23 June 2023
From the Executive Principal
Welcome to our final newsletter of what has been an outstanding term at Bellbird Park State Secondary College. Students in years 11 and 12 will have their report card emailed to parents by the final day of term 2, and report cards for students in 7 to 10 will be emailed in Week 3 of next term. These will be followed by our second opportunity for parent teacher interviews held on Thursday 10 August.
Celebrating Success and Recognising Our Commitment to Student Success
This term, I have been fortunate enough to witness the remarkable work that our teachers and staff do to consistently provide our students with incredible opportunities. I am deeply moved by the unwavering support, dedication, and motivation that is visible both in and outside of the classroom. Our staff inspire us with their tireless efforts to provide our students with every chance to thrive and succeed.
As we continue to acknowledge their contributions, let us also recognise the profound impact they have on shaping our students' futures. Thank you to our teachers and staff for always going above and beyond for our College.
Reconciliation Award
Bellbird Park SSC has been awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Education category at the Queensland Reconciliation Awards. We were both proud and honoured to have the Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP Premier of Queensland and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and The Honourable Leeanne Enoch MP Minister for Treaty, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Minister for Communities and Minister for the Arts present this award to our College.
A special thank you to our Junior School Captain Zebastian Short who represented our college with pride and our Reconciliation Action Plan Committee who have been proudly leading this very important work for both BPSSC and for Australia. Thank you to all staff, students and our community for coming on this journey with us, individually and collectively as we work towards achieving reconciliation in Australia and our community.
Cultural Celebration Night
Our annual Cultural Celebration was held on Thursday 8 June and what an outstanding evening it was. With over 200 student performers alongside our wonderful staff members from more than 20 different cultural backgrounds, the evening was spent dancing and celebrating multiculturalism within our school and community.
Our Cultural Celebration is a reminder of the significance our community holds in shaping the lives of our students. Our commitment to honouring and integrating these diverse values, beliefs and ways of being has provided endless opportunities for our students to flourish.
A huge thank you to our students and teachers who worked tirelessly to create such a memorable evening for all.
100 Days left for Year 12
Our Year 12 students recently celebrated their last ‘100 days’ of secondary schooling. There were many excited faces as they celebrated with pizza and delicious cupcakes made and served by our Year 11 Hospitality students. We are truly excited by the class of 2023 and the legacy that they will leave here at BPSSC. The countdown has begun!
Kokoda
Congratulations Team Bellbird Park SSC! My sincere thanks to the staff and students who after many months of after school and weekend training took on the Kokoda Challenge earlier this month. Walking up hills for 30km over 9 hours is no easy task and the group held strong even when the mind and body said quit. In a wonderful display of BPSSC team spirit, we crossed the line as one. Thank you to our parents and sponsors for making this opportunity a reality for our students.
Parent comment: “My daughter came home so pumped for her achievements…she told me there was a few times she tried to bribe the teachers to quit, but the teacher kept pushing her. So darn proud of her. Thank you to everyone for supporting her and the team to achieve nothing but greatness”
Final note
Bellbird Park SSC has been abuzz with activity and enjoyment both within and outside the classroom and I trust that you will be just as inspired as me by the stories in our newsletter. We couldn’t be prouder of our school, and I thank you for your part in that. We have had an excellent term and first semester at BPSSC, please be safe over the holidays. Term 3 resumes on Monday 10 July.
Mr Michael West
Executive Principal
Deputies Corner
As the Semester draws to a close, I would like to thank all of our Year 7 students and families for your involvement across the Semester. In the final week of school for the Term, our focus remains on applying out best effort and best behaviour to finish strong. Assessment tasks are being finalised and it is not too late for students to achieve fantastic grades in effort, behaviour and achievement.
You will have noticed that we are celebrating and acknowledging the amazing students we have in Year 7 and in the Junior school. Students who have received an Integrity Award are also nominated to be selected as the ‘Junior Student of the Week’. This student receives a certificate and a voucher. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page to see the recipients.
In Term 3, we will start week 1 with an induction of our Year 7 RISE Reps for each Pathways class. This is a great opportunity for students to be leaders amongst their peers and play an active role within the classroom. We will also celebrate 100 days of Year 7 on 13 July. It is quite the milestone with our students adjusting to high school so smoothly. We will celebrate with a BBQ and fun activities.
Finally, I wish you all a restful break and I look forward to seeing everyone returning on 10 July for the first day back in Term 3.
Ms Diane Pashen
Deputy Principal Year 7
Culture – Finish Strong
As we complete our first Semester of the 2023 year, I want to remind our community that we have a ‘finishing strong’ mantra here. Mr Stanley and I have been extremely vocal on this mantra with our wonderful Year 8 students during weekly parades. Specifically, we have been linking the ‘finishing strong’ mantra with the notion of a growth mindset and effort. Dr Carol Dweck summarises it best, ‘When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger’.
But, what does ‘finishing strong’ and having a growth mindset look like at BPSSC for students?
- Self-belief – believe that you can develop talents and intelligence
- All about effort, effort and more effort!
- Viewing failure as an opportunity to grow
- Embrace challenges (it is ok for this exam/assessment to be hard)
- Welcome feedback (particularly following assessment)
Positive Behaviour for Learning
It has been a fantastic start to the year with regards to PBL, with students consistently displaying positive behaviours in both the classroom and the playground.
I am so pleased to report the we have had another successful PBL Rewards BBQ this Term. On Tuesday May 23, the school celebrated students who had collected RISE Stamps in their diaries for showing the school values and following the PBL focus over the year thus far. Students were able to exchange 30 stamps for a sausage on bread or 50 stamps for a doughnut. There was an amazing team of student and teacher helpers – their effort, and the effort of students and teachers in classrooms, makes all this possible.
Mr Jason English
Deputy Principal Year 8
Assessment
We have had another busy and exciting Term, with a range of new initiatives to support our students and families. Students in Junior Secondary (Year 7 - 9) are currently making the most of their assessment time. Students are doing assessment in classes, and some are catching up with the help of their teachers. At Bellbird Park we are proud of our strong assessment culture where students are encouraged to try their best. Every student submits every piece of assessment and puts in maximum effort into assessment. Student effort refers to how hard students try to succeed in their learning. Effort is related to students' sense of self-efficacy and is a key component of their intellectual engagement. At Bellbird Park through our strong assessment culture, we foster Perseverance in our students.
Harding Miller Scholarships
Three of our Year 9 students have been awarded the prestigious Harding Miller Scholarship in 2023. The scholarships aim to give students the tools, resources, experiences and support they need to learn on a level playing field with their more financially advantaged peers. Hannah Payne, Trinity Mulheron and Frances Tyson attended the Harding Miller scholarship event last month. The students worked with their individual coach during the day. A recount of the day from our students:
I had the opportunity to attend the Harding Miller Foundation ceremony, to congratulate all scholarship recipients. Whilst I was there, I took part in multiple programs and made new friends throughout the experience. I was greeted at the door, informed to take a tote bag full of goodies, presented with a book as a gift and was told to find a seat. All the girls received a certificate congratulating them on the achievement. Now, I am working with my coach to help make my learning greater. Overall, I loved the period I spent with Harding Miller. – Frances.
On May 22, 2023, I was an award recipient and attendee at the Harding Miller Education Foundation’s awards ceremony in Brisbane. On the day, I arrived at 11am to complete workshops alongside other scholars. We learnt how to fully utilise and maintain the opportunistic scholarship we’ve gratefully received. Before the official ceremonial night, there was also a workshop with Nicole Dyson, the founder and CEO of Future Anything. The goal was to practice project-based learning and entrepreneurship in the young attendees - the scholars. We learnt skills on how to effectively make solutions for problems affecting both ourselves and the majority of people’s lives. – Trinity.
On the 22nd of May I attended an event hosted by the Harding Miller Foundation, which was a gathering that included all the 2023 scholarship recipients – as well as the class of 2023. The day commenced with a brief speech. After lunch we listened to a speech about business ideas from young people. Groups were made and we focused our creativity on certain topics that need to be resolved and came up with product ideas in hopes to solve those issues. My coach is Hugh Cowan who will help me plan my studies and coach me through high school. – Hannah.
Ms Gouri Sharma
Deputy Principal Year 9
Congratulations to students, teachers and families following a very successful Year 10 Block Exam period. It was pleasing to see a large number of students attending the home work centre, catch up opportunities and engaging with support staff in the lead up. Senior study requires further application and good study habits and I’ve noted these positive behaviours in our students. It’s important that all students are on a pathway of study that provides an opportunity to be successful in their learning. I encouraged proactive subject changes if your students’ subjects are not suitable. Please reach out to our Senior Schooling Team if this applies to your student. In Term 3, our students will be involved in the Senior Education and Training Plan process in which a two year course of study will be selected for Years 11 and 12. Please take the opportunity following reports cards to engage in conversations regarding senior subjects, as the selection process is fast approaching (16 August 2023). A reminder that students are required to achieve 92% attendance to attend our Year 10 semi-formal. With a new term approaching it’s timely to review achievement and plan for Term 3 success.
Thank you for a very successful term of learning.
Ms Amy Brown
Deputy Principal Year 10
Thank you to all Year 11 and 12 students and families for a wonderful Semester 1 in 2023. It has been great getting to know the Year 11s and seeing our Year 12s blossom into mature young adults.
Achievement
Students will receive their report cards this week and I challenge each student to spend some time with their parent/guardians reflecting on their report card, identifying areas to improve and setting some goals for semester two (Unit 2). I am personally looking forward to reviewing each student’s report card and congratulating those who have achieved their goals for Semester 1.
The semester 1 (Unit 1 Year 11 and Unit 3 for Year 12) report card is a very important report card in relation to banking credits for our student’s QCEs. Bellbird Park will report these student report card academic gradings to the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) so that they can accredit each student with credit points towards their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Every student who received a grade of C or above in their General or Applied Subjects will be reported to the QCAA as ‘satisfactory’ for the Unit and accredit one QCE credit to their 20 that they require for their QCE attainment at the end of Year 12 at Bellbird Park State Secondary College. Students completing VET (Vocational Education and Training) qualification will attain credit points at the completion of their qualifications. For more information about the QCE please click on the link below to the QCAA Website: Click here to view the Senior Secondary Schooling in QLD - Guide for Parents
Members of the Senior Schooling team will be catching up with students who require further support with their learning and achieving their QCEs. Subject changes are open for Year 11 students until the end of week 2 term 3. Students wishing to make a pathway adjustment are to see Mr Crausaz or Mr Arnold at the top of T block at each break time.
Attendance
Our cohort attendance rates sit at 84.9% for Year 11 and 87.9% for Year 12 for the year. Our aim is 90% for each student and the cohort as a whole. School attendance is a powerful predictor of student outcomes and especially important in senior as all subjects have technical and practical subject matter that requires face to face learning opportunities.
A few reminders for attendance:
- 90% attendance rate is required for participation in senior extra-curricular activities such as the senior jersey (Year 11) and senior formal and mystery bus tour (Year 12).
- Illness, undertaking work experience or competing in a school sporting event are the only acceptable reasons for being absent from school.
- Events such as family holidays, birthdays and weddings are not considered valid grounds for extensions on assessment or absences from exams in the senior school, in line with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority guidelines. Unapproved absences such as family holidays may impact on your student's academic achievement and senior pathway options as well as jeopardise their ability to obtain the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). For those considering booking family holidays, please ensure they are booked in our designated school holiday periods so that your child is not disadvantaged.
Have a safe and happy winter holiday with your family. I am looking forward to welcoming your student back in Term 3.
Ms Carla Pantano
Deputy Principal Years 11 & 12
Administration Matters
Food for Thought
Qld and NSW Donuts $2.50
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P&C Executive
We are pleased to welcome our new team P&C Executive Team for 2023.
Would you like to join our Parent and Citizens Association (P&C): The P&C plays a crucial role in supporting our school's initiatives and strategic plans. By joining, you can actively contribute to the development of our school community and have a say in shaping the educational experience of our children. Details can be found from the link below or you can email the P&C directly at: pandc@bellbirdparkssc.eq.edu.au
P&C Trivia Night
Thank you to all who have purchased tickets for our upcoming Trivia Night on 21 July.
We have had an overwhelming response and the event has nearly SOLD OUT!! If you would like to purchase tickets, please use the QR Code on the below flyer.
A special thank you to those businesses, companies and individuals who have donated prizes for the event. This event would not be possible without your generosity and your contribution is truly appreciated.
Broncos Multicultural Leadership Program
This term we had our first cohort of Year 11 and 12 boys Graduate from the 10 week Broncos Multicultural Leadership Program. The program was facilitated by former Broncos Captain Alex Glenn. Our students participated in workshops that focused on self/ cultural identity, leadership, resilience and careers day at the Broncos state-of-the-art headquarters.
We congratulate and celebrate these boys’ achievement and look forward to them sharing their learnings and experiences in our school community.
Junior Reconciliation Assembly
Well done to our students who led a moving reconciliation Junior School assembly this week. Our students demonstrated integrity with thought provoking reflections and courage to lead this large scale event. We were honoured with the presence of Uncle Joe Kirk, a highly respected Community Elder who shared local history and words of encouragement with our students. Thank you to Mrs Sharman and her team for hosting a very special morning tea.
Annual Careers Expo
Our annual Careers Expo will be held on Wednesday the 19 July. This will be a wonderful opportunity for students, parents/carers and community members to discover and discuss the latest industry insights and further education pathways on offer. Our exhibitors are looking forward to engaging with our college community.
From the Head of Teaching and Learning
Developing and Equipping Responsible, Independent Learners
“How can we effectively equip and empower students to better drive their own learning?” This idea is one of the recurring themes that’s cropped up as our teachers have been exploring strategies for student engagement this Semester. On a spectrum of student engagement created by top education researcher, Doug Fisher, “participating” in learning is one of the lowest levels of engagement in learning. The highest levels of engagement involve a conscious and deliberate effort from students to take responsibility for their own learning Journey.
The role of parents
Successfully equipping students to do this involves a lot of planning, and consideration of a large number of factors, from the amount of prior learning, to methods of instruction and feedback. While our teachers have been hard at work exploring strategies for this in Semester 1, the role of parents is also crucial in developing independent, responsible learners: According to Doug Fisher, parents can play a key role in developing a student’s ability to drive their own learning: [parents ask things like] “what feedback did you ask for from the teacher? What was your goal today? What good questions did you ask?” leverage deeper learning with students]” (Doug Fisher).
In Semester 2, our teachers will be deepening their exploration of student engagement. We will look at how we can use all of the knowledge and tools of the 21st century classroom to nurture, support, equip and develop our students into responsible, proactive and successful masters of their own futures.
Mr Benjamin Turnour
Head of Department – Teaching and Learning
From the Head of Department – Diverse Learners
National Data Collection
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability is an annual collection that counts the number of school students receiving an adjustment due to disability and the level of reasonable adjustment they are receiving.
The National Data Collection counts students who have been identified by a school team as receiving an adjustment to address a disability as defined under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (the DDA). The DDA can be accessed from the ComLaw website.
The aim of the National Data Collection is to collect quality information about school students receiving an adjustment due to disability in Australia.
This information will help teachers, principals, education authorities and families to better support students with disability to take part in school on the same basis as other students.
The National Data Collection provides an opportunity for schools to review their learning and support systems and processes to continually improve education outcomes for their students with disability.
All schools across Australia collect information about students with disability. But the type of information currently collected varies between each State and Territory and across Government, Catholic and Independent school sectors. The NCCD is a consistent process across all schooling sectors in all States and Territories throughout Australia.
When undertaking the National Data Collection, every school in Australia uses the same method to collect information. Therefore, a government school in suburban Sydney collects and submits data in the same way as a Catholic school in country Victoria and an independent school in the Northern Territory.
The data is submitted by schools on the first Friday in August every year. If you have any questions about the NCCD please see these helpful resources available to parents and carers:
Ms Phoebe Parish
Head of Department – Diverse Learners
Head of Year Report
Ms Downie - Year 10
Year 10 Exam Block
Year 10s are well and truly moving into their senior phase of learning with the start of Exam Block! Students are developing skills and exam resilience that will set them up for a successful year 11 and 12 . Congratulations to all students on successfully completing their exams.
Ms Scull - Year 11 & 12
Student Leadership Incursion
On Friday the 9 June our aspiring leaders from Year 8 and 11 attended a leadership incursion in our Performing Arts Centre. The full day event was led by Josh and Georgia from Character Builders, who are experts at developing leadership in young people.
The day involved a range of practical activities that encouraged the students to take risks and problem solve in team situations, including the Pipeline Challenge. For this activity students needed to create a structure using not only supplied materials, but also those found in the Performing Arts Centre. The challenge was that a ball needed to travel down the structure for the longest time possible. In addition to other practical activities, students also identified their character strengths that they can utilise as a strength in their leadership.
Students were thoroughly engaged throughout the whole day and enjoyed building relationships with people from different year levels. It was truly inspiring to witness these passionate students in action, who are already committed to promoting a safe, supportive and inclusive school culture as school leaders.
Year 11 Fundraising
Starting Term 3 the Year 11’s are running a Recycle Drive in the school. Students will be encouraged to place their empty drink containers into a designated bin by Year 11 students, who will be going around the playground area during Break 1.
All acceptable containers have the 10c symbol and include most plastic and glass bottles, and also poppers.
To promote a bit of healthy competition, the Recycle Drive has been made into a competition between each four school houses. When students put a container in the bin, they can nominate a point to their house. The house with the most donations will get a trophy at the end of the project.
If you would like to donate containers to our Recycle Drive, you can donate them directly to a Containers for Change refund point by using the Scheme ID C10006164.
| Ms Peacock Head of Year 7 | Mr Stanley Head of Year 8 | Mr Carreon Head of Year 9 |
| Ms Downie Head of Year 10 | Ms Julie-Ann Scull Head of Year 11 & 12 |
French Club
We are thrilled to announce the promotion of our French Club 2023, here at BPSSC. The club is open to all students who demonstrate an interest in learning French and/or its culture. Meetings take place every Friday during Lunch 1 in R01 with our beautiful host, Madame Devina Ramlackhan.
Currently, making our members fluent in French is priority. However, French Club still offers a range of exciting activities for its members. Students can collaborate and share ideas about all things French on the club’s OneNote page, including (but not limited to) French movies, delicacies from Francophone countries, and even music in the club’s personal French Music Playlist!
Every month, the club will select a French book that students will read and discuss. In addition to this, a student will give a presentation every month on a region or city in France they would like to visit in their future travels. These presentations are excellent learning opportunities for our members.
During the French holiday season, such as Bastille Day and Easter, students can create French-themed crafts to gift to their loved ones.
We will also play traditional French games such as des Chiffres et des Lettres, French Scrabble or Sing French Karaoke. The French Club is also planning to host a major activity every term, such as Crêpe Day!
French Club is a fantastic opportunity for those interested in learning the French language or immersing in its culture. So, what are you waiting for? Join French Club and experience everything French culture has to offer!
French Club Members
Ms Charlotte, MsSoorya, Mr Matthew and francophones friends
Community News
Student Competition to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War
School Holiday Programs
As the holidays approach, we thought we would share a few activities that are on over the break. Attached are some exciting programs at the Y including the music festival Brightdaze. Headspace will be there! It’s a fantastic line up!
The active kids program from Council is attached as well as a wide range of programs from Ipswich libraries. Libraries holiday program-
NAIDOC is back again over the holidays – free rides and music and great day out in Ipswich! They put on an amazing event for Ipswich. Come say hi to Headspace at their stall.
The next Rainbow Chaos LGBTIQAP+ night will be a rainbow pride dress up night with pizza and movies at the Y Ipswich on June 30 at 4-7pm. You will always find the next theme on Headspace Facebook or Instagram page.
Remember E-headspace is always available for young people over the break to chat or call with a mental health clinician. Information about e-headspace is attached. It’s a great way for young people to link into accurate information and supports. Available 9am-1am seven days a week.
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