With Term 4 well under way, there has been lots to celebrate at the College this term.  After a few weeks away on Long Service Leave, it was great to come back to such a positive start.

The Year 12’s final days were celebrated in style, starting with a celebratory breakfast with parents and carers. The Home Economics staff, and hospitality students did an amazing job preparing and serving the food. This was followed by our Year 12 assembly, which was a great celebration of these wonderful students. Thank you to Mr Pisano for stepping in and delivering the Principals address on my behalf.  Luckily, I was back in time to be part of our formal Graduation ceremony at Kingsway Christian College. It was great to see the achievements of our students, both of Belridge SC and Belridge Education Support. It is always a very proud moment for me to stand on that stage and congratulate each and every one of our students. The night is a true example of our 2 schools, 1 community and is a real highlight of the year.

On Friday 28^th October we celebrated World Teachers Day. As part of the celebrations the students wrote thank you notes to their chosen teachers.  We converted some of these notes into a short presentation and presented teachers with their notes during a special morning tea.

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 Alison Zarrop 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.  

This term we also held our annual Open Board Meeting. The night showcased the strategic journey Belridge has taken to forward STEM at the College and our exciting plans for the future. The planned update of the library, conversion of a new Science lab, the planning of a new $1.5 STEM space and the addition of an indoor Sports facility are all on the horizon. 

We also farewelled Scott Amy, our long standing board chair who is off to pastures new over east. I thank Scott for his commitment to the College over his tenure of 7 years and thank him for the support he has provided me during my time here. He will be sorely missed, however I wish him all the very best with his future endeavours. I’m sure he will be back to visit us.  Our new board Chair, Steve Hall will take the reigns from here, helping guide the future direction of the school. See Steve's introduction under Board Matters. 

This term we also celebrated our Academic Enrichment Program Showcase – Wow! What a buzz there was in that room. Each students bursting with enthusiasm to share their project with the visitors. A huge thank you to Mrs Edmonds and the AE team for organising the event and giving up your time to support our students.

On 11^th of 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, Jade Wright, Kristie Wintle, Alison Saare, Lisa Manning and our College Captains for 2023 for their remembrance address. The displays, including our poppy garden looked amazing and I know meant a great deal to our school community.

This term we have also held our Year 11 River Cruise, came away as winners in the SSWA Interschool Athletics Carnival (see report further on in newsletter), ran the Year 9 taster excursion to NMTAFE, were involved in our very first Tech Trails event, held Year 9 OLNA for the first time, commenced WACE exams, completed Year 11 exams and undertook Workplace Learning.

Our staff have also been keeping busy, with Audra Keeble involved all weekend  in showing students' creations at the Bricktober Event, Jodie Grieve recording our many memories through her wonderful photography, Anna Dyer for her achievements at Mandurah Arts Festival, Rebecca Edmonds cupcakes for Word Teachers Day, Home Economics Team catering for events, staff who took part in the Bunnings Sausage sizzle fundraiser raising money for our Year 8 camp. Thank you ALL for giving up your time and to support our students.

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.  See flyer further on in this newsletter with key dates, please give what you can and support local during this festive season.

Sharon Lyon
Principal 

Having been heavily involved in the Vocational Education & Training sector for the past 12 years, being able to contribute to a successful school as a board member drew me to Belridge Secondary College. An electrical contractor by trade, I spent 20 years across both large and small business. Having employed apprentices and tradespersons, I’ve been able to see how the journey into trades starts with a great school and committed teachers. We’ve been preaching STEM for years now, but still, we hear the old line, ‘I’ve never used algebra or trigonometry’. Yet, I’m sure you could ask our maths and science teachers and they’ll be all too happy to tell you that STEM is impossible without them. Trades, such as electrical and plumbing are at the forefront of New Energy measures. Renewable Energy and Hydrogen will require skills that BSC is committed to providing. Automation, mechatronics, robotics, cyber-security along traditional career paths all require new skills, and possibly ones we don’t even know about. Having seen technology changes aplenty in my career, from fuses to RCDs (Safety Switches), from Flouros to LED Strip lighting, every industry is embracing technology. BSC being uniquely located adjacent the ever growing Innovation, Education and Health precincts in the City of Joondalup, our students can find work here, or launch an international career right from Belridge’s halls.

BSC has long had great representation from the parents, teachers and wider community, and it’s great to see that continue. Secondary schools are the launchpad for careers, whether direct from school, or via the VET or Tertiary pathways. As the PCE – Post Covid Era – beckons, it was great to hear at our open board meeting, the voices of our new generation of school leaders. Their excitement at the commitment to fund future projects, such as the STEM classrooms and Indoor Cricket Centre. To hear them already work out how these facilities, benefit not only our budding STEM and Sports stars, but across the cohort, who will have access to the technology in application. 

Our Principal and her dedicated team of teachers, administration and support staff are always looking for ways to give the students of BSC the very best of opportunities. 

2023 will undoubtedly bring challenges, but as we have proved through the past three years of pandemic pandemonium, resilience and adaptation are built into our students. I can’t wait to report back in 2023 all the success stories to come.

Steve Hall
Chairperson
Belridge SC Board

We are already over halfway through Term 4 and it has been extremely busy around the college. Many of our students have had the opportunity to represent the college in several sporting, careers and curriculum opportunities. In classrooms students are working hard to complete assessments before teachers begin writing the Semester 2 reports. There are still a lot of fun activities to look forward to, especially the Belridge 'Big Day In' before we finish for Term 4!

Year 6 Transitions

Our half day transitions have allowed our incoming Year 7 students to have a look around Belridge, meet staff and take part in an amazing race! All our 2023 Year 7 students will attend Belridge for the Transition Day on 6 December to take part in different classes and meet students from other primary schools. A big thank you to Alison Zarrop, our Year 7 Coordinator in 2023 for organising our transition program this year. 

Year 9 OLNA

Our Year 9 students should be commended on the mature approach they took to completing OLNA in late October. It is the first year that SCSA have offered Year 9 students the opportunity to sit OLNA and all students who participated tried their best. We will receive the results later in the year.  Any students who do not pass any of the 3 components: Reading, Writing or Numeracy will be given opportunities to sit OLNA in Year 10.

Years 7 to 9 AEP Showcase Night

I am sure everyone will agree that students' work showcased at the AEP evening was exceptional. Thank you to all the AEP teachers for supporting the students to complete their projects. Also, a big thank you to Rebecca Edmonds, AEP Coordinator, for organising the event.

ABCN Future Thinkers’ excursion

At the start of November Heather Currie and I accompanied 16 of our Year 9 and 10 students to the ABCN Future Thinkers program at Lendlease in Perth CBD. Students worked with mentors from the company, using design thinking, to problem solve issues that face young people today. We also got the opportunity to go to the 50^th floor in the Central park building and look out over the city at the spectacular views - this was after everyone’s ears had popped in the lift on the way up! The students were all great ambassadors for the college and gave very positive feedback of the experience:

“I learned how to work with others more easily, and that for my ideas to be heard, I need to speak up.”

“Teamwork is very important, and anyone can do it!”

“How to utilise other people’s skills and ideas to improve the learning environments of students.”

“I learnt how to create ideas and solutions for problems all of us face every day.”

“That instead of focusing on what can go wrong, you focus on what can go right.”

“I learnt from my mentor to be out there in my thought process, to have the confidence to voice my ideas.”

“It was really good to get out of my comfort circle so thank you!”

“I think that the mentors did a great job and where easy to talk to.”

Louise Hall
Deputy Principal - Years 7, 8 and 9

BOOK YOUR GUIDED TOUR HERE!

Tuesday 6 December 2022 at 9:00am
Parents you are warmly invited to come and view our college in action for a 1 hour guided tour and find out more about our comprehensive Year 7 to 12 programs, academic enrichment program (STEM and Humanities), Specialist cricket and fashion design and school based programs.   We have something which tailors for EVERY student to draw and build on their personal strengths and aspirations.

REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL BOOK HERE

Learn more about our Specialist and school based programs –  GET TO KNOW US

Photography by Indi Carter - Long exposure capturing the movement of light and Studio portrait 

Photography by Michael Lunn - Exploring the technique of Macro Photography 

Fashion Design Success

FIRST Lego League Competition

Throughout Term 3 and 4, a group of Year 7 and 8 students have been hard at work, preparing for the Lego League Competition. Attending the sessions after school each week, they have worked hard on coding a robot to complete tasks on the game mat. The robot attachments and game mission models are made from Lego and the aim is to successfully complete as many missions as possible. This year’s theme of ‘Super Powered’ involved missions such as powering a wind turbine, loading fuel units into a truck and recharging a hybrid car.

The students also had to come up with an idea relating to the use of energy, research and develop a solution to a problem. This year, the ‘Belridge Buoys’ focused on ocean energy; identifying this as a good source of energy for Western Australia. They researched information about the different types of turbines that can be used under water, the pros and cons of using this over other sources of energy and located a suitable place in WA for one to be placed.

Competition day was held at St Stephen’s School, Carramar on Saturday 12th November. Throughout the day groups had to present their project to judges and had three opportunities to compete with their robot to gain as many points as possible. The group presented their information to the judges, explaining their ideas and demonstrating that they enjoyed every part of this journey. When it came time to compete, each times saw the group be more successful. The final results for the robot challenge saw the ‘Belridge Buoys’ in 10^th place, out of 24 teams.

Congratulations to the students for their dedication and efforts. You should all be very proud of what you achieved. A big thank you to Mr Chen for all your assistance along the way, and to the parents for all the support on the day.

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher

AEP Showcase Evening

Throughout the year, the AEP students have been working hard within the Humanities and STEM strands. They were given the opportunity to showcase an aspect of this recently, at the annual AEP Showcase evening, held on Monday 7th November.

In the lead up to the day, AEP students from Years 7 to 9 worked in small groups on a project based on one of the subject areas; Math, English, Science, HaSS and IT/STEM. They planned, created and organised equipment to be able to share with family a portion of what they have learnt in class this year.

There was a buzz of excitement coming from the auditorium, as students were demonstrating, explaining and sharing information with parents, family and staff. A massive thank you to all staff, students and parents for helping to make the evening a success.

Rebecca Edmonds
AEP Coordinator

Fundraiser for 2023 Year 8 Camp

To help raise funds for the Year 8 Camp, a sausage sizzle at Bunnings Joondalup was held on Saturday 22 October. An early start to the day, we were cooking and serving from 7am. With a couple of trips to get restock more sausages and buns, volunteers did not stop until just after 4pm. A massive thanks to all parent and staff assistance on the day, and to those who came to support us. We raised over $3200 to go towards the cost of the camp. The C8 camp will run in Term 2 next year, and is a wonderful opportunity to develop belonging and connection within the cohort.

Our sincere thanks also to Coles Currambine, Woolworths Currambine, Coles Beldon and Spudshed Joondalup for the gift cards and donations of consumables.

Rebecca Edmonds
Year 7 Coordinator 

Year 11 Modern History Excursion

Within the Year 11 ATAR Modern History course, students study Nazi Germany. This includes the rise of the Nazi Party, life in Germany and the Holocaust. To consolidate their learning, students had the opportunity to attend a workshop facilitated by the Holocaust Institute of WA. The workshop ‘Courage to Remember’ was presented in three sections; The rise of the Nazi party, Anatomy of the Holocaust and hearing a survivor’s testimony.

The use of propaganda, extent of discrimination and life in Nazi Germany for the Jewish population were discussed. Themes of resilience and resistance of the human spirit were explored, as well as discussion on our responsibilities today. Students participated in activities and heard from the son-in-law of survivor, Richard Farago, who read through his experiences of escaping from a labour camp and with the assistance of the Catholic church, hiding in a basement with hundreds of others until the end of the war.

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher

Lest We Forget 

In the lead-up to Remembrance Day, students have been making poppies with Ms Wintle, which were displayed in our front entrance garden. During form on the 11th day of the 11th month, we also held our Remembrance Day service today to pay tribute to the day of armistice and all of the men and women who have served or are currently serving for Australia. Our school Captains led the school in a moving service that recognises not the glory of war, but the understanding and education of our past. A minute's silence was held in honour of the fallen and the peace their sacrifices have given us. Lest we forget.

Elite Music Concert 2022

On Thursday 15th September the Elite Music Program held it's annual concert. This was the second year the concert has been run in the School's new Auditorium and it has been wonderful seeing what our students can achieve with the new facilities on offer. The night was a tremendous success with a range of performances from students from all years. From the school band and guitar ensemble to individual items that included pieces the students had composed themselves, all performers did a great job showcasing their talents. Feedback from parents, teachers and the students themselves all agreed that this was the best concert yet and we are excited to start planning for next year's concert. 

Zachary Offszanka 
Elite Music Teacher

We are the Champions!

Belridge SC students represented the College at the SSWA’s Interschool Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 26th October. Belridge came away winning the carnival by an amazing 400 points, elevating us to the next division in 2023! Congratulations to all students who participated.  A special mention goes to the following students who excelled and were recognised on the day as overall ‘Champions Boys or Girls’ in their year group:

Sophie Williams - Year 8

Olivia Williams - Year 9

Liam Carstairs - Year 9; and

Daniel Martin - Year 12

Thank you for all that you do! 

Belridge SC celebrated World Teachers Day on the 28 October with a special morning tea laid on for our teachers. Students also took the time to send 'Thank You' cards to their teachers and as you can see, from a select few pictures here, they think teachers here at Belridge are great! Even our hard-working companion dog, Peanut, received a card!

Lego Victory!

Belridge SC Lego Club has been working hard over the last term to create a SKI RESORT, which was entered into this year's Briktober event (held 8-9 October) under the guidance of our EA, Audra Keeble.

The creation consisted of a block of apartments, chair lift, Ferris wheel, ski lodge and a ski slope. Students created a story throughout the resort with Lego mini people and cars. As a result of their tireless work they came up with an amazing display and took out the TOP PRIZE in the schools' category!

A special thank you to Audra Keeble for giving up her personal time to assist in the transportation, set up and display over the whole weekend. A special mention also to our student creators; Lachlan Barnard, Zac Greentree, Nate Allen and Ben Kay.

Bricktober is run every year at Curtin University by Ascot Rotary and volunteers. Ascot Rotary kindly donated 3 play tubs of Lego to Belridge SC.

Advanced Computing

Year 10 Advanced computing students recently began working with the Python programming language and working with Raspberry Pi computers. To commemorate, students got to enjoy eating Killer Python lollies and Raspberry Pies.

Of course it’s not all fun and games, though making a game is one of several things that they are doing as they demonstrate their proficiency with computer programming.

Steve O'Neil 
ICT Teacher

 

We ended our term with our final project of the year, the bathroom murals, and what an amazing project to end with. Led by our school Vice-Captain, Aspen Sharpe, the female toilets near admin were painted all the pastels of the rainbow and all designed by Aspen herself. The senior school leadership team assisted her in painting and left behind their final mark on the school. What a legacy!

We followed this up with honouring our Year 12’s at the final assembly and graduation night. What a beautiful morning and evening to pay tribute to not just our Year 12 leaders, but the entire Year 12 cohort. Thank you again to Captains James Lun and Millie Bishop, Vice-Captains Aspen Sharpe and Wesley Spaulding for your service to our school and community. We wish you all the best in your next journey.

At our final assembly, the baton was passed and we introduced our new leaders for 2023, Captains Blake Barisani and Gemma Spiers and Vice Captain James Price. Congratulations on your new roles.

On Friday the 28^th October, we Wore it Loud for Telethon and donned our best and brightest for research for children with hearing issues. Thank you to everyone who participated and donated. 

The Council also remembered the date of armistice, Remembrance Day 11/11 by selling poppies at the front office, at school drop offs and through form class. There was a form service and minutes silence in honour of our past, present and future veterans. 

The last meeting of the year was held on Monday 31^st of October and students planned their direction for 2023. We have had an amazing year serving our school and community and look forward to where next year will take us.

Athletic Reps

In May this year, Ella Harbison (Year 8) was invited to attend the Little Athletics Australia U15 National Camp on the Gold Coast from the 1^st to 5^th of October.

Ella was selected along with 14 other WA athletes. Selection was based on state performance and only the top 3 athletes throughout Australia for each event were offered the opportunity. Therefore, with the furthest Javelin throw across Australia for her age group, Ella was delighted to be invited.  

Ella had an amazing time, during her time at the National Camp Ella was coached by some of Australia’s best coaches and had the opportunity to meet, ask questions and listen to the journeys and successes from some of Australia’s favourite Olympians. With Ella’s fondest moment being spending time with her idol Kelsey-Lee Barber, Australia’s Javelin Golden girl, and Olympic champion.  

Ella had the trip of a lifetime, filled with so many memorable experiences, and she hopes to apply all the knowledge and training she has gained from her time on the Gold Coast into practice this coming Little Athletics season.

Gymnastics Rep

Elissa Robertson (Year 8) was recently selected for the 2022 WA State Gymnastics Team and travelled to Caloundra, Queensland to compete.

Elissa contributed to her team, coming home with 4th Place, also achieving some of her personal goals. 

Congratulations on being selected and representing WA Elissa!

Belridge Secondary College’s graduation night took place on Thursday 27 October at Kingsway Christian College Auditorium. Staff, dignitaries, parents, family and friends attended to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of the Year 12 cohort of 2022.

The final school event for these Year 12 students was one to remember and I would like to commend the students on their immaculate presentation and attitude throughout the night. Again, reinforcing the high standards that this year group adhered to during their time at Belridge Secondary College.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the entire Year 12 cohort of 2022 for the positive contribution they have made to Belridge Secondary College and thank them for leaving an endearing footprint on our College community. Seeing you develop and mature into responsible and capable young adults reinforces that the College has supported you in preparing well to succeed in your future endeavours. I wish each and every one of you every success and encourage you to always embrace every opportunity. The world is a big place and it is now waiting for you to make your mark on it.

Brent Jarvis-Spinks
Year 12 Coordinator

Special Award Winners 2022

With grateful thanks to the following organisations for their
prize or financial donations towards our special awards:
ADF Future Innovators and Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork, Ampol, 
City of Joondalup, Caitlin Collins MLA – Member for Hillarys, Ian Goodenough MP – Federal Member for Moore, North Metropolitan Education Region and The Rotary Club of Northbridge

Subject Award Winners 2022

Congratulations to the following students who were top students in their following subjects:

Booklists

Booklists are currently being finalised and will be mailed out towards the end of November, together with your charges and contributions sheet. It is important to note that you only need to order stationery/books that are relevant to the subject areas your child will be studying in 2023.  These subjects will be detailed on your charges and contributions sheet.

Uniforms

Uniform Concepts is our school uniform supplier.

During Term 4, all new students are encouraged to make an appointment with the uniform shop for a fitting during Term 4, thus avoiding long queues in January.  Appointments can be made via www.appts-uc.as.me.  Alternatively you can contact the uniform shop on 9270 4660.  Please note that the most popular times for appointments are after 3pm weekdays and Saturday mornings - so book early to avoid disappointment. 

Why not take advantage of the $20 Layby service! If you visit the store during Term 4 you can secure your Back-to-School uniform order with a $20 deposit, pay off the balance then collect your order before 25 January to avoid the rush, long queues and last-minute panic!

See our website for full details. 

If you are yet to enrol your child for Year 7, 2023 please do so as soon as possible!