Leaders' Induction Assembly

It was wonderful to have our Leaders’ Induction Assembly today. Thank you to Sophie McCubbery and Charlie Evans, our 2020 College Captains, for performing their final duties in the role and handing over to our new leadership team. A huge thank you to Joshua Kenward for his Acknowledgement of Country. We were delighted to have both Tim Richardson and Brad Roswell attend our split assembly and present our leaders with their badges. We held the assembly in 2 different setting to ensure that we met the density guidelines set out in CovidSafe plans for schools.

It is important that we introduce and celebrate the student voice and agency at the college at assemblies like today. Here is a copy of my speech today:

Each of you will be influenced by people throughout your life. Many of these people will be leaders in their own professions. They may be your parents, teachers, family members, sporting coaches and others who play a role in your life --however the key element of their influence is the positive impact they have on you as a person.

These are not coming from the passing world of Tik tok, Snapchat or Instagram where trends and influencers come and go. Celebrity and fame is fleeting. While those who have influenced you throughout your life have shown leadership in their care, compassion and commitment to you. This has prepared you to adapt in our ever changing world.

A world that is balanced by the diversity of experiences of so many which is why it is significant to celebrate Women’s History Month. It is important that we recognise, acknowledge and learn from the women who demonstrate the spirit of the challenging times they experienced. Last week, the Women’s March 4 Justice was another call out for women around the world demanding equal treatment.

Many of you may have heard me say on more than one occasion that the Diary of Anne Frank should be compulsory reading for all students. This influential narrative came from a teenage girl named Anne Frank who lived in hiding from 1942 to 1944 during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. Anne responded to her changing and frightening world by keeping a diary that shared her experiences during occupation.

While she was unsure of the world around her she still found hope and optimism in her life. She wrote in her diary:

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Anne’s observations hold true today and while this is a different time and with different circumstances, her words are still relevant. Her optimism in the power of the individual to contribute positively to their world is also found in our CORE value of optimism.

Last year, you were all learning remotely for 168 days. 2020 saw the world experience a pandemic that altered our lives and continues to impact across the globe. We must now look towards our recovery and as Ann wrote “improve the world”. It is the role of you as leaders and future leaders to determine what that improved world will be for you as adults.

Each of you has the opportunity to lead with purpose as you wear your school uniform with pride and acting as strong ambassadors for the values of Beaumaris Secondary College and the community. Your optimism for the future of our school and our world is evident:

As you learn new ideas and critically assess their merit
As you build friendship with different students moving beyond your comfort zone
As you begin to think creatively
As you lead in a positive and productive way

We empower our students to adapt to a constantly changing world. We actively promote participation and shared decision making.

Today’s leadership induction assembly allows us to celebrate students who want to play a more active role. Our student leaders influence and motivate fellow students. They have lead changes in uniform, furniture selection and new leadership positions such as the Year level leaders which are making their debut this year alongside our college captains. I look forward to working with each of you and have confidence that you will provide a strong student voice that will resonate and improve the world we are living in. Each of you has something to contribute. So always remember:

You belong to the Beaumaris Secondary College community.

You belong to a place that to learn is to grow.

We believe in our core values of curiosity, optimism, respect and excellence.

We believe that these values can change the world and “improve the world”.

You will become your best selves on the journey.

You will become the designers of our future.

Let’s make 2021 a year of recovery and as Anne Frank wrote “not waiting a single moment to improve the world.”

Division Swimming Sports Success

We had a fantastic team of 36 students represent Beaumaris Secondary College at the Southern Division Competition on Thursday. It was a magnificent day with 15 of our students moving to Regionals next Monday. The team was made up of:

Eve Anderson
Lachie Beaumont
Kiara Mooney
Mitch Hampson
Edie Whitehead
Nathan Thomson
Teah Kinney
Lachie Droscher
Katie Gorvett-page
Will Panozzo
Oliver Scott
Olivia De Zeeuw
Alex Hopkins
Caleb Stewart
Will Panozzo
Maggie Rudas
Lily Gorvett-page
Connor Hulme
James Duncan
Lachie Grant
Charlotte ABL
Emily Gratz
Kashia Munncik
Mitchell Hampson
Isabella Martignon-Williamson
Alice Shaw
Jessica Furner
Daisy Ward
Noah Andrew
Tom Baker
Neil Nagel
Vanessa Shprung
Annabelle Harpley
Talon Melnikoff
Baden Mooney
Alec Stewart

Our junior girls won age group champions for 12-15yrs girls. We placed 5th overall out of the 8 schools but remember we are still accumulate fewer points because we don’t have competitors in every race as we are a growing school. I want to congratulate all the students who participated for a terrific effort. We would also like to wish the following students good luck as they move through to Regionals:

Lochie Grant- 12-15yrs 200m Freestyle & 200m Individual Medley

Edie Whitehead- 12-20yrs 100m Breaststroke & 15yrs 50m Breaststroke

Teah Kinney- 16yrs 50m Butterfly

Katie Gorvett-Page- 12-13yrs 50m Backstroke

Nathan Thomson- 15yrs 50m Backstroke

Kiara Mooney, Lily Gorvett-Page, Emily Gratz, Kaisha Munnik, Mitch Hampson, Noah Andrew, Tom Baker, Neil Nigel, Alec Stewart, James Duncan all representing our school in freestyle relays.

Stage 2 Update

You will have noticed driving by the college that the hoarding has gone up at the back of the Learning Hub. This is being painted green. There is also temporary fencing at the front corner of the college which will house the builder’s compound. The crane will be on-site tomorrow bringing in 4 site buildings but these will not interfere with student arrival times at school. They will be finishing the hoarding once the site sheds are in. Next week, they will begin the removal of the machine room storage spaces located on the ground level of the building. We will work with the builders to minimise noise impact on the learning spaces that are adjacent. Over the term holidays, they will be installing some soundproof board to buffer building noise as much as possible. They will also be constructing a small enclosure outside of the workshop to relocate the extraction system. We will keep our community updated through Compass messages and the newsletter.

Open Night Evening

We have promoted our open night event with our local primary schools. This event requires tickets and is a structured tour around the college with students, staff and parents. We are excited to safely showcase the college and the terrific learning environment our students experience each day. Thank you in advance to all the parents and students who have volunteered to support us.

Reminder of the Mobile Phone Policy

A reminder to all student and families that mobile phones are to be locked in student lockers from the start of the school day to the end of the school day. If students are unwell, they should be going to First Aid for support. If students need to contact parents for any other reason during the day, they can use the office phones during breaks and lunchtime. Students should not be using phones to pay for food at the canteen. Students should use cards or cash or food can be ordered in advance on the following link:

Please use the following link to access the policy in full:

https://beaumarissc.vic.edu.au/mobile-phone-policy-student-use-2/

Year 7 Camp

The students and staff had a busy and active week away at Camp Rawson. The year 7 camp experience is filled with memories that last a lifetime and it was terrific that our students now have those memories. Students have shared how much they enjoyed the camp activities especially the obstacle course even with the creepy crawlies in the tunnel. The teachers value the opportunity to build relationships with students outside of the learning space.

Programs

Our Instrumental Music Program is beginning as we have finalised our teachers for a range of instruments. We look forward to the many performances in the coming terms.

Our Tutor Initiative Program began earlier this term with Katie Ferraro and Guillaume DeGreaves providing initial support. We would like to introduce Thomas McDonald and Rebekah Perkins who will join the tutoring team this week.

Self Defense Program for students and parent running in 2021. Mark McLoughlin from Elite Self Defense and Fitness delivered a 7 week program in 2020. We had 10 parents and students participate in this program and the feedback was extremely positive. Mark is happy to continue running the program for the remainder of the year based on interest from the community. Watch Compass notices and future newsletters for updates.

Wellbeing