Newsletter May 2015 - Brisbane School of Distance Education

Newsletter May 2015
News from the Executive Principal – Alan
Sampson
Connect? … Do we?
Many internationally known educators recognise the way you build a better tomorrow is by
building strong school culture and family values.
A school is really a microcosm of how we want the world to be.
As a result a school without values, without connections, is a school on the run.
BSDE has been proud of its history in building a culture which attempts to include all comers. No matter what the
circumstances, we do our best to cater for a broad range of client needs.
However, do we always connect with our students? We have a lot of committed and dedicated teachers who know
their students. However, can we do more to support students to be the best they can be and to assist them to jump
the hurdles that life throws at them?
I think we can do more …
At the moment we have a small working group, facilitated by Mr Perry Trattos and Mrs Samantha Hawkins,
developing ways to enhance the cultural connection between students and teachers.
If every student in our school has a mentor, someone they know who will guide and assist them, then we will have
gone a significant way to building an even more inclusive school culture and a model for a productive society.
Communication Breakdown
Have you ever, in the heat of the moment, sent an email that you regret?
I have.
In our specialised school mode, where we do not have the luxury of ongoing face to face communication, we rely a
lot on the simple email. It is hard to pick up body language in an email.
In the days of yesteryear, the simple composition of a written letter gave us time to reflect and rethink our messages
before folding the letter neatly and mailing it.
While emails are expedient they represent a key form of communication.
A simple message before you press send – reflect and rethink. Remember, major stress in today’s society is
ambiguous and emotive emails. Be courteous and reflective before communicating.
Alan Sampson
Executive Principal
BSDE Senior Music attend QSO Concert
5th March 2015
News from the Deputy Principal, Primary – Mark
Law
Welcome back to Term 2. Term 1 was very significant and we welcomed many new families to
the primary school. Our Enrichment Days were very successful with over one hundred students
attending each day. We were very fortunate to have Marcella Reiter (Magic Words) visit our
teachers and also speak to parents/Home Tutors about reading. We have NAPLAN coming up on
12 to 14 May and many of our years 3 and 5 students will be sitting the tests at school, at other
schools around Australia and at home. Starting in Term 1 we focussed on identifying strengths
and gaps in reading skills. This term will see the beginning of targeted reading groups in reading
comprehension, fluency and accuracy to support your child in improving their reading. We would really like support
from home tutors to encourage your students in reading every day. Just 15 minutes reading every day will increase
students reading ability significantly. Our next enrichment day is Friday 22 May. The home tutor session on this day
will focus on strategies to support home tutors to improve ASD student behaviour. This will be of benefit to all
parents with promoting positive behaviour.
Mark Law - Deputy Principal - Primary School
News from the Deputy Principal, Senior Secondary – Charlotte
Thomas
Welcome to term 2 at BSDE! Term 1 has certainly been an extremely busy one for the Senior
School. We have seen our year 12 students complete their first QCS Practice tests on the last
days of term 1, Senior School Orientation Day occurred in week 4 and our year 11 students have
now finished their first piece of assessment to count toward credit for their QCE. While term 1
can be quite stressful, I hope it has also been a rewarding one. Students, remember to reflect on
the goals you set in term 1 and what you need to do to achieve these.
This year the senior school has been working hard to focus on student literacy, comprehension
and consistency in language. Students should all be familiar with SCORE, a reading strategy that has been used by
teachers over term 1. The SCORE strategy is for demand reading situations such as exams and assignments where
texts must be analysed and reflected upon in order to create a suitable and thorough response. This strategy has
been quite successful in the junior secondary school. By using this strategy across all senior subjects students
should become confident and comfortable with text analysis and response in both class and assessment situations.
Term 2 sees the start of SET (Senior Education and Training) Planning for the year 10 students. Year 10 is a very
important year for students. Students need to start thinking about what they would like to do in year 11 and 12 and
out in the work force. In term 2, many opportunities for parents and students will be available to guide students take
their next step in education and training. All students in year 10 will be required to complete their SET Plan in
OneSchool in term 3 which will include selecting possible subjects for senior and intended learning for year 11 and
12 and beyond. Please keep an eye out on the school website for more information regarding this during the next 2
terms.
I wish all students the best in term 2 in regards to their learning and assessment outcomes. Remember that every
lesson and day is another opportunity for improvement. Make sure you keep in close contact with your teachers and
ask questions – they are here to support you to be the best you can be!
Charlotte Thomas - Deputy Principal – Senior Secondary
News from the Deputy Principal, Great Results Guarantee – Samantha
Hawkins
BSDE is a school that has the academic progress and social and emotional well-being of its
students at the forefront of its daily operations. A new development at BSDE in 2015 has been
the creation of a student engagement team. The sole purpose of this team is to improve
student engagement with schooling. How students engage with schooling is unique for each
student, and this team of dedicated professionals has enjoyed working with a number of
students in term one and creating re-engagement plans that are tailored to the specific needs
of individuals. The engagement team at BSDE is comprised of the following people:
Ruth Gilmore – Youth Support Coordinator (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
Matthew Williams – Youth Support Coordinator (Wednesday and Thursday)
Anna Kafouros – Attendance officer
Kacey Rickuss – Engagement officer
Nicole Shaw – Guidance Officer (year 10 to 12)
Julie Haughton – Guidance Officer (year 7 to 9)
The engagement team is also supported by the School Health Nurse and Year
Level Coordinators.
A focus of the engagement team is also the attendance of students and the return
of assessment items. Engagement at BSDE is measured by attendance at
scheduled lessons and the return of work as outlined in work rate calendars. I am very pleased to be able to share
with the school community that the attendance of students at scheduled lessons has risen by 5.3% in term 1, and the
number of students who miss the deadline to submit work has decreased by 5%. These improvements in such a
short time frame are notable and I would like to congratulate students, staff and parents for their commitment to
improved engagement.
In 2014, Education Queensland released a campaign labelled ‘Every day Counts’. Please refer to the pictograms for
some of the information regarding ‘Every day Counts’.
Samantha Hawkins - Deputy Principal – Great Results Guarantee
News from the Deputy Principal, Junior Secondary – Peta
Barker
Report Cards and Parent/Teacher Interviews
Firstly, I would like to extend a huge ‘thank-you’ to all of the parents who took the time to meet
with BSDE staff at Wednesday night’s Parent/Teacher Interviews. There was a dramatic (and
very pleasing) increase in the number of parents attending and I would like to acknowledge
the BSDE staff for their professionalism and effort over so many hours. Those of you who
made appointments with staff, but did not make it on the night, are strongly encouraged to
contact the teachers to discuss your child’s progress.
Junior Secondary Activity Day
The next Activity Day, ‘Future Me’, will take place on Friday 8 May. The day will begin with the school Cross
Country/Nature Walk and then move into the various sessions on offer for the remainder of the day.
This term, we are asking students to nominate which activities they would like to attend BEFORE the day, so that we
can organise sufficient resources.
Further information and Nomination Forms are available on the school website:
https://brisbanesde.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/School%20events/Junior%20
Secondary/notice.pdf
We hope to see many of you there and with so many exciting activities organised (Japanese calligraphy, using digital
tools to design a future city, creating a new product), there is sure to be something for everyone in Year 7-9!
Parents are also catered for, with a range of workshops and opportunities for parents to strengthen their support
network. A key feature of the parent workshops will be the ‘Diverse Students – Supporting Your Child at Home’
presentation delivered by Positive Partnerships (an initiative funded by the Australian Government Department of
Education and Training), which all parents will have the chance to attend.
NAPLAN
Our Year 7 and 9 students have the opportunity to sit the 2015 NAPLAN tests on Tuesday, 12th May – Thursday, 14th
May.
If your son/daughter is in either of these year levels, please ensure that you have informed the school of your
intention to withdraw from testing, sit the exams at BSDE, at home, or at another school. Notice of Intention forms
and details of where to return them are available on the school website:
https://brisbanesde.eq.edu.au/Curriculum/Pages/Naplan---years-3,-5,-7-and-9.aspx
Immunisations for Year 8 students
Under the National Immunisation Program, Queensland students have access to free Immunisation Clinics across
the state. The vaccines administered to Year 8 students are:
Recommended vaccines for Year 8 students
In lieu of an at-school option, parents have the option of engaging with their local council to ensure that their
children’s immunisations are up-to-date.
Further information regarding the immunisation schedule for adolescents, please go to the Queensland Government
site: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/immunisation/adolescents/index.html
Details about the clinics within the Brisbane area are available at:
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/community/community-safety/council-immunisation-clinics/childrens-immunisationclinics.
For those of you outside the Brisbane area, check your local council’s website for details about the free Immunisation
Clinics in your region.
Literacy and Numeracy parent resources
There are many valuable resources available to parents to support the development of their child’s literacy and
numeracy skills. With a variety of activities, videos and general resources about these essential life skills, the
Education Queensland parent support webpage is well worth a look:
http://education.qld.gov.au/literacyandnumeracy/resources.html
The Role of the Home Tutor
The last item for this newsletter concerns the important role that Home Tutors play in the education of their children.
Successful learning at BSDE involves a multi-layered approach:
1. Attendance at all ONLINE LESSONS, where instruction is provided by school staff.
2. Completion of OFF-LINE LEARNING, where students work through activities provided through the subjects’
BlackBoard courses (outlined in the Work Rate Calendars).
3. Active participation in TUTORIAL SESSIONS, where students access staff to address any
questions/difficulties experienced when completing off-line materials.
Clearly, the role of the Home Tutor cannot be underestimated in terms of tracking student attendance, completion of
off-line activities and the submission of all assessment items to schedule.
If you find that you need support in managing your child’s learning, there are a range of resources available to
parents – Guidance Officers, Youth Health Nurse, the Home Tutor Group and the Home Tutor handbook:
https://brisbanesde.eq.edu.au/Parents/hometutorsupport/Pages/home-tutor-suppport.aspx
Thank-you for a wonderful first term – and let’s continue to work in partnership to make Term 2 a successful one for
your child.
Peta Barker - Deputy Principal – Junior Secondary
Click below for more information
https://brisbanesde.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/School%20events/Junior%20Sec
ondary/notice.pdf
News from the Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning – Susan
Michelmore
The Faculty coaching team has continued to work with all teachers on a constant
pedagogical improvement plan across the school. We are charged with the responsibility
for equipping our students with the skills they require to forge a successful career in the 21st
Century. Most people have the World Wide Web in their pockets these days and
knowledge can be accessed very quickly and easily. Teachers will never be replaced by
computers, however, as teachers are responsible for equipping their students to Apply,
Connect and Transform their learnings. BSDE has a Pedagogical Framework which is held
up as an example of best practice across out state. Our Teaching and Learning team assist
teachers to focus on pedagogy, course design and assessment. All faculties are reviewing their assessment to
ensure that there is opportunity for students to develop the skills they will require after their school days are over.
Big congratulations to the Lead Coaches and the Faculty Coaches for the outstanding work they have done.
Susan Michelmore - Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning
News from the Head of Special Education Services
–
Perry Trattos
World Autism Awareness Week
BSDE celebrated World Autism Awareness Day on Thursday 2nd April (last day of Term 1).
You may have noticed the story bridge turned blue at night between 30th March and 5th April
in recognition of the awareness campaign.
As a school, we recognised this significant day by wearing blue and by donating funds to Autism Queensland. It
is no surprise at BSDE we have the largest Special Education Program in the State, with over 300 verified
students. Further, we have approximately 300 students who are not verified but do have ASD traits.
For more information on Autism please visit https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/what-autism
Message from the BSDE Case Manager for verified students with disabilities– Junior/Senior Secondary
My name is Andrea Tavener and I have accepted the position of SWD Case Manager for students working on
mainstream subjects this semester across Junior and Senior Secondary. This means that I will be working with
the families to help ensure students are learning. I will be the first point of call if there are any global issues
needed to be communicated for provision or resolution.
I will make frequent contact with families to check in on how their child’s learning is progressing in the hope
issues can be identified and resolved quickly. If you have any concerns, please email me on [email protected].
Message from the BSDE Case Manager for verified students with disabilities– Junior/Senior Secondary
My name is Andrea Tavener and I have accepted the position of SWD Case Manager for students working on
mainstream subjects this semester across Junior and Senior Secondary. This means that I will be working with
the families to help ensure students are learning. I will be the first point of call if there are any global issues
needed to be communicated for provision or resolution.
I will make frequent contact with families to check in on how their child’s learning is progressing in the hope
issues can be identified and resolved quickly. If you have any concerns, please email me on [email protected].
It is preferred you email as I will not always be in the office. If you are unable to email, please leave a voicemail
on 3727 2617.
KidsMatter
The KidsMatter committee in the Primary school has just completed training in Component 2 – Social and
Emotional learning. Social and emotional learning is about developing the ability to care for others, make
responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations.
Five social and emotional skills have been identified as being essential for good mental health and wellbeing :
self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making.
Research shows that children benefit most from social and emotional learning when it is taught in regular school
lessons and matched to children’s learning stages. When implemented well, social and emotional learning can
achieve significant, positive results, and even improve academic outcomes by 11% (Collaborative for Academic,
Social and Emotional Learning, 2003).
The primary school is currently planning for an explicit social and emotional learning program to be implemented
in Semester 2.
Perry Trattos - Head of Special Education Services
Year 7
Camp
Year 7 students attended the
Barambah Environmental Centre in
March to undertake the gruelling
“Barambah Challenge”. This event
requires map and compass navigation
along with the accurate use of a GPS
to discover various checkpoints in
Wratten State Forest. Teams of six
students set out early in the morning
with the guidance of Barambah
teachers. The day was extremely hot
but the true BSDE spirit came to the
forefront. Not one complaint and just
lots of smiles. On this day, everyone
was a winner!
eKindy State
Team
eKindy:
Big steps for big learners
The eKindy State Team converged on BSDE for two professional development days as well as a refresh in CPR
and first aid for some.
The teachers visited private kindergartens to view different types of practice in C&K and Gowrie sites looking for
aspects that inspired them, gave them ways to innovate and provided opportunities for inclusion. This
proved to be very worthwhile and was a rich source of ideas for use in the eKindy environment.
The Director of Early Childhood Education and Care, Metropolitan Region, Susan Todhunter and her team gave a
presentation on the rollout of the statewide approach to transitions to maximise the school’s readiness to meet the
needs of all children and families. The team is very supportive of our work and of our families. The research
provided, validated the play approach which is inherent to the eKindy program and a characteristic of effective
kindergarten pedagogy.
Karyn Johns, a Speech Language Pathologist who has worked with children and families since 1989 both interstate
and on the Gold Coast, spent a day with us covering a variety of topics:
 Current ‘trends’ - issues at the moment e.g. poor muscle tone due to sloppy foods etc.
 Some of the key stages in speech and language development and how is speech different from language
development…or how are they connected?
 Impacts on social/emotional development
 Supporting early speech and language development
 Foundation skills (speaking and listening, early reading and writing)
 Practical tools
The whole team was kept very busy for both days but took away many new ideas to use with their children, families
and small schools. Thank you to BSDE for hosting us and we look forward to moving out to the regional centres for
upcoming professional development in future years. Cath O’Connor - Manager eKindy
Andrea Baldwin (Capricornia), Leesa
Hoolihan (Longreach) and Sheridan McIntyre
(Capricornia) discussing reading skills.
Sheridan McIntyre
(Capricornia)
thinking about
language and literacy.
Jillian Manly (BSDE) developing fine motor skills.
eBooks at BSDE Library
We have some great news about eBooks .
BSDE library now has eBooks at https://bsde.wheelers.co/.
You can borrow - Anywhere……. Any place ……Any time.
Titles can be read on - Computers ….. Tablets …. Smartphones ….eReaders.
You’ll find instructions on how to access and borrow eBooks in the eBook section of the Library
Blackboard Course. Contact [email protected] for your username and password.
You can now also borrow eBooks from the Queensland State Schools eBooks Digital Library at
http://educationqld.lib.overdrive.com. You can use your MIS Id to Log in.
More information on how to borrow books in this library can be found at
https://staff.learningplace.eq.edu.au/lp/pages/default.aspx?pid=1620903# . You will need to log into the
Learning Place to access the information in the Learning Place Ed Studio called Tink’s Place Access key: S272133988.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
The Premier is challenging all Queensland school students (Kindergarten to Year 9) to read or experience an allocated
number of books for their reading level between 19 May and 28 August 2015. Kindergarten, Year Eight and Year Nine
are new inclusions this year.
Every child who meets the challenge will be presented with a certificate signed by the Premier to recognise their
achievement. To complete the challenge the students must “experience” or read the number of books in the table below.
*Experiencing a book can include classroom or at-home activities such as shared reading, listening and reading along with
a text, or being read to.”
The Challenge is a great way to help foster a love of reading. You can use the leisure reading books which are sent to
you from the library. If you are taking part in the Challenge you will also be able to borrow more books. Those young
students who are in one of the Primary Library Book Clubs can also include the stories used in the sessions. Information
on the Challenge will be sent to you by your class teacher and it will also be in the Library Blackboard Course.
Readers Cup
Students in the Upper Primary and Junior Secondary BSDE teams are busy reading titles for their respective competitions.
The Upper Primary Team is looking for another member. If you are a student in Year 5 or 6, like reading and are able to
attend the competition in Brisbane contact Julie Sharpe at [email protected].
National Simultaneous Storytime - for Younger students
Join in with thousands of other Australian children and listen to the same story at the same time on Wednesday, May 27 at
11 am.
In 2014 over 460,000 children at over 3,100 locations across Australia took part in National Simultaneous Storytime.
Information on the National Simultaneous Storytime will be placed in the Library Blackboard site and the Year level
Blackboard sites for younger grades.
Win a $20.00 iTunes Card
Find out how to win by going to the Library Blackboard Course.
Teacher Librarians – Primary:
Junior Secondary:
Senior Secondary:
Julie Sharp
Bronwyn White
Cecily Baker
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Inspirational!
!
On the weekend of the 18-19 July, three Year 12 students, Bridgette Chalmers, Anna Forrest,
Connor Weal and Mr Swannell will be trekking in The Kokoda Challenge, a team endurance event
that will be held in the Gold Coast Hinterland. The complete course of 96km encompasses more
than 5000 metres of elevation and 12 creek crossings through the Gold Coast Hinterland. Our team
is registered in the half-course distance of 48km, a distance designed for school age participants.
They aim to complete this in 15 hours.
Why are they doing this? Certainly it’s a great personal challenge for the three BSDE students
involved. More significantly though, it’s a way that they have chosen to make a positive difference in
the lives of other Australian teenagers through the Kokoda Challenge Youth Program. This 14 month
early intervention program is helping young people from a variety of backgrounds to gain confidence,
direction, new friends and the skills and attitudes essential to overcoming obstacles that life throws at
them. Apart from the obvious benefits to themselves and people close to them, our society as a
whole benefits when young people are positively transformed.
“It is rewarding to see the enthusiasm that our three students have for
this event” says Mr Swannell. “They seem just as excited about
the possibilities of what their fundraising will mean to others as
they are about the trek itself. As Year 12 students with very
busy personal programmes, I applaud their commitment.”
The BSDE team aims to raise $2500. If you
would like to sponsor the students to assist
them in achieving this goal, you can make a tax
deductable donation via one of the methods
outlined below.
To Make a Donation:
1. You can donate to one of the team members
in person and they will issue you with a tax
deductable receipt.
2. You can make either a direct bank deposit or
credit card deposit via the Kokoda Challenge
website secure donation page. To ensure that
your donation goes towards the BSDE team’s
fundraising target, it is essential to input the
following details.
Event: Select Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge
from the drop-down list.
Team: Select Team Bojangles from the dropdown list. You’ll find this approximately three
quarters of the way down the list of teams.
There is a place to leave a message, so if you
are sponsoring one of the students you can
leave a message for them so that they know
this.
For further information about the Kokoda
Challenge Youth Programme, visit the Kokoda
Youth Foundation website.
What is the difference between a certificate, a diploma and a degree?
In Australia we have a national system of qualifications called the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). At
the end of Year 12, you can apply for the following qualifications from the Framework. These qualifications can
differ in length, content and competiveness as shown below.




Bachelors Degree: Usually 3-5 years full time (or part-time equivalent); theoretical; entry is usually
competitive.
Associate Degree/Advanced Diploma: Usually 2 years full-time (or part-time equivalent); combination
of theory and practice, ranges from competitive to very competitive depending on the topic.
Diploma: Can be 1-2 years full-time (or part-time equivalent); tends to be practical with some theory,
range from not competitive to very competitive depending on the topic.
Certificates I,II,III,IV: 1 month – 1 year full-time, usually very practical; usually not competitive. For more
information about the AQF and its qualifications, visit http://www.aqf.edu.au/.
Being a Friend versus Being a Parent
It is interesting when considering the number of children and adults alike who believe that a Mum or Dad should
be a `friend’ in preference to being a `parent’. The job of being a parent is so much more than being a friend and
holds a great deal of responsibility. This is worth some discussion.
What does Being a Parent mean?

Being there for your child – to talk with them, take them places, stay up late waiting for them to come
home to know they are safe, helping them with homework that sometimes is beyond your own
knowledge, having school meetings with teachers, preparing lunches for years on end (this alone would
test any friendship).
 Being with them to celebrate the good times but also to help them through the difficult times (and at
times the difficult times out way the good times).
 Even when they say ‘I hate you’ you give them unconditional love by answering ‘I love you’ and adding
`but I don’t like your behaviour’ (not many friends would last the distance if they felt unloved).
 Using tough love when needed (letting them know when they have done the wrong thing; getting them to
take responsibility for their actions; setting limits).
 Saying ‘no’ – and sticking to your decision when you know it’s in their best interest (this takes energy
and strength to resist the emotional blackmail and the language that comes with this eg. you’re ruining
my life/ my friendships/my future). Life is not always going `your` way actually helps build resilience/ it’s
the struggles that make us stronger (we could go on and on with the benefits of `no’)
 Letting them know what they are doing well but also letting them know what they may need to improve
on (which they may not want to hear).
 Being honest but not harsh eg. if an outfit is inappropriate who better to tell them than a parent (a friend
most probably wouldn’t).
 Being the shoulder to cry on but eager to talk through the issue causing the problem.
 Modelling good behaviour and educating your child with skills needed for them to be ready for living in
the community – socially appropriate people are more employable than those lacking such skills.
 In drastic times - dropping everything and coming to their aid – at these times putting their needs before
your own.
It takes more than a friend to be a parent. It takes love, commitment, selflessness, and endurance. Let’s
congratulate ourselves for lasting the distance.
A very useful and informative website with great resources and practical information is Raisingchildren.net.au
Nikki Shaw – Guidance Officer, Senior Secondary
Student Achievement
Congratulations to Chris Isaacs (Evers) who has been selected as a Queensland Boxing
representative for the 36kg class. Chris is on training camp this week at the Gold Coast.
Chris is a year 8 student at BSDE who works hard in all of his classes.
Images from Culcha Disc
Close the Gap Day 2015
On the 21 March, BSDE and Coorparoo Secondary College held a joint Closing the Gap day
event. The event was very successful and guest speakers were Uncle Albert Holt and
Coorparoo Nurse Helen who offered insight though personal experiences with Indigenous
communities.
Wangarra Mura advisory group meeting to be held at BSDE on the 7 May at 9:00am.
Images from Culcha Disc
YEAR 10 - 12 JAPANESE TUTORIAL
COME & MEET YOUR CLASSMATES AND TEACHERS FOR A
STUDY SESSION! WE WILL BE PRACTISING THE 4 SKILLS –
ESPECIALLY LISTENING AND WRITING SKILLS.
EACH YEAR LEVEL WILL HAVE DIFFERENTIATED TASKS.
FRIDAY, 15TH MAY 2015
9.00AM-1.00PM
BSDE, LG09 &LG10 (SIGN IN AT RECEPTION FIRST)
CORNER CAVENDISH ROAD AND STANLEY ST. EAST, COORPAROO 4151
Bring: Japanese notebook, textbook and $11 for Obentou lunch! Japanese
snacks will be provided for morning tea.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR SENSEI. DON’T FORGET TO RETURN YOUR
ST
PERMISSION FORM BY FRIDAY 1
MAY.
Sport
Cross Country
Join us at BSDE’s cross country! The Cross Country will be held on May 8 from 8.30am – 11pm, at
Coorparoo Secondary College.
Event Registrations from 8.15am
Please see the Events calendar on the BSDE website for further information - nomination and medical form. We look
forward to seeing you there! Email the nomination form and any queries to Yolande Barnett - [email protected]
Queensland State School Representative Sport
During Term 1, BSDE had a number of students represent the school in a variety of school sports.
Congratulations to all these students on their performances and proudly representing BSDE.
Swimming
The following BSDE students represented our school at District, Regional and State Swimming titles in Term 1:
Cameron Harrison, Year 10; Sean Harrison, Year 8; Connor Harrison, Year 6; Gabriella Basile Year 10;
Mark Szonyi Year 11; Jarrod Salt Year 9; Reave Salt Year 7; Sean Kearney Year 8 and Chloe Dixon, Year 11,
represented our school at District, Regional and State Swimming titles in Term 1.
Six of the boys, Cameron, Sean, Connor, Mark, Reave and Jarrod, all represented BSDE at the Redlands District
Swimming trials, a strong contingent of talent.
Cameron Harrison, Sean Harrison and Connor Harrison competed strongly at the Redlands District
Swimming trials, achieving selection in the District team to compete at the Metropolitan East Regional Trials.
All three Harrison brothers, Cameron, Sean and Connor, qualified through to the Qld State Swimming
Titles, with some brilliant performances at the Regional trials. Cameron will not compete at the Queensland
Championships because of his National commitments for his swimming club. Sean is looking forward to next
year’s representative season, as he unfortunately had to withdraw due to illness.
Connor swam exceptionally well, achieving some fabulous results at the State titles and qualified in the 50m and
100m fly to swim at Nationals!
Jarrod and Reave Salt, new to BSDE in 2015, swam very well, achieving some very good times at the trials.
Congratulations Jarrod and Reave.
Mark Szonyi recorded some personal best times at the trials, returning to competitive swimming after a break –
well done Mark!
Sean Kearney qualified for t the Metropolitan West Regional trials. Excellent performances from Sean gained
him selection into the Met West team to compete at the Qld State Swimming Titles also.
Chloe Dixon competed at the Central West trials and gained selection in the district team to swim at the North
West Regional trials. Congratulations Chloe.
Gabriella Basile, nominated to swim at the Central District trials, on the Sunshine Coast. She was successful in
being selected to compete at the Sunshine Coast Regionals trials. Great effort Gabreilla!
We look forward to hearing how Sean and Connor performed at the State Championships.
Tennis
Two of BSDE’s tennis players, Jayden Court & Kyle Johnstone, have excelled in the representing their
respective districts and gained selection into regional teams to compete at the Queensland Tennis
Championships – Jayden, Wide Bay and Kyle, Capricornia. Unfortunately, the State Championships were
cancelled due to cyclone Nathan.
Jayden was selected in the Queensland team on rankings and competes at the National Tennis Championships
in October. Good luck to Jayden.
Term 2 is the start of the ‘Running’ season.
Cross Country
Cross Country season has begun and BSDE has four competitors, Jarrod Salt, Reave Salt, Byron Rzoska and
Sally Hodgson trialling this year.
Jarrod and Reave Salt, Bayside District, competed in their district cross country trial last week. Both boys ran
against some tough competition and finished in the middle of the pack. Great effort boys.
Sally and Byron have their trials in the coming weeks and we will update their results in the next newsletter.
Queensland State School Representative Sport
A reminder:

BSDE students can be considered for representative selection in District, Regional or State teams in
sports affiliated with the Queensland School Sport Association.

All nominations for these representative teams must be made through the BSDE Health and
Physical Education Department.

Some sports require students to reach qualifying standards to be eligible for nomination.
If you would like further information please contact Yolande Barnett by Phone: 3727 2467or email:
[email protected]
Stop the press …
BSDE staff wear PJ’s to school and
raise over $1000 for ‘Shave for a cure’!