Principal's Report
“Learning is in the relationship between people”
We are excited to welcome back all of our students to the new 2020 school year. We have 535 students with 190 joining us in Year 7 and a number of new students in Year 8 and 9. On Thursday, we started the day with all students in GOAL groups catching up on their holidays and setting out the start of the year. It is a busy hive of learning and activity as we now use the spaces throughout the Learning Hub including the top level.
It was wonderful to see so many parents join us for today’s assembly as we officially welcomed our Year 7 students to the college. I enjoyed meeting many who were able to stay and join us for a coffee after the assembly. It was also extra special for me as my mother who is visiting from the USA was able to be there.
Our staff returned to school on Tuesday after the long weekend and we welcomed another 12 teachers to our team with 1 joining us towards the end of term and we now have an education support member in maintenance as well. We are also finalising a French position and Humanities position in the coming weeks. Please welcome them to our Beaumaris community.
- Stefan Adonovski -Create Visual, Innovate, Coding
- Jemma Ford-Maths, Our World, The Future
- Amelia Ghiradello- Create Performance, Dance/Drama, Communicate and Relate
- John Hogan -Maintenance
- Maddy Hunter Smith- BEST
- Lena Bartle-Smith-Create Visual, Artisanship, Innovate
- Alice Li- Communicate and Relate
- Daniel Noble- Maths, Big Bang
- Hannah Radford- Healthy Lifestyles, You are What you Eat
- Erica Thomson- You are What you Eat, Sustainable Food Options, Innovate
- Steven Tjepkema- Maths
- Heath Tregear (end of term)- Maths, Innovate
- Sheena Worthy- Communicate and Relate
Opportunities for Parent Involvement
There are 3 positions that are vacant on School Council. There is another section in the newsletter that includes the nomination forms and the timeline.
We also need volunteers for the library. In order to provide students with the opportunity to come into the library and read at lunch, we need parent volunteers. Parents would also assist with covering and organising books in the library. If you have time and are available please contact: beaumaris.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au
Check the calendar in the newsletter for upcoming parent information evenings. Also, our Parents’ Association will be setting up their meeting schedule and we encourage all parents to come along and hear more about the college in an informal setting.
Congratulations to Steve Pearce, School Council President, and Lisa Grant, Parents Association Treasurer, on their nomination for the Bayside Citizen of the Year Award. We know the commitment that both have made to the community. Steve’s commitment to our college has been tremendous from the beginning of the journey to now.
Teaching and Learning
We encourage all students to consider applying for a student leadership role. Student voice is vital for the success of the college programs and we value their contribution. There are a number of roles that should appeal to a range of interests. Please see attached booklet for detailed information and forms.
Starting School- tips for parents
We recognise that the beginning secondary school brings with it challenges. These are a few suggestions that may help with the transition.
Students will be settling into new routines with school and home learning. Parents can support them to limit their technology use so that it doesn’t interfere with home learning and out of school activities.
How (and When) to Limit Kids' Tech Use - Smarter living Guides - The New York Times
Students leaving school during the day:
We understand that parents/guardians will at some stage need to take their child out of school during the day. We do not use the public announcement system for this as it interrupts the learning flow of the whole school. The office can be very busy and in some instances, if you have not advised your child to meet you at the reception office it may take some time for a staff member to be able to leave the office to notify your child.
We ask that if you do need your children during a school day you do the following:
1. Speak to your child the night before or in the morning and let them know to meet you at reception at a specific time.
2. Tell your child to let their teacher know at the beginning of their lesson that they need to leave early to meet you at reception.
3. Place the absence on compass by adding an attendance note. (The teacher will be able to see this when marking the roll)
4. Pick student up from front office at the arrange time.