Leadership News
Start With 'Why?'
Why would a parent choose Bayside Christian College for their family? Another way to ask this question is - what makes Bayside different from any other school?
The answer to these questions can be as varied as the number of parents we ask. The truth is often we assume that we know why we do what we do. But do we really know?
Simon Sinek, author and international speaker believes that very few people or organisations know why they do what they do. He argues that organisations, schools in our case, often answer the question of “why we do what we do” with a result. Our answer is that our students will learn, to get good grades or get to University. These are all results.
Simon confidently says that “Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do….but very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do…”. When Simon Sinek talks about "why" he means: What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist?
Bayside Christian College has a why, how and a what, and I think it is important that we take a moment to remind ourselves of our why.
Bayside’s purpose is to help each student to discover and understand the God-given meaning and structure of the world, and their place and purpose within it. To encourage students to a real and thoughtful response to how they can serve God as lifelong learners and responsive disciples.
We do this by creating a learning environment where students have the opportunity to learn and grow academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. At Bayside we do this in partnership with families.
We do not seek to take over the responsibility of a parent, in preference to complementing the work of parents in the growth and development of their children.
Starting with our Why may feel a little warm and fuzzy to some people who would like to know how we approach education and what we do in classrooms and beyond. But the truth is unless you understand and buy into the why of Bayside the how and the what will fall short in the long term.
The College Purposes can be found in a variety of places expressed formally in the following way:
The College is a community that exists to help parents equip their children for effective, God-glorifying lives as Christians in the world by:
- Leading students into the service of God and of others as a thankful response to the work of God in Christ;
- Nurturing in students the development of a Biblical understanding of the world and of life;
- Establishing an educational environment that is characterised by faith, hope, love, joy, peace and service.
- Helping students to discover and develop their own God-given abilities and to recognise and respect those of others;
- Showing students that knowing their strengths and limitations, is part of achieving a realistic, positive self-image;
- Promoting a striving for excellence in their lives.
Blessings,
Andrew Manning, Principal
Deputy's Update
It was lovely to meet many of our new parents and carers at our New Parents dinner last week. We hope that you have felt welcomed into a vibrant community. We encourage all families to get involved in partnership with the College. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact your child's class teachers or in Secondary, the coordinators.
Sincerest Condolences
For Bayside Community members who may remember Mrs Jo Moore (nee Dyer) who taught in the Primary School until 2021, we are saddened to share the news that Jo and Jason's young daughter Chloe tragically passed away on Saturday 25th February. Chloe was an active toddler with a playful giggle and radiant smile.
The Staff and Community of Bayside extend their sincere sympathies and condolences to Jo, Jason, Eleazer and the extended family at this difficult time. We pray that they know the love of our Heavenly Father and feel supported by our collective prayers and love.
Parent Conferences
We are pleased that many parents were able to attend either live parent conferences (Tuesday) or online conferences (Wednesday) this week. If you were unable to attend or missed a booking, please email the teachers directly to make arrangements to connect and discuss how we can best support your child/ren's learning and wellbeing.
NAPLAN
All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will undertake NAPLAN online between Wedneday 15 March and Monday 27 March. Please ensure that your child has the required book-listed headphones for these tests. Further information regarding NAPLAN is attached.
Please see your child's class teacher, or Head of School with any questions, or visit the NAP website for information and access to practice questions for familiarisation.
Families who do not want their child/ren to participate must see their Head of School and complete the appropriate forms for withdrawal prior to the commencement of testing.
School Photos
School Photos will be taken in Week 9. Eearly Learning Centre Photos will be Monday 27 March for 4 Year-Olds and Thursday 30 March for 3 Year-Olds. Secondary student's photos will be taken on Tuesday 28 March from 8:45 am. Primary students, as well as sibling photos will be on Wednesday 29 March from 8:45 am.
Students in P-12 are required to come to school in their day uniform (not PE). If students have PE, OES or Agriculture on their photo day, they must bring their sports uniform to change into.
Toni Steinbergs, Deputy Principal
Finance
Have you deposited fees into the College bank account without telling us who you are? We have received the following deposits which are sitting in our suspense account because we haven’t been able to identify who the funds are intended for:
- 07/11/2022 $2783.63 statement description - Details Advised Separately
- 27/1/2023 $1075 statement description - Payment from Ms Christine Corcoran
Please contact the Finance Manager, Helen Spink, if you can assist.
Educational Excellence and ‘Exceptional Learning’
As I have stepped into this new role for 2023, I have found myself talking to and gathering data and ideas from staff, parents and students about what happens in our classroom. One of the questions I have been asking of people is “What is Educational Excellence”? Our Alis Aquilae trajectory plan also refers to this idea as ‘Exceptional Learning’.
Some of the immediate answers come back reflect the views of broader society and many other school communities, defining excellence high benchmarked test scores, excellent preparation for vocation and doing one's best. Excellence comes from the Latin word ‘excellentia’, or from the verb 'excellere' meaning to ‘surpass’. Justin’s highlights the challenge with such language in his article Christian Schooling and Educational Excellence: An Australian Perspective (2009):
“The notions of rising above, of being pre-eminent or superior to, are all relative conceptions, requiring that other people (students, teachers, parents or administrators) or institutions (such as schools) be below (that which has risen above), inferior in comparison to the superior and commonplace in contrast to pre-eminent. Discussion of educational excellence, then, involves comparative assessments.”
As Andrew highlighted in the College’s earlier in this newsletter, our 6th purpose at Bayside is “Promoting a striving for excellence in their lives”. Whilst vocational preparation and outstanding achievements and scores are important and we should celebrate these student achievements, it is also easy for students and the College to get drawn into the cultural message of competition, superiority, ranking and education as an economic resource if this is not tempered with a Biblical definition of excellence. Our sixth purpose states that students are called to strive for ‘excellence in their lives’, which is achieved by faithfully maximising the gifts and abilities that God has given them to serve and bless others. The way we define and measure excellence at the college must therefore look different and more holistic.
As we enter NAPLAN next week, it is important to bear this in mind. Our NAPLAN data has been strong and has continued to improve in most areas over recent years, but the majority of our time is spent analysing student individual growth data and ensuring each and every student is reaching their individual potential.
It is important to remember as well that it is one measure on one day, and our students are far more than a score. After all, what is the point of our graduates becoming dishonest lawyers, lazy builders or teachers who lack empathy and kindness?
Character, faithfulness and service aren’t easily measured on benchmarked tests, but educational excellence can’t truly be achieved without growing in character, maturity and faith as well.
Mr Joel Williamson, Head of Teaching and Learning
Happy Families Resource
As you know, our school is subscribed to Parenting Ideas, which is now owned and run by one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, Dr Justin Coulson. As such, the membership is now called Happy Families School Membership and there have been some exciting changes to the platform. Please take the time to read the information below so you can keep enjoying these helpful parenting resources.
We’ll keep sending out the Insight articles with our school newsletter and you’ll now also have access to the Insights library of 300+ past articles via our school’s unique URL.
Individuals will no longer need their own login and password. We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you. The password is: happybcc
Parent Webinar: Getting into the Learning Zone with James Anderson on Monday 27 March at 8pm AEDT
Each term, you’ll have access to a LIVE parent webinar. With webinars now being run live, this means participants can ask Dr Justin (or the guest speaker) questions in real time. Just like for Insights, you’ll be able to access the webinars via our school’s unique URL and password (no more coupons!). The recording will be available for 12 months.
How does your child approach challenges? Do they often take the easiest option? Do they sometimes give up when learning starts to get tough? Do they dislike the struggle that comes with learning something challenging?
Our relationship with challenge is one of the key elements of Learnership – the skill of learning. In this insightful and powerful session, James Anderson will show you how you can help your child develop a strong positive relationship with challenge. He’ll show you the practical strategies you can use at home and in school to put your child on path towards embracing challenges and becoming a skilful learner. He’ll show you how to get your child into their Learning Zone.
*Please note that the link will only work if you are already signed into your school’s page.