The term has begun smoothly with students settling back into the routine of school after a much needed break at the end of Term 1. Our Open Night event for prospective families held at the end of Term 1 was different from previous years but was strongly attended by those registering for the event. We had over 500 people through the school. Thank you to all the student leaders and parents who supported the night by conducting tours and answering questions. Upon returning in the first week back we held our Parent/Student/Teacher interviews virtually. Thank you to all those who provided feedback on how we can improve our communication for these in future; we will continue to seek and implement feedback from our parent community to support the partnership which we value.

Please read the Wellbeing Matters section for updates on upcoming events for interested parents. The Compass calendar is also another source of important upcoming dates.

Our College Captains and Year Level leaders represented the college at the Beaumaris RSL Anzac Parade held on Sunday 1 April. Our students laid a wreath and presented a book that will be donated to a local primary school. We will be holding our Anzac Day Assembly on Monday 26 April; this will be our first whole school assembly with students. Clarke Martin will attend this assembly and lay the wreath. Thank you to Peter Bartlett and the School Captains for their organisation of the assembly.

Stage 2 Update

The site sheds have been installed at the northern corner of the school ground. The site has been fenced off from the operations of the college. Demolition works of the ground level store rooms are completed and all went smoothly with limited impact on the running of the operations of the college. We have daily updates from the site manager and discuss any issues that arise from the works. We also have weekly site meetings to monitor the progress of the project. We are working closely with Built Environs and the VSBA to minimise any impact on the learning at the college. The first major concrete pour is planned for a student free Curriculum Day on May 10th.

Building and Grounds

There have been a range of works completed over the holiday break. This includes perimeter fencing at the back of the southern oval. We hope that this will minimise the inappropriate use of the school grounds outside of school hours.

We have mulched the garden beds throughout the grounds and all heating systems have been inspected in preparation for the cooler months ahead.

Respectful Relationships Initiative

Beaumaris Secondary has been successful in its application to become a Respectful Relationships Lead School. We join more than 1850 schools in taking a whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships and building a culture of respect and gender equality across school communities. As a Lead School we will play a critical role in implementing the initiative and supporting a cluster of Partner Schools.

Education and family violence experts developed Respectful Relationships following the Royal Commission into Family Violence’s recommendation for a whole-school approach.

As a Respectful Relationships Lead School responsibilities will include the following:

conduct an initial all staff briefing
establish a school-based team
examine if your school’s policies and activities treat everyone equally
develop and implement an action plan
participate in related professional learning
lead and support a cluster of Partner Schools

Zero School Dropout Project Update - Rotary Funding

Last term, I presented to Rotary about how the Zero School Dropout Project was progressing. This project is fully funded by Rotary and spearheaded by a very supportive Rotary member, Bridget Hage. We are a pilot for the program and they hope to get the national board on board to introduce it to Rotary clubs across the state. We would like to thank Beaumaris Rotary for their continued support of our College.

Meet the Principal Evenings

We have invited prospective parents (for students currently in Year 6) to a Meet the Principal evening to be held on the following evenings:

Tuesday 27 April at 6.00pm - 7.00pm

Wednesday 5 May at 6.00pm - 7.00pm

Thursday 13 May at 6.00pm - 7.00pm

These evenings provide parents with the opportunity to hear about what is happening at the college from me and ask questions. Our college captains, Spencer and Margot, will also be there to represent student voice on the night. If you know of anyone interested in attending the session, please have them contact the college to register if they haven’t already done so.

Senior Pathways Evening

We will be holding our Senior Pathways evening on Wednesday 28 April which provides an opportunity to discuss the Senior Pathways options for Year 11 and 12 at Beaumaris Secondary College. We will be sharing information on the General Curriculum studies including subject offerings, as well as the Applied Pathway option (formerly known as VCAL) for students in their senior years. Peter Bartlett and Deb Jarvis have done a tremendous amount of work in preparation for this evening. We know that the information provided will provide students and parents with the details needed to make senior pathway choices in the coming months.

Celebrating Student Success

We are delighted to acknowledge and congratulate Isabella Margheriti in Year 10 in securing a role in the Victorian State School Spectacular for 2021. The Department of Education and Training’s Performing Arts Unit auditioned students from across the state for this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular. She is an outstanding ambassador for our school. The Spectacular will be performed twice, on Saturday 11 September at John Cain Arena, followed by a broadcast on Channel 7 and made available on the 7Plus catch-up website. Rehearsals have commenced for this year’s production which will showcase more than 2500 Victorian government school students in a performance of music, song, dance, skating and puppetry.

2. State Swimming Championships were held on Thursday April 22nd. We are delighted with our students who once again performed their best across a range of events. We would especially like to acknowledge Lochie Grant for his 3rd place in the individual medley and Kiara Mooney, Lily Gorvett-Paige, Kaisha Munnick and Emily Gratz in the freestyle relay, placing 2nd.

3. We are delighted to announce that we have 2 students representing the Victorian 13- 19 year Triathlon State Team 2021:

Baden Mooney and Kiara Mooney are excellent ambassadors of the college.

4. Beaumaris had 10 students at the diving championships last week. We would like to congratulate Year 10 student Mia Osler on placing 1st in the region and Year 9 student Jesse Fennel placing 3rd. Both girls and Meg Lambert moved onto state, with Mia placing 3rd in the state. Fantastic efforts by all!

Congratulations for Victoria State lifesaving championships held in Lorne

U15 - Lochie Grant

U14 Lilly Gorvet-page/Kiara Mooney/U14 - Alec Stewart

Australian National lifesaving championships held in Maroochydore. This event is for the top lifesaving competitors from around Australia. To make a final means you are in the top 16 to 32 in Australia. To make a semi means you are in the top 32 to 64 in Australia.

U15 Men - Lochie Grant - Individual swim final - Finished in top 32 in Australia

U14 Woman - Lilly Gorvet-page - 8th place in Individual swim final. Top 8 in Australia

U14 Men - Alec Stewart - reached semi-final for all individual events (Swim/Iron/Board) U15 Men - Lochie Grant - reached semi-final in Iron event

Local Artist Exhibition

Please check out this great article about Clarice Beckett, a famous Beaumaris artist, and the namesake for one of our houses at the college:

This exhibition is so phenomenal I saw it three days in row (smh.com.au )

Worlds Greatest Shave