the stadium, we also experienced an Aboriginal cultural tour, relating to the Year 9 HASS curriculum. This walking tour gave us an insight into the Noongar cultural influence in the development of the Optus Stadium and its surroundings. Nick Abraham, our tour guide, shared with us the importance of culture and we learned about how the Noongar people used the land and Swan River in the past. These tours were a fantastic and interesting experience and students enjoyed learning about both the stadium itself and Noongar culture.

Charlotte Vinson 
Year 9 

Elite Music Program

Is your child commencing at Belridge in 2022 and has a love of music? Places are still available in our Elite Music Program - enquire now. 

https://belridgecollege.wa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Elite-Music-Application.pdf

Student Music 

Aimee Wright (Year 11) has just released her 8th original track Distant Memories.  To hear this and her other tracks go to https://linktr.ee/AimeeWrightMusic

Bricktober

Over the last weekend of the school holidays, Mrs Keeble, attended on behalf of Belridge,  Bricktober - an event held by Ascot Rotary. Ascot Rotary had kindly donated three tubs of Lego to the College's Lego Club.  At this event, Belridge Secondary College's Lego Club had a display of builds created by the students.  Many people commented on how amazing the display was and some even took photos.  Congratulations to our Lego Club members for such an interesting display. Below are some photos taken from the students at work, and the final display table.  It was a very exciting and successful weekend for Belridge SC .

Audra Keeble
Education Assistant

Mandurah Wearable Art Competition 2021

Mrs Dyer's Fashion Design students have been working hard this year on their entries to the Mandurah Wearable Art competition.

Filipinana Soft Reed Broom and The Beauty of Ningaloo entries

APEX Australia Fashion Youth Festival 

Earlier in the year, the Year 10 class was given the opportunity to enter the APEX Australia Fashion Youth Festival.  All was going well until the lock down caused the competition to be cancelled. The students changed focus and worked on other projects, feeling quite disappointed. Then in late September we were informed the competition was on again!

It was a mad rush to finish garments, but it was certainly worth the effort resulting in Lily Mangan winning the Society and Environment category with her creation that was inspired by the events of the French Revolution. Dressed in a lavish red garment of full skirt, corset and jacket, a guillotine head dress and carrying a three tier cake, Lily impressed the judges with her outfit.

The curse of King Midas by Gemma Spiers was the inspiration for her garment creation. Gemma took on the role of the daughter of King Midas who turned to gold. Gemma was rewarded with 2nd Place in the Wearable Art category.

Danny Stewart, Alex Henderson, Eden Bettles also competed and although unsuccessful they all represented the school with much pride.

Bonnie Kerslake entered her ball gown in the Formal Wear category and although she was not successful this time round, we are very proud of all her achievements whilst studying Fashion.

Anna Dyer
Fashion Design Coordinator 

The Department of Education coordinates a range of scholarships that provide financial support for secondary school students. This includes the Roy Grace English Scholarship creative writing award. Applications close 5:30 pm Thursday 9 December 2021. Find out more HERE 

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