Term 4 is always an exciting and busy time of the year.  It signifies a time of change with the farewelling of the Year 12 students and the introduction and transition of the Year 7 (2020) students.

Farewell to Year 12s

The term started with the Year 12 Farewell breakfast in the café, followed by the final Year 12 assembly attended by parents and the Year 10 & 11 students. This was followed the subsequent week with the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony held at the Joondalup Resort, which was well received by invited family and guests. This was a fitting occasion to showcase the “Two Schools, One Community” that Belridge is. I received many positive comments from the invited dignitaries about the vibe in the room on the night. Many of these dignitaries attend numerous graduation ceremonies and are moved by the connectedness within the two schools. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the end of one journey and the commencement of another.

Public School Review

The Public School Review of Belridge SC was conducted in Term 3. All WA public schools are reviewed every three years by the Department of Education’s Public School Accountability Directorate. The review gives assurance to the local community, The Minister of Education and Training and the Director General that a school is operating effectively and delivering high quality education to its students. The review focused on the following areas of school performance: relationships and partnerships; learning environment; leadership; use of resources; teaching quality; and student achievement and progress. Belridge’s performance rating was deemed as EFFECTIVE with the school demonstrating effective practice in creating conditions required for student success. This was based on information gained from the self-assessment submission and the validation process. Fantastic recognition for all the work done by staff and community volunteers to ensure our students show their best. Well done!

Mobile Phone Policy

The new mobile phone total ban policy, as announced by the State government recently, will be enforced at the start of 2020. Belridge already has an effective Electronic Device Policy, this will be revamped to align with the total ban, as outlined by the government. Exact details of the new policy will be communicated to students and parents before the end of the year.

Building Works

Building of the new Performing Arts Centre will commence late February /early March 2020. This will be an exciting time for the school to have a state of the art facility that will benefit both schools and the surrounding community. This building program will create disruptions to the normal day to day operation of the school. The location of the building will be on the existing PAC lawn. Access to the construction site will be through the front carpark which, unfortunately, puts this area out of bounds during the build timeframe (approximately 12 months). On-site parking will be at a premium during this time. As such, there will be no on-site student parking from the start of 2020. Senior school students who drive to school will have to find alternative parking arrangements.

Planning ahead

Planning for 2020 started mid-term 1. This involves determining what subjects/courses are to be offered, disseminating information to parents and students, completing student course selection, development of grids and the timetable, new enrolments and appointment of staff. I need to acknowledge the enormous amount of work Rob Strickland has done throughout this entire process. This cycle of planning is almost complete and further information will be in the next newsletter.

NAPLAN

Parents should have received their child’s 2019 NAPLAN results. The results reflect the effectiveness of the proactive strategies the school has implemented to increase students' achievement and progress from Year 7 to 9. Staff, students and parents should be proud of these results. A more detailed analysis of NAPLAN results can be found in this newsletter.

With only a handful of weeks left in the school year, we look forward to finishing on a high note. With students completing final assessments and exams, staff writing Semester reports and the hosting of the Year 7 2020 Orientation Day, I urge all students to stay focussed.

Mario Pisano
Principal 

Hear all about the latest Board meeting held on 18 November HERE!

The College Board very much values the input of our school community.  Should you wish to discuss any matters, please do not hesitate to contact nicola.harris@education.wa.edu.au 

Scott Amy 
Chairperson
Belridge Secondary College Board

Student Courses – 2020

As we are coming to the end of 2019 our Heads of Learning Areas in MESH courses (Mathematics, Science, English and Humanities & Social Sciences) are currently placing Year 8, 9 & 10 students for 2020. This is determined on the students’ 2019 performance. Year 9 students have chosen their (Year 10, 2020) electives and have been placed based on availability and pre-payment of the high cost electives. Some students may have missed out on their preferred electives due to clashes. The Year 10 grid is very tight, so changes will be limited.

Year 7 & 8 students have been placed into their (2020) electives based on specialist school programs and elite courses. All other students are rotated through the six electives over the two semesters. Most students will have completed all the electives twice based on this two-year rotation. This, I hope, gives them a sound understanding of what each elective entails and assists them in making an informed choice when given the opportunity to select their own electives and, more importantly, their Year 11 subjects when approaching upper school.

Parents/Caregivers will receive 2020 booklists and school fees shortly. Next year the Year 7 cohort will be the first with their BYOD (Bring your own device) as an aspect of their book list. We are excited to have this resource to support the Year 7 curriculum.

2020 also sees the blanket mobile phone ban in all Public schools. Students have been informed of this extended rule over the remainder of this term. From 2020 all electronic devices (including mobile phones and tablets) must be switched off and out of sight from the minute students walk on school grounds in the morning until the final siren at the end of the day. We trust that the parent body will support this rule by discouraging their children bringing these devices to school.

End of Year

Lower school students (Years 7 to 10) will receive their reports via email on Tuesday 17 December. I encourage parents and students to analyse the reports together and assess their performance. This is a great opportunity to set firm and realistic goals of achievement or improvement for 2020. The last day of school for students is Thursday 19th December.  The Student Services team are currently putting together an exciting Big Day Out to celebrate the End of Year for all students who have kept their Good Standing (90% attendance and no significant negative behaviours) this term.

Any current Year 9 families who would like to donate their old middle school uniforms please bring them in on the last day, as Student Services is always grateful for these donations.

Year 7 2020 Orientation Day

Year 7 Orientation is Tuesday 10 December, when there will be approximately 190 new students attending Belridge Secondary College. Ms Grieve has organised a fantastic day for the students, which is a good follow-up to the very successful individual primary school half day transitions conducted earlier this term. Many new friendships are formed on this day. Parents are invited to attend the start of the day and participate in a school tour which should conclude by 10am.

Bridgid Lafferty
Vice Principal - Middle School 

On Thursday 29 October the school had a great graduation ceremony for our Year 12 students at Kingsway Christian College.  Unfortunately I was ill and had to miss this very importent event.  All reports I have heard indicate the students were fantastic. 

It is important that we have gatherings like our graduation ceremony, where we can celebrate the achievements of our young adults and 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 Monday 30 November. This provides for parents and students, with concerns about progress and their subject selections for 2021, three weeks to come to the school and discuss changes. It is important that students start 2021 in the correct courses that match their abilities and interests.

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.

Student Mobile Phones in Public School Policy

This new policy meant that all students had to 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. Our students responded well to this change in 2020, and we look forward to their cooperation in 2021. 

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.

Robert Strickland
Vice Principal - Senior School

VET News 

Year 12

Our Year 12 Students completed 20 different VET certificates at AQTF Levels 2 and 3, delivered both at the college and externally at TAFE and private RTOs, with an overall completion rate of 100%!  Congratulations to all involved in the delivery of our range of Vocational Education and Training certificate courses. We wish our graduates all the very best for your future and trust that your vocational education has helped to prepare you for the future.

Year 11

While the majority of students have successfully completed the course requirements for this year, a number of parents will have received emails, asking them to ensure students returned to school at the start of this term, and continue to attend until all UOCs (Units of Competence) delivered this year have been assessed as competent. It is very important that these UOCs are completed, as students must be competent across every UOC in their certificate in order to achieve completion.

We have been working with our new RTO partner, IVET Institute for four weeks, and both staff and students seem impressed with IVET’s web based portal which enables students to reinforce background knowledge and complete assessments on line largely using self-correcting multiple choice responses. Our partnership with iVET has provided continuity for our Year 11 students previously enrolled with YMCAWA Training. As previously mentioned, YMCAWA has withdrawn from the training space and we have now received confirmation of units achieved by students, which have been provided to IVET in order to gain credit transfers for these units.

Sadly, MST20616 Certificate II in Applied Fashion and Design will no longer be available as a school based course at Belridge, and is being replaced with the SCSA course Dimensional Design, GEDESD. Our partner RTO for the certificate, South Metropolitan TAFE, advised us that as our Fashion & Design teacher, Anna Dyer will be taking leave in 2020, and we do not have a replacement teacher available able to meet their stringent standards for vocational knowledge and industry currency, we would be unable to deliver the qualification on their behalf.

OLNA (Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessments)

OLNA results have been received and notification has been sent to families. The college has purchased licences for olna.com.au, a commercial website with skill builders aimed at improving skills and understandings in numeracy, reading and writing.  This is available to all students in Years 10 and 11 who are yet to meet Category 3 (pass) in each of the three components.  I encourage families of these students to make use of this initiative (at a $50 saving to families).  Round 1 testing will be held early March next year.  We recommend students do some regular practice and skills exercises using the olna.com.au website, as well as the content on the OLNA Connect class, in order to maximise their opportunity to meet OLNA Literacy and Numeracy requirements next year.

Carlos Notarpietro
Associate Principal 

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.

Payments can be made by cash or EFTPOS at the front office or Direct Deposit to ANZ Bank.

BSB: 016-494
Account: 102744334

Please ensure you quote as your reference STUDENT NAME and YEAR.  Thank you.

Administration office hours are between 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Secondary Assistance Scheme
Applications extended till end of Term 2

For parents of Years 7-12 students, who may have been financially impacted/affected by COVID 19 or to assist low-income families - the Secondary Assistance Scheme has been extended by the government till the end of Term 2.  Applications can be made by attending in person at the front office and close Friday 3 July 2020.

The Arts

Years 7 and 8 Fashion Design students have been busy making donation dolls for children less fortunate. The students have given their doll a name and made a bag to keep it in. To go with this we are raising money to add some personal products, for example - toothbrush and toothpaste or a hairbrush, by sellling delicious baked goodies!

Jayne Hill
Fashion Design Teacher

Lino Prints

Year 10 students have recently produced some fantastic lino prints, based on Japanese design elements.  

Noelene Hales
Visual Arts Teacher

Iconic Dance Showcase

This term, we held our annual dance showcase to allow our students the opportunity to display all of their talent and hard work from throughout the year.  It was a wonderful night of entertainment and students received some awesome feedback from parents, teachers from other schools and guests, who couldn't believe the talent that we have at Belridge!  The night had a positive energy amongst everyone and it was fantastic to see the students really enjoying the experience.  

I would also like to extend a huge thank you to all the staff who gave up their time to assist with costumes and on the night.   

Heather Currie
Dance Teacher

Sydney Dance Tour 

18 students recently represented Belridge and the Dance Company with excellence, enthusiasm and professionalism on their recent excursion to Sydney. Dance students were given the opportunity to visit the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, dance alongside industry professionals and watch incredible performances by some of the best in the business. Watching our students learn choreography in under half an hour, to then perform in front of more than 100 people was inspiring!  Students have gained once-in-a-lifetime experiences and special memories.

Heather Currie
Dance Teacher

Fashion Design 

'BELRIDGE, RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FASHION DESIGNERS' was featured on Channel 9's Today breakfast show on Wednesday 20th November, when Adrian came to visit and learn all about our Fashion Design program, meet with our talented students and Anna Dyer, Dean of Arts. Students were also treated to a special breakfast from the school cafe for getting up extra early for this feature which was televised live!

Anna Dyer
Dean of Arts

Academic Enrichment 

Academic Enrichment provides unique opportunities for students at Belridge Secondary College to engage with industry professionals and see their learning in real world situations. Recently, interested Year 9 and Year 10 students applied their scientific knowledge and skills in the Grade 3 laboratories at Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research to diagnose not only if a patient had diabetes, but more specifically whether it was Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Working alongside biomedical science students and doctors, our students immersed themselves in the world of health and research.

Glynne Bartle 
Academic Enrichment Coordinator

Youth Writers' Workshop

This term saw the final Youth Writers Workshop for 2019 and wow, what a way to end the series of writing! Internationally accredited, Australian author Will Kostakis, entertained the participants whilst sharing his craft and providing inspirational advice to our emerging writers from Belridge Secondary College.

Look out for the oportunity to engage in this amazing series of workshops in 2020 with new authors presented by The Literature Centre in Fremantle. Skills learned through this series of workshops have helped one of our students, Evie Innes, win the state Words for Water Competition, sponsored by Water Corporation WA. (See student achievements for Evie's entry) Expressions of interest for inclusion in 2020 can be made directly to Ms Bartle.

Glynne Bartle 
Academic Enrichment Coordinator

English Learning Area 

DOUBLE DOUBLE, BOIL AND BUBBLE …

Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy “Macbeth” came to life at His Majesty’s Theatre by WA Opera on Tuesday 22 October to impress Year 11 and 12 Literature students. Not only were students wowed by the performance, but were treated to a VIP experience by the WA Opera Education team, enjoying a private interval room with city views and a sneak-peak at studio and rehearsal spaces. A huge thanks to WA Opera for this experience - it’s certainly one we won’t forget!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

On Wednesday the 23rd of October, Literature students from Years 10-12 joined together to experience Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” at Perth’s very own Pop-Up Globe Theatre. Students navigated public transport down to the one-of-a-kind theatre for this limited opportunity. The production was traditional but modernised, and highlighted the humour found even in the most tragic of circumstances. Everyone left inspired and thrilled by the experience, ready to sink their teeth into The Bard’s work.

Lunch at Cafe de Belridge 

On Wednesday 23 October, Year 5 students from Springfield Primary School had the amazing experience to visit Belridge SC for a French lunch treat!  Lunch was planned, prepared and served by the Year 11 Hospitality students under the supervision of Ms Cheryl and Ms Corless.

Students were served a two course meal, the first of which was “Frogs in Cheese Blanket” aka Savoury Pancake with Chicken, with a side dish of Ratatouille. For dessert they were treated to a delicious French Apple Tart with “Crème Anglaise” aka warm custard. Sparkling flavoured water with ice added some extra French freshness to our lunch.

The students enjoyed their lunch and made conversation with the guests on their table, as well as the students who were serving them. Students were also given a placemat as a souvenir. The placemat were designed and put together by our Year 10 Business students.

I would like to thank Mr Pisano and Mrs Blythe, Principals for their attendance, Miss Cheryl (Home Economics Teacher In Charge) and Ms Corless for their work and time with the Year 11 students, and their support and guidance with this project. Mrs Gendle for her work with her Year 10 Business students for creating the beautiful placemats and invitations. And of course, thank you to all the Belridge students for their hard work in making this lunch such a memorable and fun excursion for the Springfield students.

Stephanie Westphal
French Teacher

Home Economics

Year 10 Home Economics- Cultural Food students recently competed in the 2019 Perth Royal Show School’s Cookery Competition. Students prepared and presented a variety of sweet slices for the prestigious Country Women’s Association to judge, competing against a variety of public and private high schools across the state. Although we did not receive any of the top places, we are very proud of our students’ hard work and are already highly motivated for next year’s competition.

Miss Jones
Home Economics Teacher

Year 6 Transition Days

Transitioning to secondary schooling is always a big step, adjusting to a new school environment.  Finding your way around, getting to class on time, building new relationships and being prepared with the right books and equipment for each class can all be daunting, but with the help of our Student Services Team, our Year 7 class of 2020 was made to feel welcome and were given the opportunity to explore the school's magnificent grounds with our Year 9 Peer support leaders.

The School Chaplain, Phil Leenman, guided the students through crocodile infested waters where they employed quick thinking and team work to save each other! The students participated in an orientation race around the school, answering questions and enjoyed either a morning or afternoon tea from the Cafe.

We are looking forward to seeing our class of 2020 on Tuesday the 10th of December for a full day orientation program, which will involve students experiencing various classes such as Home Economics, Design & Technology, Information Technology, Art, Physical Education and Science.  More information on this day will be posted to parents and put on our Facebook page.

Warm Regards

Jodie Grieve
Year 7 Coordinator 2020

Year 8 Discovery Day 

On Tuesday 19 November, Mikaela Shirley accompanied three Year 8 students to UWA for the Year 8 Discovery Day. The School of Indigenous Studies offers a hands-on day for students to experience the University environment and sample courses on offer.  Howie Eades, Neville Rundle and Nicholas O’Sullivan had fun sampling three courses; Astronomy, Zoology and Sports Science.

Our Belridge students challenged students from other schools in a competition to build a solar telescope, examined crickets and their mating and fighting behaviours and lastly broke up into groups to complete activities relating to agility and sporting prowess. This, by far, was the highlight of the day! Howie, Neville and Nicholas tested their grip strength using a hand-held dynamometer (Nicholas got the highest strength of 33) and did vertical jumps where Nicholas was again the champion, with a jump height of 51cm. All three students scored under 10 seconds in an agility test and, lastly, finished the activities with some Around the World Soccer and a Tug of War. The day ended with lunch and a chat with some of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students who attend UWA and use Shenton House as their home base whilst at University. Overall, it was an exciting and insightful experience for our students.

Neville made a perceptive comment about University and his expectations; “University was very different to how I expected it to be. You can do whatever you want. This made me think that I’d like to go to University and study Sports Science. Shenton House seemed like a safe place and somewhere I could go when I go to Uni.”

Howie reflected after the day and sample courses, intending to study Sports Science at University. “A lot of the things we heard about, were what we could do at Uni and this made me want to go to University after school. There aren’t a lot of teachers bossing you around. I think I’d like to go and study Sports Science. Shenton House seemed like a home base and when I go to University I hope I will enjoy it.”

Mikaela Shirley
English Teacher

ATSI - Deadly Dreaming Excursion

Our Belridge ATSI students attended the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre event 'Deadly Dreaming' at Murdoch University on the 24th of September. Deadly Dreaming is an amazing opportunity for our students to experience fun and engaging activities that can excite them about the opportunities after high school.

Lisa Pignatiello 
Visual Arts Teacher

Middle School Engagement Program 

Over Term 3, nine Year 7 boys in our Middle School Engagement Program, facilitated by Mr Silva from Design and Technology, had the opportunity to help the school out with various projects that needed doing around the school. These types of projects including, amongst others, assembling a flatpack desk for the English office, refurbishing a childcare table and, the major project, refurbishing a picnic table for Student Services. A plaque was fixed to the picnic table acknowledging the students contribution to the Belridge community. As well as learning new skills, we all had the opportunity to connect on another level and experience a different type of project work. Thank you Mr Silva for your time and expertise.

Phil The Chaplain

Year 11 River Cruise 2019

On Wednesday 25th September a large contingent of staff and students descended on Barrack Street Jetty in Perth City. With this event being the jewel of the social calendar, the anticipation and excitement was at record levels. With wind in our sails we set off for a cruise down the Swan River.

It didn’t take long for the dancefloor to be packed and the boat to be rocking. Students and staff alike cut some serious shapes, led by Hailey Knott, Finn and Jones Naylor and Callum Spickett. As we meandered along the river, taking in the beautiful sights and sounds of Perth, we were treated to Crust pizza, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and plenty of soft drinks.

The night was an outstanding success and the students are to be commended on their exemplary behaviour and attitude on the night. A massive thank you to all staff members that attended, as the night could not have gone ahead without your support.

Mr Brent Jarvis-Spinks
Year 11 Coordinator

Humanities & Social Sciences

Holocaust Survivor Incursion

On Tuesday 15 October, the HASS department welcomed Holocaust survivor, Hetty Verolme to Belridge. She spoke to 50 students from the Year 11 Modern History and Year 10 AEP classes about her experiences, and that of millions of people during the Second World War. Her personal story captured the hearts and minds of students, as they heard about what she went through and how her story is one of the lucky ones.

Born in 1930, Hetty was a young teenager when she was sent to a concentration camp with her siblings in 1943. She spoke of her memories, and of the atrocities that occurred to millions of Jewish people throughout this time. She gave details about what her parents did to try to ensure their safety and protection, what life was like in the concentration camps and how she vividly remembers the British coming in to liberate them at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

The key message Hetty gave to the students was to ensure that they do not forget this once-in-a-lifetime experience and to tell others about it, to ensure that such atrocities are never able to occur again.

Rebecca Edmonds
HASS Teacher

“It was so informative of the true horrors of the Holocaust. I don’t think
any amount of documentaries could compare to meeting a real survivor.”
– Finn Naylor

Science Learning Area 

Everyone knows the European Honey Bee. It lives in hives and stores large amounts of honey as food in honeycombs and can deliver a nasty sting, if provoked. Although the European Honey Bee is an introduced species to Australia it plays an important role in the pollination of crops.

Lesser known are our native Australian bee species. Many native bees are small, live alone and don’t produce honey and lay eggs in small holes. They are, however, specialised pollinators for native Australian plants. Habitat destruction and competition with the more aggressive European Honey Bees puts our native bees under threat.

When the Year 10 class was discussing the importance of biodiversity and conservation, the students liked the idea of building nesting sites for native bee species in the school.

The class spent some lessons drilling holes in logs with the help of Mr Njegich, designing information posters and putting up the bee hotels around the school. A great little project to learn about the protection of the lesser known native bees, which by the way hardly ever sting and are safe to have around.

If you would like to make a bee hotel for your garden, great instructions can be found on the AussieBee website.

Dr Michael Werner
Science Teacher

Numeracy Week 2019

In Week 2 this term, from 21st - 25th of October, the Belridge Secondary College community celebrated Numeracy Week.

In the spirit of Numeracy Week, Belridge SC Numeracy lead team and Mathematics Learning Area organised a variety of fun and engaging activities for students and staff to participate in. Such activities included; Giant Connect 4, Guess the lollies, Would you rather? Two-up, Heads and tails, UNO and Finska.  A fantastic time was had by all involved.

A special congratulations goes to the following students who estimated the closest value to the correct amount of lollies in each of the Jars.

Scout Van Der Hoek (Year 8) guessed correctly 253

Finlay Cooper (Year 7) guessed 850.
There were 887 in the jar

Jade Lardis (Year 7) guessed 320
There were 327 in the jar

Thank you to all of the participants, and spectators, who came down to be involved

Miss Donegan
on behalf of the BSC Numeracy Lead Team
BSC Mathematics Department 

Health & Physical Education

Interschool Athletics Carnival 2019

On Monday 21 October, 75 students attended the SSWA C Division Interschool Athletics Carnival and competed against eight other schools. These included Ashdale, Byford, John Forrest, Canning Vale, Lesmurdie, Governor Stirling, Como and Hampton.  The Belridge Athletics Team gathered for a team building breakfast in the school cafe before embarking on its journey to the WA Athletics Stadium in Floreat. Belridge competed fiercely the entire day, with the following students placing in events:

Each student represented the school impeccably and displayed terrific sportsmanship along the way. A special mention goes to Sinead Du Toit and Maddy Luscombe who were both Runner-Up Champion Girl for their age groups.

Finally, a big thank you to the students who came and helped out on the day and jumped into events last minute when needed, as well as the teachers Scott Ogilvie, Nicole Mann and Ben Ettridge who made the day run smoothly.

Nicole Mann
Health & Physical Education Teacher

Netball Academy News

During the last holidays, the Year 12 Netball girls came together to compete against a touring Singapore team. The girls started off slowly and were down for the first 3 quarters. In the last quarter the girls played an amazing quarter lead by Ashlee Bettini with a number of big intercepts and ended up drawing with Singapore to end the game 35 all!  

Janneke Markovic
Health & Phsycial Education Teacher

On Friday 20 September, the Year 9 Belridge Netball Academy students played against Ashdale Secondary College at Belridge SC. As always, Ashdale were in for some great competition and both teams battled hard throughout their respective matches. Belridge 1 got out to a lead early and continued to push it out further as the game went on against Ashdale 1, with a final score of 42-13. Belridge 2 and Ashdale 2 had a closer battle.  Belridge 2, through some strong defensive work, got themselves into the lead and played possession netball when in attack, to end up winning the game over Ashdale 2 with a final score of 17-10.

It was fantastic to see such great teamwork and sportsmanship from the Belridge Year 9 Netball Academy students throughout the game. All students participated to the best of their ability and should be commended on the performances they put forward on the court.

Nicole Mann
Health & Physical Education Teacher

World Skills WA Awards Breakfast 

Two Belridge SC Year 11 students competed in the WA Regional World Skills competition earlier this year. I had the pleasure of attending the awards breakfast at The Crown on Friday 22 November and wish to congratulate Thomas Mason on winning gold and Jamie Attree on silver in the VET in Schools Automotive competition.  Thomas and Jamie will now go forth and represent WA as part of Team WA for the 2020 national competition to be held in Perth, during the WA Careers Expo. Good luck!

Carlos Notarpietro
VET Coordinator 
Associate Principal

Belridge Hall of Fame!

Evie Innes (Year 10) was placed in the Top 10 finalists for her entry in the 'Words for Water' State Competition sponsored by Water Corporation WA in conjunction with The Literature Centre Fremantle in October.  Congratulations Evie on your achievement. View her entry here

Scholarships 

Belridge is delighted to announce that the following students have been selected to receive an ECU funded scholarship to enable them to participate in the ConocoPhillips Experience in 2020.  The program will enlighten students to the fascinating world of marine biology and environmental science, alongside opening minds to the endless opportunities of future study and careers in STEM. 

• Jorja Huntley (Year 9)
• Evie Innes (Year 10)
• Ashley Lambert (Year 10)
  
  

Glynne Bartle
Academic Enrichment Coordinator

Year 7, 8 & 9 2019 transitioning to Year 8, 9 & 10 in 2020

For the current Year 7, 8 and 9 students, the Science Learning Area in 2020 will be offering:

• Three classes of Year 10 ATAR Science and three classes of 10 VET Science.
• Five classes of Year 9 ATAR Science and two classes of 9 VET Science.
• A common Year 8 Science course
• All classes will offer Science topics in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.

Students that have demonstrated a reliable consistency of highly satisfactory performance in Year 9 ATAR Science and Year 8 Science will be placed in ATAR classes. Placement in ATAR classes can be competitive. Students who have demonstrated low, yet satisfactory, performance, in Year 8 Common or 9 ATAR classes (or unsatisfactory performance) will be placed in VET Science. Those students currently in Year 9 VET Science will be placed in Year 10 VET Science unless demonstrating an exceptional standard of achievement.

In addition, Science is cross timetabled with Mathematics, and this may restrict the availability of classes to select from for placement. However, every effort is made to ensure a fair and appropriate placement.

Year 9 &10 ATAR Science presents the full range of the curriculum offering grades of A to E. Students completing highly satisfactory achievement in Year 10 ATAR Science are recommended for ATAR subjects in Year 11.

Year 9 & 10 VET Science offers a modified curriculum with more difficult concepts removed, thus only grades of C to E are offered. All students are invited to the General course of Integrated Science in Year 11.

Year 8 Science is a common curriculum which presents the full range of the curriculum offering grades of A to E. This allows students to freely demonstrate their understanding having had a year of transitioning to secondary education in Year 7.

If you or your children are concerned about their placement in Science for 2020 feel free to discuss this with their Science teacher.

Brett Crosbie
Head of Science

Congratulations are in order for our Information Technology Teacher, Petra Trinke, on being recognised and placed as one of the Top 20 Influential Females in Technology in WA for 2019.  Petra's involvement with ECAWA (Educational Computing Association of WA) mentoring girls with programming at ECU has been inspirational.

Work Experience Opportunity for 2020

Applications open for students in Year 10, 2020 for the GREAT Nursing and Midwifery Work Experience Program for 2020 on Monday 3^rd February 2020 and close on Friday 13^th March 2020. Applications will remain open for 6 weeks. (No late application will be accepted).  To find out more about this program go to https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Careers/Occupations/Nursing-and-midwifery/Become-a-nurse-or-midwife/Work-experience-nursing-and-midwifery

Meredith Fuhrmann
Careers Coordinator 

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Absence Procedures

There are a range of different avenues in which you can report your child's absence. Please make a note of the following options:

E: Belridge.SC.Absentee@education.wa.edu.au
T: 9408 8063 for Years 7, 8 and 9 - Middle School
T: 9408 8058 Years 10, 11 and 12 - Senior School
SMS:0400209241

Did you know that you can also send absentee notes for your child via Connect?  The “Connect Now” app is available via the App store or Google Play. Alternatively, when logging into Connect, you will see a message on the home screen with details of the app and how to download. 

BYOD Parent Induction Evening

For parents of Year 7 students commencing in 2020 – we will be holding a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) parent induction evening on Tuesday 11 February from 6.00pm to 7.30pm. It is important to note that this event is only for parents who have purchased their device through our preferred supplier CDM only. Register your attendance HERE.

Scholarships - Don't Miss Out!

The Secondary Schooling Scholarships are now open via the Department of Education's website for parents/caregivers to lodge applications for 2020. Closing dates for applications Thursday 12 December. ttps://www.education.wa.edu.au/scholarships  

Uniform Shop

During Term 4, why not make an appointment for a fitting and avoid the long queues in January.  The uniform shop is also offering layby to assist with spreading the cost of uniform purchases.

Holiday Revision and Exam Preparations

See attached flyers for Years 7-12 2020 revision and exam preparation courses available in 2020. 

Youth Services Summer Calendar 2019/20

The City of Joondalup Youth Services have organised a range of events, activities and services for our young people aged 11-25 years. Check out what's happening in the City of Joondalup this summer online.  

Are you on your own this Christmas?

No one should have to spend Christmas alone. Join the celebrations at the Joondalup Christmas Lunch in Central Park Joondalup.  Enquiries joondalupchristmaslunch.com or call 0466 252 076. Registration essential.

Swim Thru Perth: Matilda Bay

Paver Wanted 

Several learning areas across Belridge Secondary College are coming together to re-develop an area of garden in the school grounds into a Bush Tucker Garden.

The project supports the Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework and the WA Cross-Curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Students are excited to be involved in measuring the space, drafting the plans, project management, plant selection, recipe research and complimentary art projects.

A huge thank you to Cascada for their kind donation and delivery of concrete rounds which will be decorated and form part of the path through the garden.

We have enough pavers to complete the 1 metre wide path, however, as it is to wind through the 46 metre long garden bed, the job is too large for our D&T students.

We are therefore asking if any experienced pavers in our wonderful school community are willing to donate their time for free to complete this paving job, so that we can progress to the next step of the project.

If you are able to assist or know of someone who can, please contact the College and ask to speak to Lazo Njegich, Design and Technology, Teacher In Charge.

Thank You

Bush Tucker Garden Committee

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
Design & Technology Teacher