Principal's Update
Per Vias Rectas
Welcome to Term 3
It's wonderful to see our students back on campus, bringing the energy and enthusiasm that will put them in good stead for Term 3.
We look forward to a very productive ten-week term, which promises lots of opportunity for each and every student to achieve their personal best across all areas of learning, social connection and personal development.
The key focus of this edition's article highlights the value of communication between our College and your family. Effective and timely communication is essential to ensuring positive partnerships for the benefit of our students. We have a diversity of ways you can stay up to date and be connected to your child's school, which are detailed further in the Communication section below.
Student Road Safety
In light of the recent road safety incident involving a College student, we strongly encourage that all students adopt a very mindful approach to personal safety - most especially around busy and congested roads. This mindful approach looks like:
- Crossing at the traffic lights only when it is safe to do so
- Looking both ways before crossing any road
- Not wearing headphones while walking or riding
- Not using smartphones or devices while walking or riding
To further improve the road safety in the area, we are requesting to Kingston Council and VicRoads for an extension of the 40km/h zone on Beach Road to ensure it covers the length of our Mentone Campus. We will keep you informed on this matter as it progresses.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Congratulations to all students and staff involved in the successful and enjoyable reimagining of this Shakespearian classic, recently performed over four nights and one matinee. Those attending the performances were able to enjoy the results of commitment, teamwork and friendship among the participants from our College, Kilbreda College and Mentone Girls’ Grammar School.
The following is part of an email received from a member of the public:
“I am writing to express my heartfelt commendation for the exceptional Shakespeare production presented by the talented students of St Bede’s, Kilbreda, and MGGS. Your students' portrayal of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' was nothing short of remarkable. Having had the pleasure of attending the performance on Thursday, I was really impressed by the level of professionalism, creativity, and dedication showcased by the entire cast and crew. The production was a testament to the hard work and commitment of not only the actors but also the director, stage managers, set designers, and all those involved behind the scenes. I was particularly impressed by the students' command of the language and their ability to deliver Shakespearean dialogue with clarity and authenticity, and not a dropped word. The passion, enthusiasm and indeed, fun, radiated from the stage”.
Senior Football Finals
The final week of Term 2 proved to be a bittersweet experience for the players and coaches of our senior football codes (AFL and soccer). Congratulations to the Senior Soccer team participating in the grand final for the first time in many years to record a 2-1 victory over Mazenod College.
Unfortunately, the hoped-for 1sts and 2nds premierships in AFL were not to be, with the 2nds going down to St Bernard’s by 15 points and the firsts, after leading for most of the day, going down to Parade by just 4 points.
We congratulate all students participating in these teams throughout the season for the excellent standards in which they have represented our College.
Enrolments Year 7 2025
Applications close August, 18 2023
A reminder for families with children who will be enrolling for Year 7, 2025 to complete their application online here.
We're fortunate to have two wonderful Campuses in Bentleigh East and Mentone that cater for students in this year level. Bentleigh East is our dedicated Middle Years Hub (Years 7 to 9) and offers excellent connection to our flagship Mentone Campus ahead of students joining us from Year 10.
Communication
It is so important that a positive and meaningful partnership exists between each home and our College. This partnership promotes regular, respectful and open communication – a partnership centred on each student's care, interests, and formation.
Correspondence from families to staff and vice versa is crucial, as we all share the same hopes and aspirations for our students.
It is our hope that an informed parent will become an interested and supportive parent, who may then become an engaged, participating parent - leading to overall benefit to the student.
St Bede's College is committed to effective, relevant and timely communication that seeks to enhance this vital partnership between us and your home, using the platforms and tools outlined below.
College Website
Our website the central hub for sourcing important information and various school policies. It is also home to a variety of news, events, daily calendar and publications, videos, and a reference to our history, governance and the building of “Beda Spirit.”
Important College documents such as the Annual Report to the Community and other documents that are occasionally needed by parents can also be found on the site.
The Parents Portal is of particular value to Parents and Carers, with its list of helpful resources and links. The College Synergetic Community Portal allows families to securely make payments and access past financial information .
Email and Operoo
Email provides direct communication to families and may come from a variety of College sources. General email communications will be directly sent to email addresses listed as contacts with students enrolled at the College.
Alternatively, when permission or digital signoff is required, an email is sent via Operoo. This may require the nominated family member to approve permissions and medical details for College activities and policies.
PAM (Parent Access Module) and SIMON
PAM and SIMON are two online platforms the College uses to share important information regarding Teaching and Learning.
PAM allows families to refer to current student assessment schedules and track progress for each Subject or Course. PAM can also be used to report student absences, book parent student teacher interviews, access student timetables, contact staff and more.
I strongly encourage all families to familiarise themselves with the various functions available in PAM and to access the information which is regularly updated.
SIMON is our Learning Management System and allows staff and students to access select aspects of Learning and Teaching. Specific notifications are also sent through SIMON to students and families when assessments are marked and finalised. Similarly, pastoral, behavioural and academic messages are shared. All Academic Student Reports are delivered via SIMON, and current performance data within respective subjects will be available. This is an area of communication that is continually expanding.
Parent Information Evenings
Parent Information Evenings are another way the home-College partnership can be strengthened. They deliver essential information about course details, career pathways, student formation programs and student wellbeing initiatives.
Likewise, our Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews are scheduled at various times in the school calendar (approx. May and August). Specific details about these interviews, how they will be conducted, and the process for booking individual appointments are usually provided in the weeks leading up to the interview sessions. Once again, important and specific information about student progress is shared on such occasions.
Social Media
These channels are a great way to stay up to date with what's happening in daily student life at the College. You can connect with us on:
St Bede's College App
The College App ties together all the above systems and links into one place for your convenience. You can download the College App to your smartphone using the links below:
The College is committed to effective and timely communication that leverages emerging platforms and trends, and we thank families for your continued support.
We trust that our families enjoy a positive and meaningful partnership with our College that promotes regular, respectful and open communication.
Per vias rectas
Deb Frizza
Principal