Years 7 - 12

Head of Secondary 

Wisdom in controlling the Tongue

This week I had the pleasure of being involved in the interview process of shortlisted students from Years 7-10 who applied to be a part of our 2023 student leadership team - the Secondary Student Representative Council (SRC). 

After quite an arduous process, eight (two per year level) proud and excited students will be publicly acknowledged at our upcoming Secondary School assembly on Monday 20 March. Please join us at 8:50 am in the K Block Gym should you be able.

Official duties for these new leaders start straight away as the entire team (7-12) will be challenged to seek opportunities/ways to make Secondary school at Bayside a better experience for our students. I really look forward to working with this team and hearing about the feedback and suggestions the student body provides the SRC and ultimately Secondary leadership.

 Next term, some student leadership training sessions covering a variety of topics aimed to support and motivate our ‘next generation leaders’ will be offered. During these sessions, one aspect that we encourage our emerging leaders to consider is the importance and wisdom in having self-control, starting with their choice of words used (or not used) especially in times of conflict. I would like to take this opportunity to briefly share some of the day's intended focus with the broader Bayside community.

As Christians, we are reminded in God’s word about wisdom gained through learning to control our tongue.

James 3:3-12 says “3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both freshwater and saltwater flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

For me, the control of the tongue is a test of character and wise timing. This statement makes me think of the person who often speaks hastily in a given situation, through pride and foolishness, yet is convinced that they are simply ‘being honest’ with those involved. This person says what’s on their mind, with nothing hidden, even if their words spoken are hurtful and destructive. In actual fact, I propose that this is more a case of being proved that there is a distinct lack of wisdom and good sense in this instance, as they freely speak their mind quickly without giving it much thought. 

At Bayside, this is not what we encourage our young leaders, or all students for that matter, to aspire to be like. Rather, we encourage our students to consider and adopt other Biblical traits such as kindness, respect, humility, and responsibility (elements of the Bayside Way) before a word is spoken. Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool vents all their feelings, but a wise person holds them back”. I encourage all of our students, staff, and parents to think (and pray) before we speak, especially in times when the conversation is quite emotional, and to speak only what is necessary. As the saying goes, “sometimes less is more”. Enjoy the upcoming long weekend with family and friends. God bless you.

Mr James Kumnick - Head of Secondary

Secondary Athletics Carnival

On the last day of Summer Bayside held our secondary athletics carnival at Mornington athletics track. It was great to see such a fantastic turnout of students, all participating and having a go in the events offered. 

It was a busy day with students rushing to event after event, while staff did their best to accommodate all the students getting involved. A big thanks to all the staff that helped on the day and parents that came to support their child. 

This year the student from each year level that gained the most points for their house was awarded an individual champion award. 

Individual year level champions: 

Year 7: Isaac Kidney 

Year 8: Penny O'Brien 

Year 9: Joseph Gaskell 

Year 10: Jasmine Hooper 

Year 11: Naomi Mencev 

Year 12: Ezekiel Kruiskamp 

Best Dressed: Charlie Stamp 

Congratulations to all these students. 

House points were awarded throughout the day and in a very close contest green house managed to prevail on the day, congratulations to all green house members on your victory. 

Overall house winner for the day: 

3rd Place – Red – 1044 points 

2nd Place – Yellow – 1069 points 

1st Place – Green – 1070 points 

Year 7 OES Bushrangers Bay

Year 8 Medieval Day

Tuesday 7 March, saw the students in year 8 at Bayside Christian College step back in time for the annual rite of passage that is medieval day. Our fun filled educational day that allows students to get hands on with their history learning. Designed to give students a glimpse of life in the age of knights and peasants, a truly fascinating period of time.

The students and teachers came dressed in medieval attire and the L4 classroom and Senior gym transformed into the middle ages were weapons and armour were donned and crimes punished. Students took part in medieval education and played games from the era. They got to try their hand at archery and go up against a knight in single combat. For the first time in medieval day history, a student managed to get through the guard of the knight a slay him.

Our day concluded with a medieval feast, where students enjoyed a range of roast meats, bread, veggies and pastries. They played chess and relaxed to medieval music. The day provided valuable learning experience, as well as fun and new memories for all.

A big thank you to medieval education, the amazing Karissa Gaskell and staff involved in the day. We look forward to next years medieval day and any new adventures that transpire. 

Years 9/10 Food Technology

To date, students in Years 9/10 Food Technology have completed a range of dishes focussing on the seasons and fruits and vegetables that are readily available in Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. 

Students have been preparing recipes based on a key ingredient. Some dishes that have been cooked so far include Peach and Plum Crumble, Corn Fritters, Apple Cake, Sweet Potato Salad and a Lemon and Lime Delicious. This is an ongoing Semester Unit for students about Australian cooking looking at iconic Australian dishes and produce.

Years 9/10 Textiles

For the past few weeks students in Textiles have been investigating into printing and dyeing. During class students have researched into different techniques and completed a number of experiments. The purpose of these experiments is to give students the opportunity to try new techniques. Later in the Term and into Term 2, students will use some of these techniques to create a one of a kind fabric that will be made into a slouch bag. While messy students had a good time and created some interesting designs. 

General Maths News

The Myths of Multitasking

In General Maths, we have been looking at the topic of Statistics and how to analyse data effectively. To help us gather some data and apply our knowledge, we looked at our abilities to multitask. Some people claim to be excellent at it, while many are not as strong in this area.

According to some science articles, the act of multitasking, or switch tasking, is the act of completing more than one task at the same time. As a result, the brain ‘switches’ between these tasks. Typically it has been found that multitasking, especially between language skills, such as reading and writing, is not possible for the brain to effectively retain both sets of information well. However, listening to music with or without lyrics has been known to help increase the focus for some.

To test this, we investigated how effectively we were able to multitask by sorting cards into their suits, while trying to do other activities, such as listening to music or telling someone about their weekend. It was fascinating to see the students undertake this simple task and to the see the variation in their result.

Year 12 Biology

Year 12 Biology students have been exploring DNA and proteins so far this term. As part of the VCE Biology course, students must engage in practical work and modelling tasks. To investigate DNA students attempted to extract DNA from strawberries with most groups being successful (see photos). 

We have also looked at the structure and function of enzymes that help speed up reactions. In the experiment “Bubbles and Enzymes” students investigated what factors can affect enzymes from functioning. Completing these experiments is a great opportunity for students to see the biological concepts in action. 

Weights Shed 

The Weights Shed is open Monday afterschool, Tuesday lunchtime and Thursday during recess. We eagerly awaiting to see the progress the student make in their gym progress and community connections over the coming year.

Chess Club

Secondary Chess Club runs on Monday during lunch time for students from Year 7-12. Over the first two weeks over two dozen students have participated, engaging in some high intensity competition with their peers.

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.