Around The College
Brentwood Buzz Term 4 Edition
Dear Brentwood Community,
The Newspaper Club is excited to share the Term 4 edition of Brentwood Buzz, our student-led newspaper. We hope you enjoy the last edition for 2025. - https://brentwood.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/6th-Edition-of-Buzz-T4-2025-Final_compressed.pdf
Brentwood Students Shine in the International Global Voice Project
This year, a group of international and local students from Brentwood Secondary College, along with Mrs Thapliyal, proudly participated in the International Global Voice Project, run by the Department of Education – International Division.
Being part of this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences for all of us. It wasn’t just about learning — it was about taking real action, working as a team, and making a difference. We are incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with students from other schools as well as our own.
The program allowed us to develop valuable skills such as public speaking, creative thinking, confidence-building, and contributing to global sustainability efforts. Our focus was on running activities around sustainability within our school and presenting our findings in the final session.
In the first session, we finalised our sustainability topic and shared ideas with staff and students from different schools to encourage collaboration. Throughout the year, we led sustainability initiatives — including hands-on activities such as planting mung beans and running a “Bin Challenge” during Community Week — to raise awareness and promote environmentally friendly habits at Brentwood.
We felt proud to share our group’s efforts in promoting environmental awareness and contributing to this global project. The experience has shown us that even small steps, when taken together, can lead to a greener and more sustainable future.
During the closing forum, we also had the opportunity to learn about the creative approaches other schools took to raise awareness and engage their communities. It was inspiring to see how each group made a unique impact.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Mrs Thapliyal for her ongoing support and guidance, as well as to all the staff who encouraged us along the way. Their belief in us gave us the confidence to work together and make this project a success.
Year 11 Applied Computing- Innovative Solutions: Chatbots with AI
This term, our Year 11 students have taken on the challenge of creating innovative chatbot solutions as part of their Innovative Solutions Project. Working in groups, they explored how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can be applied to meet the needs of a rapidly changing 21st-century world.
Students began by investigating real-world applications of AI and examined how generative AI is transforming industries and everyday life. They then applied this knowledge to their own projects, using generative AI tools to design conversation maps and scripts, which were refined and customised to suit the specific purpose of their chatbot.
To build their solutions, students used AIML (Artificial Intelligence Markup Language), gaining valuable experience in both coding and problem-solving. The project required them to combine technical expertise, creativity, and collaboration, while also thinking critically about how AI can provide innovative solutions to real needs.
An important part of this project was building students’ AI literacy. They learned not only how to code and design chatbots, but also how to critically understand and question the role of AI in society. By exploring concepts such as transparency, ethics, and fairness in AI systems, students developed the ability to see themselves as both responsible users and creative developers of technology.
The finished chatbot solutions are a fantastic reflection of our students’ hard work and innovation. The chatbot solutions included Maths tutor bot, Tax bot, Cinema bot, Nutritionist Bot, UberEATS and Bunnings bot. They not only demonstrate growing skills in digital technologies and computational thinking but also show how learning can connect directly with the exciting opportunities and challenges of the modern world.
AGTV State Poetry Competition
The AGTV German Poetry State Finals Competition was held on the 23rd of August at the Austrian Club. Three students from our school, Arnav Koushik from year 7, Duaa Shehzad from year 8, and Gurnoor Bhatia from year 8 represented Brentwood by reciting their chosen poems against many other students from various schools across the state.
At the Austrian Club, everyone, including the judges, organizers, workers and other participants were incredibly welcoming and encouraging. The venue was also thoughtfully decorated, with many Austrian flags and banners that added to the festive atmosphere, and the celebration of languages and cultures.
Overall, the competition was an exceptional experience and a great event for everyone involved, especially those aspiring to continue to learn German in future years.
Congratulations to Arnav, Duaa and Gurnoor.
We are all proud of your efforts!
🌟 Wellbeing Update – Let’s Get Involved & Stay Connected! 🌟
Dear Students,
Wellbeing continuously brings along new activities, lunchtimes clubs and campaigns to support your wellbeing, meet new people, and have a bit of fun along the way. Check out what’s happening at school:
🥪 Breakfast Club – Every Wednesday, 8:00–8:30 AM
Start your day right! Come along to the Breakfast Club in front of G3 and it opens to all students. Free food, friendly faces, and a positive start to your day! Please let our team know if you have any dietary restrictions.
🎨 Lunchtime Clubs – Get Involved!
Lunchtimes just got a whole lot more exciting! Join a club that suits your interests:
- 🌈 Rainbow Collective and Allies – A safe, respectful, and supportive space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies every Wednesday during lunchtimes in K13.
- 💻 DigiTech Club – Explore digital skills, gaming, and creative tech every Thursday during lunchtime in G10.
- 👭 Sista Society – Empowering young women through connection and conversation every Thursday during lunchtime in TLC4.
- 🎨 Art Club – Unleash your creativity in a relaxed space every Wednesday during lunchtime in A4.
- 📚 Anime & Manga Club – Chat, draw, and connect over your favourite anime and manga every Friday during lunchtime in TLC4.
These clubs are a great way to de-stress, try something new, and connect with others who share your interests.
Remember, wellbeing isn't just about mental health – it's about feeling connected, supported, and balanced. There’s something for everyone, so step in, show up, and take care of you.
See you there!
Wellbeing Team
Camps at Brentwood
Camps play a vital role in your child’s social and emotional development. At Brentwood, we highly value these experiences and offer a wide range of camps and events across multiple year levels, including:
- Year 7 – Phillip Island
- Year 8 – Creswick
- Year 9 – Tasmania & City Experience
- Year 11 – Central Australia Tour
- Performing Arts Camps
- Music Camps
- Language Camps and Tours
- Various Overseas Camps and Experiences
- Leadership Camps
- Duke of Edinburgh Camps
Planning and Organisation
Our dedicated teaching staff invest significant time and effort into planning camps, with some taking over a year to organise. To ensure these experiences are accessible and affordable, we need to confirm student numbers early in the process.
Many camps begin with an Expression of Interest (EOI) event on Compass. It is important for parents and carers to register their child’s interest in the camp at this stage, as this provides us with an estimate of attendance and costs.
For some camps there are limited places available. If the number of interested students exceeds capacity, attendees are selected through a random ballot. Students not selected are placed on a waiting list and may be offered a spot if others withdraw.
Consent and payments for camps must be made before the due date specified on the event. The school cannot accept any late payments or consent for camps. If your child wishes to withdraw from the camp at any stage, the school must be notified as soon as possible.
Students withdrawing from camps and excursions are not automatically entitled to a refund. Where NO COST is incurred by the school, a full refund will be payable to the student when:
- The student's place is filled by another student
- The Principal deems the student’s withdrawal was unavoidable eg. Illness. Proof of reason for withdrawal may be requested in such circumstances.
Where some cost has been incurred by the school, a partial refund will be payable to the student withdrawing when:
- The Principal deems the student’s withdrawal was unavoidable. In such cases the refund will be the full amount paid by the student, less expenses incurred by the school as a result of the withdrawal.
Where FULL COST has been incurred by the school no refund will be payable to the student withdrawing when the Principal deems the withdrawal was avoidable. Refer College Refund Policy.
If you have any questions about camps, please contact the school or the camp organiser.
Thank you for your support, we are extremely lucky to be able to offer so many camps at Brentwood.
BrentCast Episode 8
Our latest episode is now live.
Please use the link below.
In this episode, we hear from our wonderful Library Monitors and Librarians as they outline the Brentwood Library Monitor Program and how this helps promote reading, friendships and helping our students grow as learners and people in our Brentwood Community.
Student Lunches can now be ordered online via the Qkr app
Canteen Menu
Electronic device use at Brentwood Canteen
We would like to thank you for your continued support with the Personal Mobile Devices Policy. We have noticed students trying to utilise their phones as a payment method at the canteen and ask that families look to make other arrangements.
Mobile phones are not to be used at the canteen as they are not allowed to be in use between the school hours of 8.45am and 3.05pm.
Students can make payment via an EFTPOS card or cash.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Robyn Geshev
Business Manager