Engagement, Wellbeing and Inclusion
Inclusion:
Celebrating Inclusion at Bemin
It has been a busy and rewarding term for our Inclusion Team, with some fantastic new initiatives, professional learning, and student achievements to celebrate across Bemin Secondary College.
Recess Chill Out Club
At our Senior Campus, the Recess Chill Out Club has created a calm and welcoming space for students who may find busy social environments challenging or who simply need some quiet time to recharge during recess.
Supported by our Inclusion Aides, students can choose from a range of relaxing and mindful activities such as LEGO, playdough, bead creations and mindful colouring. Students can also simply find a quiet corner to relax and enjoy some downtime.
It has been great to see students making use of the space, connecting with others at their own pace and having a comfortable place to reset before returning to class.
Whole-School Visuals Making a Difference
Our Inclusion Aides have also been doing a fantastic job implementing our whole-school visuals consistently with students across the college.
The visuals are being used to support routines, expectations, communication, transitions and student independence. We are already seeing positive outcomes, with students responding well to the consistency and becoming more confident and independent in navigating their school day.
Investing in Our Inclusion Aides
We are excited to share that Bemin Secondary College is now an Australian Teacher Aide (ATA) Member!
This is an exciting step in our ongoing commitment to the professional development of our Inclusion Aide team. Through our membership, Inclusion Aides have access to high-quality professional learning, webinars, practical resources and evidence-based strategies that can be applied directly when supporting our students.
Our Inclusion Aides have already started completing professional learning through ATA and will continue building their knowledge and skills throughout the year. Investing in our staff ultimately means strengthening the support we provide to our students every day.
Celebrating Our Students
We are also incredibly proud of some of our DI/VM students who have recently received Employee of the Week recognition through their VET courses!
This is a wonderful achievement and a great reflection of the effort, responsibility and positive attitude our students are demonstrating in their vocational learning and workplace environments.
These experiences give our students valuable opportunities to develop real-world skills, independence and confidence, and it is fantastic to see their hard work being recognised.
There is plenty to celebrate within Inclusion at Bemin, and we are very proud of the progress, achievements and positive outcomes we continue to see from both our students and our Inclusion Aide team.
SWPBS and Attendance
Building Positive Behaviours and Strong Attendance at Bemin
As we head towards the end of Term 3, it is fantastic to see the positive momentum building across Bemin Secondary College. Our focus on positive behaviour, respectful relationships and strong attendance continues to be an important part of helping every student get the most out of their time at school.
🌟 SWPBS – Celebrating the Positives
Our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) work continues to grow, and our positive recognition data is a great reflection of the wonderful things happening across the College.
This year, staff have made more than 28,000 positive notes recognising student behaviour, including more than 7,500 in Term 3 alone!
Our Year 7 and Year 10 students are currently leading the way in the overall number of positive recognition posts. However, our wonderful Year 9 cohort is winning when we look at the number of positive posts per student! 🙌
A huge congratulations to all students who are consistently demonstrating our College values and to our staff for taking the time to notice, acknowledge and celebrate these behaviours.
Keep up the great work, Bemin!
As we move into Term 4, we will continue to encourage all students to arrive at school in full school uniform. With warmer weather approaching, students who wish to wear a hat should remember that this means wearing a Bemin cap.
Our Term 4 SWPBS focus will be on exploring our Bemin SWPBS Behaviour Matrix. The matrix has been designed to provide students with clear guidance and support about what it looks like to demonstrate our four College values:
Respect • Community • Innovation • Excellence
Rather than simply telling students what not to do, SWPBS is about explicitly teaching and recognising the positive behaviours that help make Bemin a safe, supportive and successful learning environment.
🎮 Level Up – Our Year 9s Looking Towards Senior School
Recently, we had the opportunity to work with our Year 9 students in an assembly focused on their transition towards senior school.
We shared their feedback from the Attitudes to School Survey and challenged students to think about what they can do to make the most of their remaining time in the Middle School and prepare themselves for the next stage of their education.
We used a gaming analogy to encourage students to think about their progression:
It is time to level up! 🎮
Junior secondary is a little like the tutorial stage of a game – learning the controls, figuring out how things work and developing the skills you need to progress.
As students move towards senior school, the expectation is that they increasingly take ownership of their learning, behaviour and choices. Their teachers are there as allies, guides and supports, helping them navigate challenges and achieve their goals.
Ultimately, teachers want exactly the same thing as students and families – for every student to achieve their best.
📚 Attendance – Every Day Counts
Our Attendance Team has recently reviewed our attendance systems and processes. You may have noticed this through less frequent attendance emails being sent to families.
While the frequency of communication has changed, our commitment to attendance has not.
The Department of Education requires schools to follow up all non-approved absences with students and families. Accurate attendance data is an important part of this process because it helps us identify students who may need additional support and allows us to work with families to address barriers to regular attendance.
We encourage families to reply to attendance emails when you receive them, particularly where an absence has a legitimate reason that has not yet been recorded. This helps us keep our attendance records as accurate as possible and ensures our team can focus their support where it is most needed.
Regular attendance gives students the best opportunity to stay connected with their peers, build positive relationships with teachers and make consistent progress in their learning.
🚀 Looking Ahead to Term 4
Term 4 will be another opportunity for our students to level up – building positive habits, demonstrating our College values, taking greater ownership of their learning and making every day count.
Thank you to our students, families and staff for continuing to contribute to the positive culture we are building together at Bemin.
Keep recognising the positives, keep supporting one another and keep striving for your best.
Respect • Community • Innovation • Excellence
t has been another busy and rewarding term for the Wellbeing Team at Bemin Secondary College! This term, we have continued to focus on building positive relationships, strengthening student connection and engagement, promoting mental health and wellbeing, and creating opportunities for students to feel supported and connected within our school community.
Here’s a look at some of the things we have been up to this term!
Our Breakfast Club has continued to be a great way to start the school day on a positive note.
Breakfast Club runs four mornings a week, with two sessions held at our Junior Campus and two at our Senior Campus. Students have the opportunity to grab some breakfast before school, enjoy a chat with friends and staff, listen to some music and start their morning in a welcoming and relaxed environment.
Breakfast Club is about more than just food it provides students with a positive space to connect with others, build relationships with staff and feel a sense of belonging as they begin their school day.
We love seeing students regularly attending, catching up with friends and making Breakfast Club part of their weekly routine!
This term, our Bounce Back Wellbeing Group was completed with a group of our Junior School students.
The program focused on supporting students to develop resilience, motivation, positive coping strategies and social skills, while encouraging stronger engagement with school.
Throughout the group, students had opportunities to explore strategies for managing challenges, building confidence, developing positive relationships and understanding how their thoughts, feelings and behaviours can influence their experiences at school.
A key focus was encouraging students to recognise their strengths and understand that setbacks are a normal part of life. The group also provided a supportive environment where students could connect with peers, share experiences and practise positive ways of responding to challenges.
It was fantastic to see students engage with the program and work towards building the skills and confidence they need to navigate both school and everyday life.
Our Rite of Passage Program also came to a close this term.
The group was designed specifically to support and connect with our Pasifika students, providing a culturally supportive space where students could come together, build relationships and explore their identity, culture, values and sense of belonging.
The program provided opportunities for students to connect with one another, share experiences and participate in conversations and activities that encouraged personal growth, confidence and positive relationships.
It has been wonderful to see the connections built throughout the program and the sense of community that developed within the group.
A big thank you to everyone involved in supporting the program and, most importantly, to the students who participated and contributed to making it such a positive experience!
This term, we also held a fundraiser at our Junior Campus, which was proudly organised and run by our Year 12 students in collaboration with the Wellbeing Team. Year 12 students had a sausage sizzle for our Juniour school students as well as some baked sweet treats!
The fundraiser provided our senior students with an opportunity to take on leadership and organisational responsibilities while working alongside staff to bring the event together.
We proudly recognised Wear It Purple Day this term, helping to raise awareness and promote messages of inclusion, acceptance and support across our school community.
Wear It Purple Day provides an important opportunity to remind young people that everyone deserves to feel safe, accepted and supported for who they are.
The Wellbeing Team handed out sweet treats and purple ribbons to students throughout the day, creating opportunities to start conversations and spread awareness.
It was lovely to see students getting involved and helping us create a school environment where students feel comfortable being themselves and know that there are people around them who care and are there to support them.
We also celebrated R U OK? Day, using the day as an opportunity to encourage students to check in with the people around them and recognise the importance of meaningful conversations.
The Wellbeing Team handed out fairy bread to students throughout the day, which was a fun way to get students engaged while opening the door to conversations about what R U OK? Day is all about.
We spoke with students about the importance of asking someone how they are going, genuinely listening to their response and checking in again if something doesn’t seem quite right.
Sometimes a simple “Are you okay?” can be the beginning of an important conversation.
The day was a great reminder that supporting wellbeing doesn't always require a big gesture small acts of kindness, connection and checking in with one another can make a meaningful difference.
As we move towards the final part of the year, the Wellbeing Team will continue to focus on student connection, engagement, resilience and positive wellbeing across both campuses.
A big thank you to all of our students, staff and community members who continue to support the work of the Wellbeing Team. Whether it is through attending Breakfast Club, participating in a wellbeing group, getting involved in school events or simply having a conversation with a staff member, every connection contributes to creating a stronger and more supportive school community.
We look forward to continuing this work and creating more opportunities for our students to connect, engage, feel supported and thrive at Bemin Secondary College.