15 September 2023

From the Executive Principal

In week 8, I was thrilled to attend the Mid-Year Academic Awards Ceremonies for our junior and senior students. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our outstanding students. The ceremonies were a testament to the dedication, effort, and talent that our students have consistently demonstrated throughout their academic journey thus far in 2023.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the award recipients and express our gratitude to the staff, families, and community who have played a vital role in the success of our students. Thank you for being a part of our celebration of academic excellence.

In week 9, I was humbled to attend the Senior Broncos Multicultural Youth Leadership Graduation in our Lecture theatre. This program run by former Broncos captain Alex Glenn empowers young males from culturally diverse backgrounds to set goals and stay motivated to achieve their dreams through a series of workshops delivered by the former NRL star. It was wonderful to see our second cohort of senior boys graduate the program and reflect on their growth and goals for the future.

As we approach the much-anticipated school holidays, I want to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a joyful and restful break. It's been a year filled with hard work, dedication, and growth, and now it's time to recharge and enjoy some well-deserved time off.

Ms Carla Pantano
A/Executive Principal

Deputies Corner

Year 7

As we reach the end of Term 3, I would like to thank all of our families for their continued support in the Year 7 student learning journey.  As always, we finish strong at Bellbird Park and students are expected to continue to engage in learning every day.

Across this term, students have had many opportunities to participate in activities across the College.  There has been NAIDOC activities, Elevate study skills sessions, Instrumental Music workshops, Arts Showcase, PBL BBQ rewards and handball competitions. It has been great seeing students connecting with their peers and building positive memories.  It is pleasing to see so many students living the RISE values and contributing to the Bellbird community.

Looking forward, there is a lot of excitement building for camp which is being held on 9-11 October (week 2 of term 4).  An important information session will be held on 3 October. If your child is attending, further information will be communicated through email.

Please enjoy your break. We are looking forward to seeing everyone for Term 4 on Tuesday 3 October.

Ms Diane Pashen
Deputy Principal Year 7

Culture

I would like to wish the Wallabies all the best for the upcoming Rugby Union World Cup.

There is no question that I will be spending my holidays admiring the culture of rugby that I’m very much fascinated with. I can’t wait!

Before our students also go on their holidays, I want to challenge the whole community (as a team) with the same culture that rugby is built on. These principals include:

• Honour
• Integrity
• Respect
• Discipline
• Teamwork

GO THE WALLABIES!!!

Finishing strong at BPSSC…

As we move into the last term of the year, I’d like to revisit Dr Carol Dweck’s work around growth mindset that I often talk about to both staff and students.  In our ‘finishing strong’ mantra that we have here at BPSSC it fits in perfectly with this notion of a growth mindset.  Dr 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?

1. Self-belief – believe that you can develop talents and intelligence
2. All about effort, effort and more effort!
3. Viewing failure as an opportunity to grow
4. Embrace challenges (it is ok for this exam/assessment to be hard)
5. Welcome feedback (particularly following assessment)

Mr Jason English
Deputy Principal Year 8

Perseverance

It is often quoted that Perseverance is an essential quality for success in life (Duckworth, 2016). Perseverance often tops raw talent and intelligence and is a more accurate predictor of achievement in life. As humans we are all bound to face challenges in life. As a student, these challenges could be academic, social or related to family matters. No matter what the obstacles are, our ability to stick with our tasks, goals, and passions is vital. Persevering entails effort and practice. Perseverance includes our ability to stop delaying tasks, self-regulate to ignore the distractions and stick to our goal to achieve success.

A great example of perseverance is Thomas Edison, the inventor of the modern electric bulb. Edison failed numerous times before he successfully invented the electric bulb. One of his famous quotes while still experimenting was

I have not failed; I’ve just found 10,000 ways to make a lightbulb that won’t work.
Crucially, then, he considered the negative results just as valuable as any positive results.

As we get close to end of the term, students need to reflect on their performance in Term 3. Ask your teachers what can help you get better, how can you improve your grade and most importantly set goals for Term 4.

Year 9 Guest Speaker – Support Staff

Year 9s received a talk from our support staff in week 8. Our Guidance officer Ms Tracey Egan spoke to our students about consent and how to be kind to each other. Students were educated about strategies to deal with conflict and how to handle bullying at school. Mr Carreon spoke to the students around goal setting. The Year 9 students are now actively thinking and planning their pathways for senior school and it is vital that they think about their goals for the future.

Ms Gouri Sharma
Deputy Principal Year 9

Semi Formal

A reminder that our Year 10 semi formal is fast approaching and will be held on Thursday 24 November at The Springlake Hotel. Students will be provided with a clearance form to cross check they have met prerequisites to attend this special event. Now is a good time to reflect on attendance progress and ensure sound study habits in the lead up to assessment. Please contact me if you have any questions about our 2023 Year 10 Semi Formal and clearance processes.

I wish you all a safe and restful break and I look forward to seeing everyone returning on 3 October for the first day back in Term 4.

Ms Amy Brown
Deputy Principal Year 10

Term 3 is traditionally a massive term for Senior students, 2023 has been no exception!

Year 11

Often, by Term 3 our Year 11 students have settled and adjusted to the rigour and demands that Senior School brings. Following our Semester One Reporting period, our students reflect upon results and realise the effort and engagement required to be successful. I am pleased to report we have had some wonderful results from students in Academic, Blended and Phoenix Pathways. Well done students! All students need to remember the key ingredients for success in Senior Schooling – attendance, engagement and quality assessment completion – to ensure they are on track to achieve their dream post schooling pathway. In terms of upcoming Year 11 Exam Block in Term 4, our students must persevere towards exam preparation for success. Does your student have a study schedule? If not, please contact the Senior Schooling team to assist you in supporting your student to optimise their assessment success.

Year 12

Exceeding expectations are what we require from our graduating cohort! And its great news: we are on track for exceeding our goals for Year 13 outcomes, whether it be University, TAFE, Apprenticeships or joining the workforce, students know the importance of finishing Term 3 & 4 strong. I am pleased to report our students are on track for successfully completing a myriad of VET qualifications (for example, Certificate II in Engineering and Certificate III in Business) as well as being on track for attaining their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Equally, our Academic students are achieving brilliantly and we can expect the highest ATAR results we have ever attained! Not surprisingly, our student know and understand that attendance, engagement and persistence is essential for success!

I am extremely proud of our students representing our BPSSC Senior Schooling cohorts! We realise that success is only possible with a community partnership and sincerely thank you for your continued support of your students and our school as we finish Term 3 and head towards the end of 2023.

Thank you,

Mr Trent Crausaz
A/Deputy Principal Year 11 &12         

Administration Matters

Food for Thought

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Head of Year Report

Ms West – Year 7                       

The conclusion of a very busy and fruitful Term 3 for Year 7 students is fast approaching. Our students continue to work positively, accept new learning challenges and have seen their academic and wellbeing journeys expand.

  It was inspiring to see so many students receive gold, silver and bronze awards at the Awards Ceremony in week 8. Congratulations to you all for striving for, and achieving, high standards. A big thank you to all families who were able to attend the morning and proudly watch their children receive certificates.

 Preparations are well on the way for Year 7 camp at Sunshine Coast Recreation Precinct to be held Week 2, Term 4. Students travelling to camp will have three great days experiencing aquatic, sporting and bushland activities plus build their confidence and ignite creativity all while having fun with their peers. Campers are reminded to start organising items needed including hats, clothing, bedding and toiletries to ensure a comfortable time is had. A detailed list of items needed has been emailed home and given to those students who are attending. 

 Students have proudly demonstrated our R.I.S.E. motto and been involved in school events including RUOKAY?, hand ball competitions and supported rugby league competitions and demonstrated R.I.S.E. The school holidays are an opportunity where students can be involved in community events or volunteer and show R.I.S.E. in their local communities. Happy Term 3 holidays to you all.

From the Head of Department – Science

Science News

We have had some amazing events and classroom activities happening in science of late, including National Science Week, Ekka Student Made Cheese Competition and STEAM Showcase.

National Science Week

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of Science and Technology. The theme this year was: Innovation – Powering the Future. This year’s theme focused on innovation being important for our economic growth, sustainability, and progress. As we are aware, science and technology are the driving forces behind the significant progress in fields like health, transport, technology, and the environment. Therefore, it is crucial to keep our students motivated towards these areas to prepare them well for the fast-changing future, as they would be our innovators that will shape the world and drive the future. To celebrate science week at school, teachers planned fun filled activities during their science lessons to give them the opportunity to practice their skills while being fascinated by science. Activities included elephants’ toothpaste, modelling the water cycle, making ice cream, building a solar oven and the spaghetti marshmallow tower challenge. Attached are some pictures of the celebration:

Ekka Student Made Cheese Competition

On Friday 8September, five students from Year 12 science in practice were invited to attend the RNA Ekka Royal Queensland Show cheese competition presentations.  Although we didn’t come back with a win it was really great to see the amazing cheese that the schools entered.  24 schools submitted cheese (Blue and white mould) and fermented beverages such as wine, kombucha and Kefir with a total of 178 entries.  The competition was very fierce.  Out of the 4 cheese entries from Bellbird Park - Aaikom, Tyla, Kierah and Kulaea won “best cheese of school”, with a score of 16/20.

STEAM PASSION BASED LEARNING SHOWCASE

Our STEAM students put on quite the show for our families, community, and staff with their passion based learning project from Semester 1. We were absolutely blown away with the high calibre of student work and the overall positivity and excitement throughout the afternoon.

Thank you to all the families, community members and staff for taking the time to show your support during the afternoon and throughout their projects. It is amazing to see the students so involved in their creative passion. Congratulations to our winners of the afternoon - well done.         

Community News

Applications for Ronald McDonald House Charities’ (RMHC) Charlie Bell Scholarship for 2023 are now open!

The scholarship offers one-off grants of $5000 to students or apprentices aged 15-20 years who have suffered a serious illness or injury during childhood, to assist them to further their education or career. Please scan the QR code for further information.