Principal's Report 

“Be curious, not judgemental.” - Walt Whitman

Welcome to the 2024 school year. The famous poet quoted above lived a long and varied life that was highlighted in his timeless poems. Walt Whitman fell in love with the written word working with a printer as a child. He started his working life as a teacher then moving to newspaper journalism and then working in hospitals after the US Civil War. His poetry shared observations of the time but more importantly of our humanity. The Beaumaris Way is to inspire young people to aspire to be curious each and every day at school. Curiosity is the desire to know. Curiosity leads to improving virtues such as care and concern which in turn leads to deep and long-lasting connections with others.

It has been a fantastic start for our Year 7 students as they transitioned to secondary school with our ‘Keys to Success’ program.  Their curiosity has been visible to all.  We look forward to camp with them next week.

Our Year 8 students are enjoying their new learning teams and languages of choice, with interschool sport starting tomorrow. In Years 9 and 10, students are expanding their learning from the BE program, delving into specialisms that ignite curiosity across all learning areas. The Year 11s are rising to the challenge of increased VCE study demands, and this year, they will receive additional support through our Beyond program.

The Class of 2024 began their school year with their last school camp at Forest Edge CYC. The camp gave students the time to reconnect after the school break, set goals for the year and create wonderful memories. I had the pleasure of spending Thursday with them, discussing the year that lies ahead. They are ready to shine and be Beaumaris Bright.

We want to invite parents to foster curiosity as they support their child’s learning this year. We encourage parents to attend the various events held throughout the year. We encourage parents to ask questions that support their child’s learning. We encourage parents to seek clarification and provide feedback to help our college continually grow as an outstanding educational environment.

Our wonderful team of educators and support staff model a love of learning. This is evident through encouraging students to ask questions, seek answers and be open to the wisdom shared. Our dedicated teaching staff will continue to inspire and nurture this curiosity, creating a learning environment that is rigorous and diverse.

Our school wide positive behaviour expectations encourage everyone to be curious about choices and decisions instead of judgemental. We approach each human interaction with unconditional positive regard. We work toward a shared understanding of each other that elevates each person to thrive. This is the Beaumaris Way.

Effective Communication

Our commitment at Beaumaris is clear and cohesive communication. Our GOAL program plays a vital role in clarity of communication. Our community is improved with the partnership between home and school.

Refer to the Communications Policy for guidance on identifying the appropriate contact person. If in doubt, commence communication with your child’s GOAL Mentor. We have a strong team supporting the GOAL Mentor starting with our Heads of Houses. 

The Heads of Houses lead a dynamic House-based system, ensuring that students are recognised and supported throughout their time at Beaumaris. This proactive support is designed to facilitate students' growth, enable them to thrive and empower them to excel.

Visible Wellbeing

Staff participated in a Visible Wellbeing workshop with Lea Waters as part of our professional learning in preparation for the year.  This is the start of an 18-month program. These training days play a crucial role in constructing a flourishing school environment that empowers every student.  For more information on Visible Wellbeing, visit https://www.leawaters.com/visible-wellbeing.

School Council Elections 2024

This year we will be holding School Council Elections for 3 parent representatives and 1 School Employee representative. We will call for nominations from February 8, 2024 and nominations will close at 4pm on 15 February 2024.  Please see full timeline below:

Staffing Update

We are delighted to welcome back returning and new staff members this term, each contributing to various subjects and roles:

Wishing everyone a fantastic school year ahead!

Debby Chaves

Principal