Leadership News
Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,
As the dust settles after the return of students week, I thought I would take this opportunity to say hello and ensure that you are aware of some of the exciting initiatives that are happening at the College this year.
The two big ticket items as we start 2024 are the appointment of a College Chaplain and Student Wellbeing Officer. These two roles have been created as a direct response to parent and student feedback and I am looking forward to improved partnership and care of students as we implement these programs across 2024 and strengthen these programs in the years to come.
Chaplaincy
Chaplaincy will take a significant step forward this year with the appointment of a full time Chaplain. Chaplaincy across the College will focus primarily on nurturing and supporting students faith development. When our newly appointed Chaplain Mr Josh Hill is not working directly with students, he will be encouraging the Bayside Community to explore what it means to be responsive disciples.
In the coming months, Josh will begin talking with students and families about restarting cultural tours and missions trips, be encouraging students to attend symposiums and leading our Senior Secondary Veta Morphus students through their Certificate III in Christian Ministry and Theology.
Josh will also be available to talk and pray with students one-on-one about matters of faith, discipleship, struggles and joys. Please keep an eye out for correspondence from Josh that will explain the best way to make contact with him.
Wellbeing
In 2024 and beyond, the care and support of students who are struggling to engage with school for any number of reasons will be predominately cared for, and supported by, the Student Wellbeing Officer Mr Sam Green.
In close partnership with teachers and the learning support team, Sam will support students and their families with the view to helping them thrive at school. Our Student Wellbeing Officer, Mr Sam Green is a qualified Youth Worker, passionate about helping all students find success at school and life in general.
Sam will also be communicating with students and families soon to help them understand how make contact with him.
Welcome
Alongside a new Chaplain and Student Wellbeing Officer, there are lots of new families and a number of new staff joining the College this year. To all those new folk I would like to extend a warm Bayside welcome. I hope and pray that your time at the College will be a blessing and I am looking forward to meeting you and getting to know you. Please see the Upcoming Events section for more information about our upcoming New Parents Dinner.
To all our existing Bayside Families welcome back to the College for another exciting year and please keep an eye out for a new face and reach out and say hello.
Welcome also to our new staff for 2024:
- Administration: David Owens (HR Officer), Theophilus Gyau (Finance Officer),
- Student services: Joshua Hill (Chaplain), Samuel Green (Wellbeing Mentor)
- Primary teaching staff: Danielle Lupi (Head of Primary), Louise Van Niekerk (Primary Learning Support coordinator), Sarah Cave and Abby Kidney (Year 3/4)
- Secondary teaching staff: Janna Becker (English), Verrell Kanadi (Humanities and PE), Wendy Ritchie (Maths), Megan Penwarden (Arts)
- Learning Support staff: Aaron Krishnan, Marg Millikin, Jessica Pierre-Humbert
- ELC assistant: Sasha Johnstone
We have a number of College procedures for parents and visitors. In order to ensure awareness of these, please familiarise yourself with the following information:
Proactive Partnerships
If you need to contact your child/ren's teacher for any reason, please use their email to arrange an appropriate meeting (use: firstname.lastname@baysidecc.vic.edu.au). Just before homeroom each morning, most teachers are getting organised for the day, so please allow them to do this in order to have the best preparation for classes, and make another time.
If you have any concerns, or just want to speak with a teacher, please refer to the classroom teacher in Primary, or the subject teacher in Secondary as the first contact. The coordinators and Heads of School may be contacted as communicated from the particular sub-schools.
School Management Systems
Sentral is the system used to monitor student attendance and reports. CANVAS is used to monitor student learning and assessment requirements and due dates. Parents have access to both of these systems. Please contact bccsentral.comms@baysidecc.vic.edu.au if you do not have your parent details set up.
Carpark Expectations
Please be reminded the carparks are a shared space, and are often crowded in the afternoons at pick-up time. Our primary concern is to keep students safe.
Please be patient. It is only 15-20 minutes of busyness each day. In order to ease congestion and keep traffic moving, please refer to the information sent to all families and share with others who may be bringing or collecting your children to and from the College.
Carpark Tip Turning left out of both carparks is easier. If you have students who are old enough to use the traffic light pedestrian crossing, arrange to collect students from the carpark that you can turn left out of.
Whole School Assembly
The College has two Whole School Assemblies per term. Families are cordially invited to attend. Assemblies will be held on Tuesdays this year from 8:55 am to 9:55 am in K-Block (Secondary gym on South Campus). The dates for Term One are Tuesday 13th February and Tuesday 12th March. We look forward to seeing you there.
Volunteering at Bayside
There are many ways for members of the Bayside community to volunteer across the College. We understand time is precious and value your partnership with the College to volunteer once a week, once a month or even once a term.
If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the Community Volunteer Expressions of Interest Form at your earliest convenience. After completing this form, the College will be in contact to discuss options available.
As we are committed to child safety, all volunteers must complete the Volunteer Induction Training Online component. Please follow the link below to complete this training if you would like to volunteer.
Exchange Students
We are excited to host three exchange students from Kinjo High School in Japan; Hiroshi, Akari and Kotoko. They will be with the Year 10s for most of the term and also visit other classrooms on Wednesdays as part of their cultural immersion program. Please say hello and make them feel welcome.
Once again, it is a blessing to have you with us at Bayside this year as we partner together in Christian education. May 2024 be a wonderful year for you all.
Mrs Toni Steinbergs, Deputy Principal
Finance Manager Update
Term 2 College Fees are due by Friday 1st March. If you have any questions, please direct them to finance@baysidecc.vic.edu.au
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund
For holders of a valid Centrelink card
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like:
- school camps or trips
- swimming and school-organised sport programs
- outdoor education programs
- excursions and incursions
If you hold a valid Centrelink Concession or Veteran Card, you may be eligible. Please note that the card must be in the parent's name. Cards in the child's name are not eligible.
Applications for 2024 are now open and will close on 28 June 2024. Please bring completed form and card to the College office or email a copy of both to the Finance Manager. Visit the CSEF website to check your eligibility.
If you require a printed version of the below form please visit College Reception. Please contact Finance Manager Helen Spink if you have any questions.
Bus Routes 2024
Families intending to use the College bus service in 2024, even as a casual, are asked to complete THIS FORM annually and contact the College office.
The form indicates how your child/ren will be using the service as well as your agreement to the Conditions of Travel for 2024.
We are unable to provide single use tickets (casual tickets) to students who are not registered to use the service.
Please reach out to Reception or our Registrar if you have any questions.
B2Me: Community Business Directory
Have you discovered the Bayside Christian College B2Me profile? Its purpose is to assist in connecting trusted service providers with the College community in a way that builds valuable relationships. Consider it our very own Yellow Pages or Google!
It takes minutes to create a profile to view and support the many local services offered by members of our community. If you have a business you would like to list, please feel free to add your business profile to our group.
https://b2me.com.au/members/bayside-christian-college
