Principal News

End of Term 3!

Wow, how amazing to think that another term is almost over! This term has been busy with many wonderful events, including incursions, excursions, interschool sports and whole school events such as Book Week. These events are important for our students to engage in so as to further develop their learning and continue to build connections with their peers and teachers.

Book Week Celebrations

Book Week celebrations took place from 22 August to 26 August. During the week students participated in a variety of activities including our annual Book Week Parade which Parents and Guardians were also invited to attend. It was a fun filled morning sighting the many wonderful costumes worn by students and staff. 

Year 5 Camp

The Year 5 students went on a fun filled adventurous camp to Rumbug Camp. Students and staff enjoyed themselves as they participated in many team building and outdoor activities, despite the cold weather experienced. Thank you to Mr Golz and the Year 5 team for the organisation of the camp.                                               

Father’s Day/ Special Person’s Day Stall and Raffle

Thank you to our Brookside Parents and Friends Committee (PFC) who once again did an exceptional job running our annual stall, during which students were able to purchase something nice for Father’s Day/Special Person’s Day. Thank you also to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket, and congratulations to the lucky winners who were drawn on the day! All proceeds from both the stall and the raffle tickets will be going towards the development of a sensory garden for our students.

2023 Year 7 Information Evening

On Wednesday 31 August we held an information evening for Year 6 families transitioning their children from Year 6-7 at Brookside. Thank you to Mrs Gillis and Mrs Newitt who led the presentation for our families.

Prep 2023 Enrolments

Brookside College is continuing to accept enrolments for Prep 2023. If you have a child who will be starting Prep next year and haven’t already enrolled, please contact the school as soon as possible to begin the enrolment process. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parents Teacher Interviews were conducted via Zoom this week to provide families the opportunity to discuss student progress. If you were unable to attend please feel free to contact your child’s HG teacher to organise another suitable time.

Individual Student NAPLAN Results

Individual NAPLAN results were handed out to students this week in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9. 

The NAPLAN Student Report describes your child’s particular skills in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. It also shows how your child performed in relation to national minimum standards. 

It is important to note that the tests undertaken in NAPLAN are not pass/fail tests and are only a snapshot of your child’s learning at that particular point of time. For up to date assessments, and information about your child’s growth in specific content areas, please contact your child’s teacher at the school.

 Please ensure that you file these results in a secure place in case you need them in the future, as replacement results can only be given by VCAA (not the college).

R U Ok? Day – Thursday 8 September Every year, Brookside College aims to spread mental health awareness and community connection through the message of R U Ok? Our mission is to create, inspire and empower students and the school community to connect with those around them to support anyone struggling with their mental health.   

This year our R U OK? Day celebrations took place throughout the week. The Wellbeing Team at Brookside organised and collaborated with members of the school and other wellbeing organisations, to run programs and events to raise the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Students and staff were also encouraged to wear a splash of yellow to acknowledge the importance of this week.

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. 

The survey can be completed on any internet enabled device (iPad, Desktop or Laptop, Smartphone) and is compatible with most browsers.

We encourage all families to complete the survey as your opinions are important to us.

• The survey is conducted online and should take 20 minutes to complete.
• The survey can be completed on any internet enabled device (iPad, Desktop or Laptop, Smartphone) and is compatible with most browsers.
• The survey will be open from Monday 15 August to Friday 16 September.
• The survey is available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, Somali and Punjabi.

Please be assured that your responses are completely confidential. The survey is conducted anonymously, and it is important to us that you complete the survey as honestly as possible.

Please follow the instructions provided in the Compass post sent out last week to complete the survey. Please note that only one parent/caregiver/guardian from each family may complete the survey. 

Thank you for taking the time to participate. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Brookside Colour Fun Run 

On Wednesday 14 of September, Brookside will be holding its whole school Colour Fun Run event. On this day, students will have the chance to participate in a run around the Brookside oval whilst being covered in coloured powder. 

Students are encouraged to wear items that represent their house colour on the day (e.g. wigs, coloured glasses, bandanas… YOU CAN BE AS CREATIVE AS YOU LIKE!)

Students will have the opportunity to fundraise money for the event which will go towards the new sports equipment and sports uniforms for Brookside College. Students who fundraise will also be able to choose some pretty cool prizes for themselves! There will also be prizes along the way for classes and individuals with the most money raised. 

All students should by now have brought home an orange pamphlet containing all of the fundraising details needed to get started, and a letter with more information for parents/guardians about how the fundraising process works. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school.

Sports Colours Day

On Thursday 15 September, the Brookside Student Voice representatives have planned a 'Sports Colours Day'.

Student Voice encourage all students to wear their favourite sports teams colours and attire to school. During break times there will be an opportunity to participate and support in many activities such as a handball competition and other activities led by our student voice team.

This is a free event and no donation are needed, all are welcome to wear their team colours with pride.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Brookside College

The Executive Team