Message from the Principal

Shane Gemmola

Acting Principal

Mamma Mia - Tickets on Sale Now!

A quick but enthusiastic plug for our upcoming school production of Mamma Mia! The show will open at the Clocktower Centre on 31st July, and tickets with Friday and Saturday shows already sold out!

This production is a wonderful showcase of the talent, hard work, and dedication of both our students and staff. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic performance, and we encourage all members of our school community to come along and enjoy what promises to be unbelievable ride!

Don't miss your opportunity to see the show - if you can get a ticket!

Tickets must be purchased directly from The Clocktower, so give them a call on 9243 9191 or click HERE to book.

Dressed for Soccer Success

Many thanks to parent Nick Kyriopoulos (Zoe, Year 12) of Armadura who has kindly donated new soccer uniforms for our school soccer teams.  Our students are now all kitted out in BSC branded shorts and shirts -  and everyone can find a kit that fits them! This very generous donation will continue giving to future generations of BSC students, and on behalf of current and future students, I take this opportunity to thank Nick and Armadura for this extraordinary demonstration of community support and generosity of spirit.

Collegiate School Visits

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to visit several schools as part of our ongoing commitment to professional learning and collaboration. 

Though our Community of Practice group, staff recently visited Greenvale Secondary College to explore the excellent work they’re doing with developmental rubrics. 

Developmental rubrics are an important tool for making learning visible - they help students understand where they are in their learning journey, and what the next steps look like. 

Visiting Greenvale SC has provided valuable insights that will help shape the next phase of our work around assessment at BSC. 

Sally Goss (Assistant Principal)  led a team visit to Hume Central Secondary College to investigate their implementation of the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC). The VPC will offer a flexible and inclusive approach to senior secondary education, supporting students to engage in meaningful learning while developing skills for life and work. This program gives us a chance to broaden our pathways for students at BSC. 

Both visits not only deepened our understanding of effective practice but also strengthened our connections within the network, helping us identify ideas and programs that can enhance the learning experience for our own students.

Chamber Concert

A huge thank you to all the students who took part in the recent Chamber Concert. 

By last count, 133 students participated in what was a wonderful evening, showcasing a wide range of instruments and performances. 

It was fantastic to see so many students doing what they love and sharing their talents with such confidence. Thank you also to our school community for the strong turnout—parents showed up in droves to support the performers, creating a great community atmosphere. A special thanks to the Parents Association for running the bar on the night, and of course to our dedicated music staff for the time, care and expertise they brought to preparing students for the event.

Congratulations – Chemistry Education Scholarship

We’re proud to congratulate Paul Bolitho, one of our dedicated Chemistry teachers, on receiving a prestigious travel scholarship from the Chemistry Education Association. This award, which is offered every two years, supports a chemistry educator to attend an international chemistry conference, with the aim of bringing the latest research andbest practice back into VCE classrooms. Paul will be attending the PacifiChem 2025 conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, focusing on its sessions in sustainability and medicinal chemistry—both of which are key areas in the updated VCE Chemistry study design. 

We look forward to the insights and inspiration that Paul will bring back to share with colleagues and students.

GAT and Year 11 Exams

It was great to see students across the senior school engaging so positively with both the GAT and the Year 11 exams. The General Achievement Test (GAT) is a key assessment that all students undertaking a Unit 3/4 VCE and VCE-Vocational Major subject must complete. It plays an important role in verifying school-based assessments and contributes to the calculation of derived examination scores if needed. For VM students, it provides an assessment of their Literacy and Numeracy skills.

Our Year 11 students also sat their mid-year exams, which are an important step in their senior secondary journey. These assessments help students gauge where they’re at in their learning and build familiarity with the structure and expectations of formal exams. Across the board, students were well prepared and approached the sessions with maturity. A big thank you to the Senior School team for their excellent organisation and support throughout the process.

Big Freeze

It was fantastic to see the joy and camaraderie that the Big Freeze event brought to the school last week. 

Six brave staff members and six equally courageous students sat with their feet in buckets of iced water while having buckets of ice tipped over their heads—all in front of a cheering crowd of more than half the school. Although I was disappointed to miss it in person, it was clearly a highlight of the term.

The event was held in support of Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and the group raised over $3,400 so far; a phenomenal effort for such an important cause. Events like this not only raise awareness and funds, but also strengthen our sense of community and shared values. 

A huge congratulations to everyone involved - check out the article in this issue for more info and photos.

Professional Learning - Student Agency

We recently held a full-day professional learning session focused on student agency - the capacity of students to take ownership of their learning and make choices about how they learn.

This session provided a strong foundation for shared understanding and future planning. Staff engaged deeply with the subject, and explored what student agency looks like in practice - recognising the power of giving students greater voice, choice, and ownership in their learning. 

Some of the most energising discussion took place within Learning Area teams, where teachers began shaping potential course outlines built around big ideas. These conversations centred on key questions such as: 

What does student agency look like, sound like, and feel like in our classrooms? 

and 

How does it connect to improved student outcomes? 

Key learnings from the day included: 

• Motivation: students have access to the world in their pockets, but need guidance on how to use it critically: to question, examine, and make informed decisions.

• Redefining success: success takes many forms, and it’s powerful when students see that success doesn’t have to look the same for everyone.

• Sticking to routines: routines build safety and confidence. Teachers are encouraged to establish their own consistent practices and utilise the Instructional Model (IM).

• Building a sense of belonging: a sense of belonging is crucial. Teachers can support this by creating multiple opportunities for students to share their thinking, explain their reasoning, and feel seen and heard within the group.

• Engaging in a feedback cycle: feedback is a practical entry point for building student voice, laying the groundwork for deeper student agency over time. 

Importantly, some teachers are already applying these strategies effectively - see the Food Studies article in this edition. We’re looking to harness their experience and create opportunities for peer sharing, so we can continue building our collective capacity to support agency-rich learning across the school. 

Leadership and Support

Support walks have continued this term, where members of the Leadership enjoy ad-hoc visits into classrooms.  These opportunities allow for greater engagement with students, and are a window into the creativity and hard work of both students and teachers. Students are proud to show off their work, discussing their efforts, decisions and reflections, and our teachers welcome the added visibility and support that comes with having leading staff members in the classroom.