Director of Campus

As we reach the end of Term 1, I thank the students, parents and staff who have all contributed so well to the learning and teaching processes of the College. In particular, I thank those families who are new to the College this year for their support and efforts during this first term. 

Campus Happenings

Over the last few weeks, students have been involved in Year 8 Retreats and our Year 9 Lasallian Service program assisting at local primary schools. A year-level Mass was held for all Year 8 students in our Chapel last week. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Brian Collins, who has a long association with Bentleigh East. Thank you to Br Anthony and Ms O’Neill for their organization for this Mass – other year levels will have similar opportunities during the year.

Thank you to the Bentleigh East students for their efforts on Mission Action Day. Students and staff travelled by bus to Mentone Campus to participate in this College-wide event, commencing with a Liturgy, then the 10km walk and activities. Homeroom totals for donations are tracking well, with some amazing contributions from students, who are continuing their fundraising efforts throughout these final weeks of term.

The NAPLAN tests for our Year 7 and 9 students have recently been finalised. Thank you to  students in these year levels for their preparations and application to the online testing, and to the staff who facilitated various tests over a number of days.

Recently, Year 7 students have been involved in Geography field work around the local area, and the Year 9 Advanced Science class have visited Scienceworks for an astronomy presentation.

This term, students from Bentleigh East have represented the College in ACC Athletics, and are preparing for the ACC Swimming Carnival. Recently, trials have run for teams in the ACC weekly sporting competitions, to commence in Term 2. Thank you to the many students who have participated in these sports.

Last Wednesday, our Campus held our first Open Day for 2023, welcoming in prospective families. The morning was oversubscribed with extra sessions added. Thank you to students and staff for their involvement, and who represented the College and Campus so well. Special thanks to our returning Year 11 students, who acted as tour guides on the day.

Unfortunately, due to recent bushfire activity in the Lake Eildon area, the Year 9 camp was postponed. This camp will now run during late August. Bentleigh East students and staff look forward to participating in this challenging outdoor adventure later in the year.

Term 1 Assessments for your son may be viewed through our Parent Access Module (PAM).  Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews, as recently scheduled, provide an opportunity for discussion with each student and to evaluate progress. This upcoming holiday period provides further opportunity for each student and his parents to set strategies for the second half of Semester One.

The Anniversary of St John Baptiste de La Salle

On 7 April 1719, John Baptist de La Salle passed at St Yon in Rouen, France. It was Good Friday. As we mark more than 300 years since the passing of de La Salle, we give thanks for his legacy of Lasallians - Brothers and lay partners – working together in schools, and other facilities, in more than 80 countries around the world for the education of young people. 

This week, as we complete first term and prepare for Easter, I encourage each family to attend the Holy Week and Easter Services in your parish, and enjoy, hopefully, being able to spend some family time together over the Easter Holiday break.

Stephen Pooley

Director of Campus