This is the final newsletter for the 2021 school year and I wish to thank our community for your support and commitment to our students and our college. Our 2021 edition of our yearbook, the Etcetera, is being collated at present and will be sent to the printers over the holidays. As a result, you will receive your copy in the first term next year. This year’s edition will share our student and staff accomplishments across the various domains of the college across the 2021 school year. 

Year 6 and Year 12 Celebrations

On Thursday and Friday, I had the honour to attend both the Year 6 Graduation Dinner and the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner at Pacific Bay Resort. For many in Year 6, this was the first school dance and dinner they have experienced due to all of the restrictions over the last two days. They certainly took every opportunity to celebrate with their friends. It was wonderful to see so many of our staff and parents in attendance. It certainly was a celebration of their primary years of schooling. 

The Year 12s enjoyed their peers, their parents and their engagements with staff during the 2021 Valedictory Dinner on Friday night. They were dressed to the nines and the positive interactions they had with each other was so impressive to see. They are an extremely close cohort with only a few disagreements over their high school journey. I wish to thank the students for really taking the opportunity to celebrate in the BDC way with their school friends. They are BDC Alumni now and we look forward to seeing them visit in the future. I encourage them to stay in touch with the college and share those life events as they occur. 

View the Year 6 graduation gallery here 

View the Year 12 graduation gallery here 

Presentation Ceremonies

Principal’s Address - Primary Presentation Ceremony 2021

Principal's Address - 2021 Secondary Presentation Assembly

Congratulations to all the award winners from Thursday and Friday’s ceremonies. 

Well done to our Primary Leader for 2021 - you have been thoughtful, caring and proactive throughout the year. You should be proud of the leadership skills learnt this year and you are encouraged to continue to support the cohort as you all move into secondary school. 

Our Primary Leaders for 2022 are as follows:

• Arts Leaders - Will Bursle and Zara Hoare
• Environment and Adventure Leaders - Ada Smith-Brooks and Noah Wells
• Round Square Leaders - Zsofia Dryburgh and Jasper Hein
• Service Leaders - Kye Beckton and Adelaide Robinson
• Sport Leaders - Maddyson Cowling and Brodie Hart

New Acknowledgement of Country

Jenna Hayley, one of our Goori Group leaders in Senior School, has been working with Kirsty Hart (our BDC Aboriginal Education Officer and Teacher Aide), inspirational Goori Group language teacher, Mr Clark Webb and our Goori Group students to update and personalise the Bishop Druitt College Acknowledgement of Country. It was officially used for the first time last week during the presentation ceremonies. The key features of this are that the Gumbaynggir language is utilised throughout and that it has student voice and local heart in the words. Over the next 12 months, our community will learn these new words from our Goori Group. 

As we all gather and stand upon the country, may we acknowledge and respect the Gumbaynggirr land and the thousands of years of physical and spiritual connection to the country, culture and teachings embedded forever within these lands.

As the custodians of the land we become caretakers of the country, in all its beauty, we see it mothering and supporting us whilst being our school, our health system, our kitchen and most importantly our home.

May I ask you to become caretakers of this land, honouring and learning from it.

Jagun ngiyambandi Miimi  - Earth our Mother 

Ngarri wagin nyirrnaa - She very beautiful

Gala ngarri-ju ngiyaa maanay  - In turn/and she us carry

Baya ngarri nyirrnaa-wa yidaagay - may she beautiful-be always

Ngiinda Gadila Ngarraanga ngiyambandi wajaarr - You should respect our country 

May we acknowledge the Gumbaynggirr people past, present and emerging as well as the indigenous peoples of Australia's other originating nations present.

Farewell to Rev David Morgan

This week we have officially recognised and thanked Reverend David for his numerous years of service to the Anglican Church and Bishop Druitt College. 

Over this time Rev David has led our community following in the way of Jesus. His words and action have developed our service-learning focus by developing practical local ways to live God’s word through real and personal partnerships with the Uniting Church Soup Kitchen and Warrina Women and Children’s Refuge. Rev David will be missed and the whole college community wishes him well in retirement.

Staff Service Recognition

I wish to recognise the following staff who have reached significant milestones in their service to the Bishop Druitt College community.

5 years - Amy Dal Pozzo, Ben Dal Pozzo, Mark Edwards, Kristy Hart, Curtis Heywood, Karla Nightingale, Sandra Smith, Lisa Wainwright

10 years - Brett Bennett, Mark Freeman, Rosey Lang, Paul McCormack, Dayle Stafford, Rachel Watson

15 years - Joel Blythe, Lynne Davis, Dale Graham, Craig Lang, Susan Nealon, Kerry Sanders

20 years - Rachel Caesar, Julie Eckford, Tracey Hockey, Truus Meulenbroeks, Kaz Speechley

I will write to all parents in mid-January to share information relating to the 2022 school year. It will include our staffing for 2022, our HSC results, office hours and changes, uniform shop hours, uniform expectations, term dates for 2022 and key dates for the first two weeks of school. We also hope to have a welcome back to campus event for all parents in the first week or two! We are just waiting for the latest government advice on this issue.

Wishing all of our BDC families a safe and joyful Christmas and summer break, and we look forward to welcoming you back in the new year. 

Nick Johnstone 

Principal