Around The College

Inspiring the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs: Online Guest Speaker Session with Neth Dharmasiri

Our Entrepreneur Program students recently had the privilege of connecting online with Neth Dharmasiri, an inspiring young Australian entrepreneur, software developer and innovator, for an engaging guest speaker session.

Neth is a Queensland teenager who has gained national recognition for developing an innovative software solution that enables students to learn computer programming without an internet connection. As the co-founder of Thadus Codelabs, he has combined creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship to address one of education's biggest challenges making quality coding education accessible to students regardless of where they live. His work demonstrates how young people can use technology to solve real-world problems and create positive social impact on a global scale.

Neth's remarkable achievements were recently featured by ABC News, which highlighted how the Queensland teenager's software solution is helping bridge the digital divide by providing greater access to coding education for students in Australia and around the world. The article showcased his vision that "everyone should have access to this education," reflecting his commitment to ensuring that geography or access to the internet should never prevent young people from learning valuable digital skills.

During the online session, Neth shared the story behind his entrepreneurial journey from discovering a passion for coding at a young age to building a successful technology company while still completing secondary school. He spoke about embracing creativity, taking calculated risks, learning from failure and remaining focused on solving meaningful problems that have a positive impact on people's lives.

One of the highlights of the session was the personalised feedback Neth provided on our students' business ideas and prototypes. He encouraged students to think critically about the problems they were solving, understand the needs of their target audience and continually refine their ideas to maximise their impact. His practical advice reinforced that successful entrepreneurship is about creating value for others through innovative thinking and purposeful design.

Neth also shared an inspiring message reflected in his ABC News interview: "I'm not gifted, I'm not particularly intelligent... There's so many resources at our disposal; it's just a matter of making sure everyone has access to them." His humility, determination and belief in equal access to education resonated strongly with our students, demonstrating that perseverance and continuous learning are the foundations of innovation.

The session perfectly complemented our Entrepreneur Program by reinforcing the importance of creativity, innovation, empathy and resilience. Students left feeling inspired by the fact that someone only a few years older than themselves had transformed an idea into a nationally recognised software solution with the potential to improve educational opportunities for learners across the globe.

We sincerely thank Neth for generously sharing his time, expertise and encouragement with our students. His story has inspired our aspiring entrepreneurs to continue pursuing their ideas with confidence, purpose and a commitment to creating innovative solutions that make a meaningful difference.

Kanthi Kommidi

Year 7 Digital Technologies Programming with BBC micro:bit

This term, our Year 7 Digital Technologies students explored the exciting world of BBC micro:bit programming. To begin the unit, students investigated the rapid development of robotics and discovered how different types of robots are designed to solve real-world problems in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, emergency services, manufacturing and space exploration. This helped students understand the purpose behind learning programming and digital technologies.

Students then developed their understanding of the BBC micro:bit by identifying its hardware components, including sensors, buttons, LEDs and other input and output devices. Using Microsoft Make Code, they learned how these components work together to collect data, process information and produce meaningful outputs.

Applying their new programming skills, students designed and created a range of useful and creative digital devices. Working collaboratively, they planned, programmed, tested and refined their solutions while developing problem-solving, computational thinking and teamwork skills. Some of the innovative projects included a Pear Watch, Flappy Bird game, Lifesaver interactive device, and many other creative ideas that demonstrated students' imagination and growing confidence with coding.

Later in the term, students will extend their programming knowledge by creating interactive digital pets and programming MacQueen robotic vehicles, where they will apply their understanding of sensors, decision-making and automation to solve practical challenges.

It has been wonderful to see our Year 7 students enthusiastically embrace programming and demonstrate creativity, perseverance and curiosity as they begin their journey in Digital Technologies.

Kanthi Kommidi

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.

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