28 July 2023

From the Executive Principal

Welcome to the first newsletter for semester two. A special welcome to all new students, parents and staff commencing this semester. What a wonderful start our students have made in what is set to be another successful term for our entire school community. I have been particularly impressed with the optimism, positivity and genuine excitement our students and staff have for the term ahead; and some outstanding semester 1 student results across all year levels gives me great inspiration for the success that continues to thrive here at BPSSC. There is so much to look forward to this term building on what has already been an incredible year!

Academic Success at BPSSC

Student progress and our commitment to ongoing improvement at BPSSC was well and truly evident with the recent reports for our students in years 11 and 12. These results are outstanding and place our senior students in an excellent position to graduate with a pathway of their choice. Congratulations to all our students on their hard work, effort, and results. Our year 7 to 10 report cards will be emailed to families this week and we are very optimistic about the growth for these cohorts. Parent interviews occur on Thursday 10 August – instructions on how to book will be emailed to families shortly. 

NAIDOC Week at BPSSC

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year to celebrate and recognise the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The National NAIDOC Week theme for 2023 was For Our Elders. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers, and our loved ones. It reminds us all to reflect on the journeys, dedication, wisdom, and strength of our Elders.

At Bellbird Park SSC we extended our NAIDOC celebrations across week 2 and 3 of the term. Our senior school and junior school assemblies, we were joined by many as we celebrated and acknowledged this important event on our Nations calendar. Guests and performers included: The Mayor of Ipswich Ms Teresa Harding, Lance McCallum MP, Ms Tyeka Close, Auntie Michelle Maybanks, Tribal Experiences, The BPSSC Yidaki Didge group, The BPSSC First Nation’s Dance Troupe, Regional Education Staff, The Queensland Police Service, Goodna SS students, and The Broncos Academy. Special thanks to the many parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents, and elders who also joined us at our assemblies. My thanks to the students who led our assemblies including Xavier R, Maddison Y, Harry H, Zebastian S, Frances T and Aaliyah A. We concluded our NAIDOC celebrations with our First Nations All Stars Touch Football game and a traditional Torres Strait Islander cook up known as Kup Murri. All these activities provided powerful opportunities for our students to learn and understand the work of our Elders and their impact in our world.

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House Athletics Carnival

Staff and students ended term 2 on a high with an outstanding day of competition, participation, and sportsmanship at our Athletics Carnival. The day was filled with high energy and commitment from all involved. Thank you to our HPE staff for coordinating a great day. We look forward to celebrating our new record holders, Age Champions, and the winning house in the coming weeks.

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School Opinion Survey

We have so much to be proud of at Bellbird Park SSC and we are always looking to build on our best to ensure our school supports our students and our wider community to thrive. The School Opinion Survey is one opportunity to feedback the work that you are most proud of and any improvement areas that can be made. The best always looks to get better, so please take the time to complete this survey as your feedback is highly valued. The official administration period for the school opinion survey is between 24 July to 18 August 2023 so please keep an eye out for this.

Creative Generation

In week 1 of this term I had the privilege to attend Creative Generation (CGEN) State Schools Onstage, where 10 of our students were selected to perform. This is the culmination of months of rehearsals amidst their other school commitments. BPSSC is very proud of our students and the dedication and commitment they gave to this amazing event. Special thanks also to our parents and staff who have supported them with their many commitments.

Mobile Phones – ‘Away All Day’ from 2024

No doubt you have heard the announcement from the Queensland Government to ban mobile phones in schools, that will take effect from term 1, 2024.  Taking mobile phones out of the daily school environment is an important move to reduce distraction and impacts of social media, cyber-bullying and increase e-safety, social interactions, and maximising learning at school. The Department of Education will work closely with schools in 2023 to develop the policies and procedures for the mobile phone ban to be implemented in 2024. We will keep the BPSSC community informed as information is developed. 

Class of 2023 – Year 12 Final Semester

Our Year 12 students are an outstanding group of young people who make an amazing contribution to our school and wider community every day. The qualities of this group reflect the values of our school, entire community, and their families; and we have seen them grow and develop into a close group of students who have a strong sense of service, connection, and commitment to make a difference in the world. As a very special group of young people facing their final semester, I know they will finish strongly and each and every one of us are behind these students to do the best they can. We look forward to sharing their week of formal schooling and BPSSC, and we wish them all the best in their final units of study at BPSSC.

2023 Early School Leavers Survey

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual follow up of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left a state school in 2022, before completing Year 12. This short questionnaire collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving state school. The results inform strategies for improving the learning experience and transition supports available to future school leavers.

Between August and September, early leavers from 2022 can expect to receive instructions to complete a few web-based questions or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the instructions to their new address so they can participate. Thank you for your support in 2023. For more information, please visit the link below or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

Once again, we look forward to a wonderful term for our school as we continue to reach exceptional heights as a school community. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to continue to empower our students to thrive towards success in what has already been a wonderful Year. We are so happy to welcome you all back for Term 3!

Mr Michael West
Executive Principal

Deputies Corner

Year 7

It is a busy time in the Year 7 space.  Last week we farewelled Ms Rebecca Peacock, our Head of Year 7, who has secured an Acting Deputy Principal role.  We thank Ms Peacock for all of her great work with our Year 7 students.  We are finalising the recruitment process and we will advise her replacement once this is complete.  In the meantime, I am happy to answer questions and support where needed.

You should have received information about our camp occurring in Term 4. There has been great interest in attending camp with many permission forms already returned. Invoicing will begin shortly.  You can expect more information about what to bring, scheduling and activities in the coming weeks.

Report cards will be sent out in Week 3 along with NAPLAN reporting. This will provide you with information about your child’s progress. Parent interviews are in week 5 (10 August). Please book in to talk with the class teacher once the bookings open. This is a great opportunity to strengthen our partnerships with parents/carers to help students achieve their education goals. You will also receive the assessment calendar for Term 3 which provides key due dates for assignments and exams.

Ms Diane Pashen
Deputy Principal Year 7

Year 8

Positive Behaviour for Learning

It has been a fantastic start to Semester Two with students consistently displaying positive behaviours in both the classroom and the playground.

As we do at the beginning of each term, we put all our students through, what we call, ‘Behaviour Bytes Bootcamp’. These are mini lessons (approximatley 5 to 10 minutes) that occur in every lesson, reminding students of school expectations and responsibilities. 

This week (week 3) the PBL focus was @BPSSC we use our words with integrity.

Integrity, to me, is our most important value here at BPSSC. It guides our students to be good people.  When you have integrity, you are most likely to make good decisions and treat other with respect.

Using your words with integrity could look like:

• Saying thank you when other people help you out
• Being honest and open when talking to your friends
• Taking responsibility for your actions, good and bad
• Respecting yourself with kind self-talk
• Respecting others with kind words
• Demonstrating patience and being flexible

Mr Jason English
Deputy Principal Year 8

Year 9
Feedback

Students in Year 7 – 10 will receive their report cards in week 3 via email. The end of Semester report card is one of the many ways we give students feedback on their learning. Positive learning experiences rely on feedback to build open, trusting and respectful communication lines, which in turn, will strengthen student outcomes, as well as student wellbeing.

When receiving feedback, we encourage students to listen and appreciate the messages they are hearing, and then consider the feedback they will use. It is a way to improve student confidence, motivation to learn and increase success in the future.

It is important that students and families reflect on Semester 1 reports and generate a conversation with the teachers for further improvement.

At Bellbird Park, students are encouraged to reflect on their learning through the use of

• Learning Goals – did I achieve the learning goal of today’s lesson
• Exit tickets – am I able to successfully complete the exit ticket?
• Success Criteria

Term 3 Assessment Schedule

The assessment due dates for Year 7 – 9 for Term 3 can be found here:

Students are encouraged to print and display the assessment schedule where it is visible. The due dates for all subjects will aid the student to stay organised and not feel overwhelmed when the assessment is due.

Some tips to stay organised this term:

• Organise your tasks – record your tasks (print the assessment schedule and highlight the due dates)     

• Organise your time – focus on one task at a time. Do not switch from one task to another. Stay away from social media while focusing on a task. 

• Organise your possessions – manage all your belongings so you are not wasting time looking for your bag, books, phone or the assignment task sheet.

• Organise your learning habits – ensure you understand the content, revise the work complete at school, get sound sleep and eat well.         

NAPLAN student reports

Students in Year 7 and 9 will be provided with their NAPLAN reports next week. In 2023, NAPLAN was conducted online throughout Australia in Term 1. Online assessment presents questions tailored to an individual student’s responses, delivering more precise results and an engaging test experience for students. From 2023, new standards were introduced to NAPLAN reporting. This reporting replaces the previous numerical NAPLAN reporting bands and national minimum standards. There are 4 proficiency levels:

• Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
• Strong: The student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
• Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
• Needs additional support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily

Reading the NAPLAN report

The NAPLAN report shows a proficiency scale for each assessment area (numeracy, reading, writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation) with a student’s result shown as a black dot on the scale. The report continues to show each child’s achievement against the national average for their year (shown as a black triangle) and the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in their year level (shown as a light shaded rectangle).

NAPLAN is a valuable tool that can give useful insights into a student’s performance, but individual reports should be interpreted with care as they reflect the student’s performance on the day of testing.

Please visit the NAPLAN website for more information on Individual student reports.

Ms Gouri Sharma
Deputy Principal Year 9

Year 11 & 12

There are 11 weeks left of teaching and learning for our Year 12 students in 2023- how quickly has this year flown by. A few updates from me:

Term 3 Assessment

• We have official entered the final semester (Unit 4) of schooling for Year 12 and it will go very quickly. Term 3 is critical term for all Year 12s to ensure they:

• Successfully complete and finalise all Certificate qualifications inside and outside of school (school-based traineeships/apprenticeships/WesTEC) so they can be awarded and banked for their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).
• Work hard and achieve well in IA3 for all General subjects so that each student is on track and know exactly how many marks they will require in their external exams (IA4) to achieve the grade they want (C, B or an A).
• Work hard to achieve well in IA3 for all Applied subjects so that each student is on track heading into their final piece of assessment early in Term 4 to achieve the overall grade they want (C, B or an A).
• Students who require additional support for their QCE will begin a top-up Qualification with the support of the Senior Schooling Team- Certificate II in Adult Literacy. This qualification will provide them with the vital 4 ‘core’ QCE credits they will require to ensure they attain their QCE prior to graduation.
• Students who require additional support with their classroom assessment can receive support every Monday during period 1. Teachers will notify Senior Schooling staff about students who require support, however students are able to reach out and self-nominate. Please ensure your student arrives on time each and every Monday.

Year 12 Transitions into Year 13

• Our aim is to ensure that every student is engaged in a clear and well-planned pathway for 2024 whether that be work, further training or education.
• To support our Year 12 transitions into year 13 each student has completed a comprehensive pathways survey outlining their preferences for next year. From here each student will be assigned a senior schooling staff member as their case manager to ensure they are on track with their planned pathway for 2024. The case manager will meet with them through the term and early in Term 4 to assist with job applications, TAFE or University applications to ensure they have plan and a back-up plan for next year.
• There will be a number of information sessions presented to students during Monday Period 1, outlined on the attached Transitions One-Pager. P1 Monday is vital to assist Y12 students with transitions for next year.

Students wanting to go to University or TAFE in 2024

• Students who indicated that they wished to go to University or TAFE in 2024 attended their first Tertiary Information Session on Monday period 1 of Week 10 Term 2. Students learnt the preliminary information about QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions) application processes and received their QTAC Book.
• If students did not receive their QTAC book which outlines the entry requirements for courses at all tertiary providers for next year, please direct them to see our Senior Guidance Officer Miss Nicole Turnbull in H block.
• For parents and for students who missed out on the session please click on the link to view the presentation 

Booking a QTAC Application Interview for TAFE/University Entrance Support

• On Thursday 10 August (Parent-Teacher Interview afternoon)- our Guidance Officers Mrs Egan and Miss Turnbull are available to meet with parents and students who wish to apply for a Cert IV or higher at TAFE or a degree via TAFE or University for a 30 minute QTAC interview session. Time slots are available from 1.30pm-5.00pm
• There will be a follow up session on Thursday 31 August from 1.30pm-5.30pm
• Bookings for both sessions are open now through DayMap- instructions on how to book are attached.
• If you cannot make any of these times please contact Miss Nicole Turnbull on nturn101@eq.edu.au to make a suitable option.

 Term 4: External Exam Timetable

• Please find attached the Year 12 Term 4 Program- including the External Exam Block Timetable.
• All students in Year 12 will attend everyday and engage in regular classes from Week 1 to the end of Week 3 of Term 4.
• In Week 4, Year 12 students in General Subjects will engage in the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s (QCAA) Exam Block from Monday 23 October to Friday 10 November (Week 4- Week 6). These are compulsory exams that must be sat on the day they are scheduled by the QCAA.
• Any student at Bellbird Park State Secondary College who is enrolled in one or more of the subjects below will have an exam or exams for their subject/s:

• For students who do not study a general subject provided they have completed all their work/qualifications satisfactorily and are on track for their QCE they will not be required at school from Week 4-6.
• More information will be provided about Term 4 closer to the time.

Ms Carla Pantano
Deputy Principal Years 11 & 12     

Administration Matters

Food for Thought

On these chilly mornings, why not drop in to Food for Thought and pick up a Hot Chocolate for only $2.00

Order online at the link below:

Need to set up an account?  Click on the below link for further information

Change to Payment Times

Commencing 31 July 2023, payments will be accepted and processed from 8am to 2pm Monday to Friday to allow for reconciling and daily deposits to our banking institution.  Payments made online via BPoint can still be accepted anytime. Thank you for your support.

School Student Broadband Initiative – Australian Government

To boost educational opportunities and narrow the digital divide, families without home internet are encouraged to apply for the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI). Access to internet at home can support children to build their digital skills and participate in a world that is more reliant on digital technology.

The Australian Government is supporting the National Broadband Network (NBN) to implement the SSBI to provide free home internet for one year for up to 30,000 unconnected families across Australia with school aged students.

To be eligible for SSBI, a family must:

• Have a child living at home that is enrolled in a Queensland state school in 2023.
• Not have an active internet service at home. Having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility.
• Be referred by a nominating organisation.
• Agree their child has access to a device and has the digital skills to use the internet safely or will be supervised.
• Live in a premises that can access the NBN via a standard connection – this will be checked by NBN.

How can you be nominated for the SSBI?

The Department of Education and The Smith family are both nominating organisations for the SSBI.

The department is pleased to support the nomination of families for the SSBI. If you would like to apply for the SSBI please contact Tracey Egan for Years 7-9 and Nicole Turnbull for Years 10-12 on 3819 7222 for an application (online or paper form) and further information about the initiative. Applications must be submitted by 1 September 2023.

Families that have students that are scholarship recipients in The Smith Family Learning for life program should register through The Smith Family portal. The Smith family has information about the School Student Broadband Initiative and how to register at TSF Learning for Life help centre – About the School Student Broadband Initiative.

P&C Trivia Night

Our very first BPSSC P&C Trivia night held last Friday was a resounding success! Many thanks to everybody who helped make the night so much fun. Thank you to the amazing support and generosity from the many businesses who supported the event through their kind donation of prizes. Thanks so much to the parents, friends, teachers, office staff, and students who participated on the night. Thank you to Mr Lachlan Walsh for coordinating the event and to Mr Ramon Carreon who did an amazing job as Quiz Master. Special thanks to the exceptional group of year 9 students who assisted on the night with setting up the venue, selling raffle tickets, and marking answer sheets.

The next P&C is scheduled for Monday 28 August, at 6pm, online via Teams. New members are welcome.

From the Head of Teaching and Learning

How schools balance teaching content vs learning skills.

When I talk to people in the community about education, I often come across some variation of the following statement: “…Schools today don’t teach facts, we’ve got Google for this now! Education is focused on developing skills.” 

While there’s certainly truth in this, I find that it usually reveals a misunderstanding of what goes on in a classroom. In particular, it misses the relationship between what a student learns in terms of “content” (meaning knowledge, facts, vocabulary etc…) and “skills” (meaning analysis, critical thinking, evaluation, or hard skills such as coding or welding). The reality is that it’s impossible to learn one without the other.

A commonly talked about example is the skill of ‘Critical Thinking’ – by this I mean the ability to filter and weigh new information, to make a judgement about the extent to which it’s accurate, or useful. If you think about it, most adults didn’t learn to think critically in a classroom; this skill emerged spontaneously in areas where we spend a lot of time thinking, reading or listening. The reason for this, is that the skill of Thinking Critically about a topic requires a deep understanding of the knowledge (facts!) of that topic area.

The ability of a student (or adult) to think critically hinges on how much background knowledge they can draw on to weigh against the new information they’re receiving. While elements of the process are transferrable, being able to think critically about WWII propaganda in History, does not transfer automatically to being able to critically evaluate the effectiveness of a Fitness Plan in HPE.

Every subject that your student studies at school starts with content – whether it’s Particle Theory in Science, Polynesian Expansion in History, or the anatomy of the arm in HPE – and through the development of ever deeper questions and tasks, teachers use this content as a vessel for teaching and practicing the skills that a student needs to succeed in that field.

You can do the same thing at home! Next time you’re watching a sporting match together, try asking a prompting question: how does Player A compare with Player B? Try and tease out their reasoning as justification. If they know the content well, their ability to quickly and effectively analyse and evaluate might surprise you!

Mr Benjamin Turnour
Head of Department - Teaching and Learning

From the Head of Department - The Arts

Creative Generation
State Schools Onstage 2023

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The Arts Showcase nights

Bookings can be made via the QR code or click here.

BPSSC School Musical 2024

Ms Sally Faint
Head of Department -  The Arts

Head of Year Report

Ms Scull – Year 11 & 12

Senior Formal / Mystery Bus Tour (Year 12)

As we draw closer to Year 11s being able to purchase a jersey and Year 12s being able to register their interest with attending Formal and Mystery Bus Tour, here is a reminder of the pre-requisites:

• 90%+ yearly attendance rate
• On track to receive QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education)
• Up to date with VET (Vocational Education and Training) competencies and work placements
• Satisfactory effort and behaviour as a minimum in all classes (Term 3)
• Positive behaviour in and around college grounds (if you receive two PARC referrals or an external suspension in Term 3 you may be ineligible to order your jersey/attend Formal and MBT)
• Evidence of ongoing compliance with the College Uniform Policy
• All school fee payments are up to date (i.e. payment plans to be set up in advance and payments made in accordance with the plan).

Senior Jersey (Year 11)

Mid-term students will receive the Clearance Form, which needs to presented to each of their classroom teachers and HoY (Ms Scull). If students meet the pre-requites, they will be provided with an order form (Year 11) / permission notes (Year 12). We will continue to communicate update around the Senior Jersey and Senior Formal / MBT throughout the term. 

Year 11 – 2024 College Captains

Congratulations to the below students who have been successful in advancing to the next stage for 2024 College Captain. These students will prepare and present a speech to their peers and staff in Week 5, from here there will be a ballot. Students with the most votes will advance to the next stage – an interview with Mr West, Mrs Pantano and Ms Scull. Good luck to our wonderful candidates!

• Hannah Evile
• Nathaniel Seupule
• Stephanie Smith
• Giavanni Soli
• Jet Taber
• Jordis Turner

Humanity News

Year 7 Humanities

Mrs Holt’s year 7 Humanities class have been introduced to studying the Ancient past. They have learnt about Artefacts and each had the opportunity to create their own ancient Chinese artefact and make their own Terracotta Warrior out of quick dry clay. The students learnt about the historical find in 1974 of over 8000 artefacts by a Chinese Farmer and learnt that each warrior is unique. They will study the warriors further towards the end of term for assessment. Hands on learning experiences connecting knowledge to experiences in year 7 Humanities

Carolyn Holt
Diverse Learners Teacher

Community News

Child Protection week Symposium 2023

Dental Health Week – Mind, Body, Mouth – It’s All Connected 

Dental Health Week is coming up in August and the 2023 Dental Health Week campaign is focusing on the mouth and whole-body connection. Did you know that there are links between diseases in the mouth and diseases in your body?

Bacteria in the mouth can travel to different sites of the body can increase the body’s overall inflammation. Heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, lung conditions and inflammatory bowel disease can be connected to your oral health.

Four key steps for good oral health

1. Brush teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste.
2. Clean between your teeth every day using floss or interdental brushes.
3. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink water and limit added sugar intake.
4. Visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and preventative care.

If you have a Medicare card, are under the age of 18 and still at school you may be eligible for free dental care. You can check your eligibility through MyGov or ring your dentist.

Call the West Moreton Oral Health Service on 1300 300 850 to find out the nearest dental service, school dental van in your area and to book and appointment.

If you have not had a recent visit to the dentist, this is a great time to make an appointment. If you don’t have a regular dentist, you can access a list of dentists by searching:  

For more information about oral health, call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or for information regarding dental health awareness week visit: 

My First Speech Competition

This exciting national competition is open to year 10 to 12 students at schools across the Oxley Electorate.

This competition will provide the opportunity for three lucky students to be flown to Canberra with a parent or guardian to present their speeches live and undertake a program at Parliament House.

The competition asks year 10 to 12 students to consider what they would say if they were a newly elected Member of the House of Representatives and record themselves presenting the speech on video.

A website has been established for the competition at: 

Entries for the competition close at 5pm EST 11 August 2023.

This competition is a wonderful way for our next generation of community leaders to have a say in our national parliament. I hope you can promote this to students at your school.

For more information on the competition please feel free to contact my office at milton.dick.mp@aph.gov.au

Army Cadets

Are you interested in joining the Army Cadets? Please see the flyer below for more details.