iHub Matters

Exam provisions

Term 4 got off to a busy start, with our wonderful Year 12 cohort starting the HSC exams. Exams with provisions are often scheduled in the iHub, providing a very peaceful environment for the students. Thank you to the amazing LRC staff, and their invaluable support to students and staff - during exams, and every other day!

New Year 11 study carrels

The iHub’s Cottee Room and adjoining hallway now have moveable dividers, to allow flexibility of study conditions. This is great news for Year 11 students needing a quiet space for their schoolwork. 

Genre labels making book selection easier

Genrefication is the process of assigning school library genres categories to books with the intent of helping students find the kind of materials they love to read. Over the past 12 months, the BDC Library staff has undertaken a project of identifying and labelling parts of the collection. Some real benefits are that it makes it easier for students to find and try new books in a genre they like, and also can provide opportunities to explore genres they haven’t yet tried.

Special mention goes to Mr Andrew Walker, our amazing Library Technician, who has assigned the label designs, and identified, and labelled books with their genre categories.

So far this includes Fantasy, Dystopian, Graphic Novels, First Nations, LGBTQIA+, Romance, and Manga. Have a look at the shelves in the fiction area, and keep an eye out for more to come! 

Indoor training with eSports

The Sports Academy are able to practise their skills on FIFA indoors using the PlayStation in the iHub O’Shane room. Mr Ben Andrews takes Football Academy, and it’s exciting to have wonderful facilities in the iHub that allow skill development and understanding using technology, even when it’s raining. 

Year 9 Cottee Community Service Project

As part of our Community Service Project, Year 9 Cottee focused on Warrina Women’s Refuge. Over the course of several weeks our students collected much-needed items for women and children in crisis situations. We are very proud of the students who generously donated various items to this worthy cause. Unfortunately, many of those students were absent on the day this photo was taken.

Mrs Law and Mrs Fisher
Year 9 Cottee House tutors

Careers!

Class of 2023 successes!

While this cohort is currently immersed in their HSC exams, many of them have already taken the opportunity to firm up their post-school career plans by applying for early entry to university or apprenticeships and traineeships.

To date, 70% of the cohort who applied for the various early entry schemes have received offers for places at university next year.

Many others have secured apprenticeships, traineeships, ADF Gap year placements or are moving to full-time employment and a gap year while considering their next step.

Welcome to the Class of 2024!

This cohort has moved happily into their new common room and are gearing up for a busy year ahead. Many have already popped into the careers office for a career chat. I am encouraging this cohort to settle into their Year 12 classes this term and have advised them they will all have individual career planning appointments in Term 1 next year.

This cohort started career activities with me in Year 9 and most recently have all completed their individual Career and Transition plans and have been shown how to access the great resources on offer to assist them in learning about themselves and their interests and to explore suitable career options. There will also be lots of info shared about universities and early entry, apprenticeships, opportunities to engage with different universities and employers seeking to recruit our wonderful BDC kids.

Inaugural UNSW School of Rural Medicine Mentoring Program

CONGRATULATIONS to these students who have been successful in being accepted into this new program for students aspiring to study medicine. The program is aimed at assisting students in preparing for the UCAT exam and university interview processes that are a requirement for people applying to study medicine. If successful, this program will be open to applications from Year 12 students each year. Our thanks to UNSW School of Rural Medicine for this great opportunity!

• Asha Eagles
• Healey Yong
• Hargun Ghuman
• Clare Kelly

Help to Prepare for the HSC

Prepare for the HSC - free seminar for Year 10 and 12 and their parents

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• How to manage stress during the year
• Secrets to HSC success
• Understanding the ATAR
• English tips and tricks

Strategies for parents: communication & emotional support

Start Your HSC off on the Right Foot

• an incredibly stressful period for both parents and students.
• best tools and tips to help you focus on achieving your best this year.

For more info and to register for this FREE resource, click this link

Year 10 Work Experience Week (Career Exploration Week)

Year 10 will be out on Career Exploration Week this term in Week 7. There will be no classes for Year 10 at school that week. While many of our Year 10’s are already working in casual jobs after school hours, we do encourage all students to find a face-to-face placement and use the opportunity to explore a different career they may not have thought of, so that they can build their industry knowledge for their future career development.

There are some students who have not been able to find a placement as yet. If you are an employer who’d like to host a BDC student in the week 20-24th November, please email me with some details of your organisation and I’d be happy to advertise the placement with our students.

Thank you to those employers in our parent body who have already agreed to take a work experience student.

Southern Cross University Scholars Program

Current Year 10 students are invited to apply for the SCU Scholars Program. This is a great way to secure an early offer to study a range of courses at SCU and be in the running for a scholarship. For more information, see the information and apply on this link or contact Gina Driscoll.

Year 9 Careers morning

Late last term we held a careers morning for our Year 9’s. Students completed an interests quiz which highlighted their 2 strongest interest areas and their personal plus work related attributes. Their individual reports were then used by students to research 2 jobs (through resources available to them on the wonderful BDC Careers Website) in each their 2 strongest areas of interest. The results of the interests quiz were also used in the Create a Resume and Cover Letter workshop. 

This cohort is off to a great start in becoming their own Career Managers!

A Unique Opportunity

Serendipity Learning currently has weekly, after school, one to one High School English and High School Maths tutoring sessions available. These sessions very rarely become available and are perfect for those students in Years 7 -12 who are studying Standard, Advanced and Extension English or Maths. These sessions really won’t last long!

For more information or to book your child in, please contact Serendipity Learning on 0413 763 143 or email us at hello@serendipitylearning.com.au