Leadership News
Principal's Piece
What Are You In For?
The vision of Bayside Christian College is to nurture and prepare students for a life of responsive discipleship. At the heart of this vision is the nurture and preparation of future leaders. Leaders who will engage in their communities with passion, confidence and courage. This nurturing and preparation in practical terms occurred this week with the gathering of the secondary student leaders at a training and planning day.
It is important to know that while I did have the opportunity to visit the gathering and spend a short time with them I had little to do with the day which was facilitated by Mr James Kumnick and Mrs Jo Piening. Because of this, it was a blessing to hear the excitement that came from the student leaders. As an external observer, my sense is that the students were excited about both the challenge of leadership as well as the positive practical changes that will come from the day's discussions.
What encouraged me was that the students finished the day with a greater sense of what it means to be a leader and the values that leaders at the College should exhibit. The challenge however is helping developing leaders to understand the complexity of stepping up and leading. Author Dan Allender warns that “if you’re a leader, you’re in the battle of your life”. Leading, Dan goes on to say will not only most likely be the most costly thing you will ever do. Dan explains further that the sacrifices associated with leadership are unlikely to be outweighed by any riches, fame or praise that leadership may bring.
It is this juxtaposition that I hope our student leaders begin to actively wrestle with. This sacrifice or cost of leadership is an interesting and challenging aspect of the leadership journey. In its most potent form this sacrifice or cost manifests itself when leaders make decisions that while right, are unpopular. Similarly, from time to time leaders can fail, or make mistakes. In these moments leaders can be held to unrealistic standards. The truth is we love our leaders until they fall short in our eyes or do not do what we want them to do.
Because our goal is to help students learn to lead well. One of the key things students need to learn to do is to understand that leadership comes with a cost. This cost is one I believe that students are happy to embrace and learn from because they have begun to wrap their heads around the concept that leadership is first about service and not power.
Because our goal is to help students learn how to lead well, we encourage them to lead with courage knowing that as they strive to meet the standards and expectations of leadership, grace will be provided when necessary, as will support and encouragement when times get tough.
Because our goal is to help students learn how to lead well. We want them to learn that leadership (done well) is more often than not, done as part of a team and as such the highs and the lows are shared. Teams of leaders enable the right person to be in the right place at the right time for the right season.
I am excited about the future of our student leadership teams. As our Senior leaders begin to hand the batten over please join with me in praying for them. They have served well and I pray that they will continue to do so into the future.
Mrs Bailey Resignation
It is with a mixture of joy and sadness that I write to inform you of the resignation of our Head of Primary, Mrs Glenys Bailey, after 11 years of outstanding service. Glenys will conclude her service at the College at the end of the year.
While I am sad to farewell Glenys, I also share in her excitement as she embarks on the next chapter of her life. A chapter that will be filled with friends, family and, in particular, grandchildren.
I would like to thank Glenys for her leadership of the Primary school and service to the Bayside community. I pray that Glenys will look back on her time at the College with fond memories and know that she will always be welcome here. If we are fortunate, after a well-earned break, we may be blessed to have Glenys return to College from time to time in a casual teaching capacity.
I am wholly committed to appointing a Head of Primary who shares the College’s vision and values – a leader who is passionate about young people, committed to successfully taking the primary section forward in the pursuit of preparing students to change the world. It is an incredible opportunity for the right educational leader, and I look forward to sharing news of the appointment in the future.
Blessings,
Mr Andrew Manning
Principal
Notices from the Deputy
Staffing Updates
The College would like to farewell Mrs Felicity Taylor and Mr Chris Elkington who are finishing with us at the end of the term. Mrs Taylor has been a dedicated English teacher and provided excellent support to students in her classes. She will be replaced by Mr Steve Webb, a teacher with many years of experience. Mr Webb will be meeting some of the students and classes before the end of term. Please make him welcome.
Mr Elkington has served at the College for nine years in both Primary and Secondary classes. He has been a dedicated teacher and brought extra fun to the College with puppetry and his special friend Calvin. Mr Elkington is wished all the best as he branches out to develop his Puppetry business. Mr Russell Svigos will continue in the Years 7 and 8 Performing Arts classes.
Teachers taking long service leave in Term 3 are Mr Jay Johnstone (Secondary) and Mrs Caroline DeHaan (Primary Art). Mr Johnstone will be replaced by Mr Stephen Trouse and Mrs DeHaan will be replaced by Mrs Rebecca Nisbet.
Push Up Challenge
Congratulations to Mr Joshua Goschnick and the Push Up Challenge team on all your hard work. The free dress day donations raised a little over $500, contributing to their current fundraising total of over $8,500 - which has totally eclipsed last year, and their initital goal. What an outstanding achievement by the Bayside team, making a difference with a heart of giving!
Drop Off Zone
Please ensure you use the drop off zone correctly.
- Fully pull in to the kerb
- Move as far forward as possible before collecting or alighting students
- Do not pull in front of another vehicle
- Do not leave the driver's seat
- Move as far forward as possible before merging back into the traffic flow.
Following these simple etiquette expectations will assist in keeping your children safe and ensuring the zone flows smoothly.
End of Term
Friday 23 June is the last day of term. School finishes early at 2:30pm. Buses will leave the College by 2:45 pm. Expect to collect students from the bus 45 minutes ahead of the regular schedule.
End Semester Reports
Student Semester One reports will be released in the Sentral portal on the last day of term, Friday 23 June. Please ensure you have your login details. If you need any assistance, please contact the ICT Helpdesk.
My Christian School Website
Bayside Christian College values the genuine faith of its staff. However, the Australian Law Reform Commission has released a consultation paper which would prevent schools like ours from choosing staff for their active lived faith. My Christian Schools website has been launched in association with the Australian Association of Christian Schools because it's time they heard from some actual parents—like you!
If you value the contribution of Christian staff and teachers, this is your opportunity to have your voice heard. Please visit MyChristianSchool.au and send a message to your MP about the difference Christian teachers and staff make in our school.
Blessings,
Mrs Toni Steinbergs
DeputyPrincipal
Current Vacancies
Secondary Teachers
Bayside Christian College is seeking to appoint suitably skilled and experienced Secondary Teachers to commence in Term 3, 2023 (14 June) and at the start of the 2024 school year in the following subject areas:
- Performing Arts (2024- time fraction negotiable depending on other methods able to teach)
The Performing Arts role may be offered as a contract or ongoing, subject to negotiation with preferred applicants.
Human Resources Officer
Bayside Christian College is seeking to appoint a suitably skilled and experienced Human Resources Officer for an immediate start.
The role is permanent part-time, with a time fraction of 0.4 FTE, 15.2 hours per week during school terms, to be worked over two-three days per week.
Learning Assistants
Bayside Christian College is seeking to appoint Learning Assistants (also known as Teacher Aides) to fill a number of part-time (one to five days per week during school hours) vacancies in our Primary School. The role of Learning Assistants is to support the inclusion of students with a range of needs into school activities.
College AGM
The Bayside Christian College Board warmly invites Association members, College parents/carers and staff to attend our 2023 Annual General Meeting. The Association for Christian Education of Frankston Inc. will meet this Thursday 22 June at 7PM in G-Block on South Campus.
This is a great opportunity to engage in discussions on the school’s performance and the shaping of future opportunities. Supper provided. Please ensure you indicate your attendance by no later than Thursday 15 June at https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1057171
Head of Teaching and Learning
Why we use and collect learning data
The adage “students are more than their tests scores” is fundamentally true, however, the role of data is crucial in the running of a school. As we are currently conducting PAT and GAT tests across the college and await the arrival of our 2023 NAPLAN data, it important to understand why this learning data is collected, analysed and its role in an educational setting.
Data for student Assessment: Schools collect data to monitor and track student performance. It helps identify strengths and weaknesses, and allows teachers and families to set appropriate learning goals and actions. Teachers can therefore make informed judgements and adapt and alter their teaching to cater to varied needs within their classrooms. It can also be used to moderate and compare to other measures of student learning.
Data for decision marking and as evidence: Data provides schools with information to inform decisions, whilst allowing schools to identify patterns and trends over time. This data informs school wide improvement plans, key performance indicators and effective resource allocation.
Data for accountability: Data plays a crucial role in evaluating school and teacher performance. Schools are accountable to various stakeholders, including students, parents, and the state and federal governments. Transparency of data is also crucial, so that all stakeholders can be adequately informed about growth and progress.
Overall, data empowers schools to make informed decisions, monitor progress, identify areas for improvement, and create a more equitable and effective learning environment for students.
Mr Joel Williamson
Head of Teaching and Learning