Village View

From Head of Campus

As we approach the end of the first semester as a Preparatory to Year 12 College, I would like to take this opportunity to thank families, students and staff for their contribution to a very successful half year. We have welcomed and embraced the many aspects of growth within our community; new students and staff and of course new buildings in which to accommodate everyone.

There have been many exciting events taking place this first semester, all of which have provided students with learning opportunities, both academic and personal. I am immensely proud of the students in their willingness to participate and share in new experiences and of the contribution made by staff in the planning of the various events.
Some highlights for the semester would be the Camps Programme, including Year 10 Camps, Year 9 Outward Bound and the very first Year 3 Camp experience to Forest Lodge which was a happy, enjoyable and rewarding camp for both students and staff.

We have also had the opportunity to attend Year 9 Personal Best Evenings, the Presentation Ball at which all of our students looked amazing and conducted themselves in a very dignified and appropriate manner; special thanks to Anna Sloane for her organisation and coordination of this event.

There have been Performing Arts soirees and VCE Recitals, a Cross-Campus drama evening and String rehearsal workshop. Cross-Campus events are an opportunity for students to work and learn together, which in turn provides them with a global view of Beaconhills College.

Finally, the Community Service Programme has inspired students to raise funds and assist those in need in our local community. Whilst working in the community programme students learn the value of giving and the rewards that this brings to others, as well as themselves.

I would like to wish you all a very safe and happy holiday and I look forward to sharing with you a busy and exciting Term 3.

Jenny Williams
Head of Campus – Village

From Junior School

Another term has concluded, and I wish to thank all families and friends for their support of our programmes. Parent partnership is very important to the overall success of each student and our school as a whole. It has been an excellent term and all students have been actively engaged in their learning – a great deal has been achieved.

Swimming

The Year 3 & 4 Swimming Programme was wonderful and all students thoroughly enjoyed representing their House at the Swimming Carnival on the 4 June. It was a happy, fun-filled event and the standard of the swimming of students was amazing. I thank Mr Scott McConchie and the staff for their organisation of this very special event.

Life Education Programme

Recently we have had the Life Education Van, and their educator visit Beaconhills, and all Junior School students have taken part in a hands-on workshop. Harold, the puppet, was the main attraction. This programme has provided students with very good skills for taking care of their bodies. It is part of our Integrated/Health Programme, which we include in our Curriculum each year. We will conclude the term with another incursion on Friday 20 June, when an educator will bring animals to school and discuss their care with all the students in Junior School, as a part of our Responsible Pet Care Programme. There is always something happening in Junior School.

Year 3 Camp

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the Year 3 Camp on June 10 – 12.

Students travelled to Forest Lodge Farm via the Giant Worm Farm, where they had lots of hands-on experiences with a wide range of Australian Animals. After lunch there was a walk on the Inverloch Beach and a sandcastle competition, games and heaps of fun for everyone.

Finally we reached our destination where everyone took part in a range of outdoor activities over three days. The students displayed a great attitude in having ‘a go’ and being resilient. Everyone did their personal best and took up new challenges. Their behaviour was excellent and their independence and teamwork, for young student of this age, were features. Camp staff said that the students were certainly one of the best groups to visit Forest Lodge ever. This is praise indeed as they have around seventy five groups each year.

Next term

It has certainly been a busy, successful term and I wish all families a happy, relaxing, safe family holiday. Please make it a time to enjoy your beautiful children. Read, play and have fun with them, and we look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday 15 July ready for another busy term. Early events being the: Parent Information Evening on 29 July, the Junior School Church Service on 7 August at 6.30pm and the Junior School Disco for children only on Friday 15 August.

Representing Victoria at the National Calisthenics Competitions

Finally, I take the opportunity of congratulating one of our Year 4 students, Hannah Mc, as she has been selected to represent Victoria in her chosen sport of Calisthenics, in Perth, at the National Competitions during the first week of next term. We wish Hannah and her team every success and are all very proud of her wonderful achievement

Judy Barton
Head of Junior School

From the Middle School

Semester 1 Reflection

When looking retrospectively, it is with enormous pride that I reflect on the achievements and many examples of Personal Best from so many students in the Middle School during Semester 1, 2008. Many of the young members of the Beaconhills learning community recognise the numerous opportunities on offer at their school. With great courage they take on the challenge of learning new skills, meeting new people and moving outside their comfort zones. Often they have to make tough choices and stand up for what they believe is the right thing to do for themselves, for their friends, for their school and for the betterment of their world.

The academic programmes of the Middle School are delivered with an expectation of high achievement through a personal commitment, outstanding effort and dedication to achieving Personal Best. When reading Semester reports, parents/guardians are encouraged to place as value on the effort rating given to their children as they do to the global grade achievement. We celebrate the results of the student who achieves a C grade with an effort rating of 1. However, if a student achieves an A grade in a particular subject, and is awarded an effort rating of 3, we are not satisfied with the result. Students receiving results such as this, work with Heads of House to set personal goals and review their work ethic for the next part of their learning journey. Parents are kept informed of the progress of their children through interim reports, Parent / Teacher / Student interviews, phone calls, meetings and communication through the student Record Book.

In May all students in Years 5 and 7 in the Middle School participated in the Commonwealth Government bench mark testing programme – National Assessment Programme of Literacy and Numeracy testing. Whilst we see this as a valuable experience for our students, it must be seen as one part of the overall assessment of the ability of our children. Subject teachers are in the best position to assess students over an extensive period of time and through a variety of assessment methods – both formative and summative.

The Da Vinci Decathlon, Future Problem Solving Programme, Maths Olympiads, The Science Competition and Writing Competitions provide challenging opportunities for highly able students within the Middle School Community. Students are selected for these initiatives through normal referenced testing, nomination by teachers, student self nomination, parent nomination and academic programme achievement.

From a sporting point of view the semester has been action packed for the Middle School. Rally Days for Years 7 and 8 enabled students to select their sport and then to compete in a friendly match with other schools in the Southern Independent Schools Association. Swimming sports and Cross Country provided many opportunities for Personal Best and outstanding examples of House loyalty. The Year 6 mixed boys and girls netball team proudly retained the KEA Cup for yet another year for Beaconhills College. The new hard courts in front of the Middle School have provided a very welcome new playing space for students.

Performing Arts is integral to the Middle School learning Programme. The Year 5 Band Programme culminated in two wonderful concerts at the end of Semester 1. Parents and staff members watched proudly as students performed in what was for most of them, their very first public performance. A number of evening concerts showcased the talents and abilities of Beaconhills students. We look forward with great anticipation to the performance of “Grease” in late August by more than 200 students, many of these are members of the Middle School.

The Middle School was open to the public as well as other areas of the College, on Open Day, which was held on Saturday 19th April. Many favourable comments were made on the presentation of the Middle School with its bright and appealing displays, not only in the class rooms, but in our glass cabinets and in the foyers of both our buildings. Middle School Captains and House Captains acted as tour guides on the day along with other students who offered to help out. We were very proud of our achievements.

Beaconhills new Outdoor Education provider is the Outdoor Education Group based at Jungai Centre - Eildon National Base. The Year 5 students left on Monday morning for their camp morning and will return on Wednesday afternoon. Students will spend two nights on camp, one being in bunk style accommodation and one night in a two person tent on the grounds of the Jungai Centre. During the three days students will be involved in food preparation in an outdoor setting and participate in a range of activities including, Koori cultural and art sessions, cooking Damper on camp fires, short bushwalking and other camp based activities. We are sure they will enjoy this worthwhile experience.

Clare Tuohy
Head of Middle School

Altitude Day- Middle School Leaders Excursion

On Friday 30 May, our Middle School leaders participated in a student conference, Altitude Day run by the Australian Youth Development Programme at The Powerhouse in Albert Park. The aim of the day was to further develop and strengthen our students’ leadership skills in conjunction with the Middle School Leadership Conferences run at the Campus.

The theme explored during Altitude Day was that ‘leadership is any action that makes the world I touch a better place’. Students participated in a range of activities during which they learned about their own individual leadership styles, their strengths, the areas in which they can improve their skills and ways in which they can become more effective leaders. A number of guest speakers, including concert violinist, Niki Vasilikis and Tom O’Connor from the Oaktree Foundation, shared their experiences and thoughts on leadership. They encouraged students to believe in themselves and in others and inspired them to be passionate about making a difference to the world around them. Students left The Powerhouse with endless enthusiasm, real and relevant ideas and a willingness to make their school, local community and the world a better place.

Natalie Jones
Head of Students – Middle School

Michael Grose “Dancing the Teenage Tango” Multi-campus Parent Evening

Over 250 parents attended this informative evening in May with Michael Grose at the Village Campus. Parents were given the opportunity to hear practical and realistic ideas about strategies for raising teens in today’s society.
The importance of having breaks from technology in the home was highlighted. Examples such as having a designated mobile phone charging area was suggested to ensure teens have a good night’s sleep away from constant interruptions. Teenagers of today are highly networked. Similarly, parents need to be even more networked, especially around these sensitive issues.

A driver in parenting decisions for many parents is that “they want to have a good relationship with their kids.” This doesn’t mean you are or need to be their best friend. “You’re the management and they are the labour. And if you’re not upset with them at least twice a week, you’re not doing your job.”
The importance of family rituals was stressed. Family rituals help anchor teens back to childhood during a time when there are a lot of changes and unknowns. Teens need to come to some of these rituals, but maybe not all of them. Examples include mealtimes, birthdays and celebrations.

Binge drinking and the effects on adolescent brain development was discussed in detail. Like riding a bike at a young age, these habits are embedded into the brain. Early teenage drinking, where the brain is more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, can leave a permanent effect on brain development and can result in a greater reliance on alcohol during adult years. Michael Grose suggested as a parent, not to buy alcoholic drinks for your teens and to have times as a family where you celebrate without the presence of alcohol.
Binge drinking will be addressed again in more detail at our next Parent Information Night in Term 3, at the Valley Campus. Further information will be contained in home bulletins and on the College website. We encourage all parents to make a special effort to attend these events.

Read Michael’s tips on 10 strategies for raising teens (pdf 34 kb)

Grace O’Neill & Yvonne Ashmore
Student Counsellors

French in Middle School - The Accelerated Integrated Method (Gesture Method)

The AIM method, used at Beaconhills College in Years 5 to 8 is an innovative holistic approach to the teaching of French. This new methodology has been designed in recent years in Canada and its aim is to accelerate the development of fluency at the early stages of learning French. It is based on communicating with students and conducting all classroom activities entirely in the target language. Specifically designed stories, in the form of plays accompanied by songs, become the focus of lively and motivating language activities which help students to develop confidence and competence as they progress through the Unit.

The stories are explained through gestures and a variety of visual resources through which students learn and memorise the vocabulary found in the plays, songs and the teacher’s instructions. There is strong emphasis on the development of all language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) which are all based on the vocabulary of the play. Students take part in a variety of activities and every lesson they work, as either a whole class, in small groups, with partners or individually communicating with their teachers and other students only in French.
In order to support the work covered in class, students are expected to practise the play, song and dance at home. The DVD which they have should be used as the basis for their homework.

The revolutionary AIM method has been very popular since its publication and is currently being used in more than 4,000 schools across America, Europe and Australia. The method engages and motivates young learners much more than the conservative LOTE teaching approach.

Eva Fairweather
Head of French

Reading in the Middle School

A component of the Reading Programme in Middle School is to encourage all students to read on a regular basis. Whilst we do not set the students homework over the holidays, there is an expectation that all students will read. This week all Middle School students were given a note to glue into their Record Book, outlining the reading expectations for their year level. Holiday reading will also support the College involvement in the ‘Premier’s Reading Challenge’
Thank you for your ongoing support.

Sandra Hanson
Head of Middle School English

Beaconhills Success at Da Vinci Decathlon

On Monday 16 June, two teams from Year 7 Village Campus and one team from the Valley Campus competed in the Regional Heat of the Da Vinci Decathlon at Gippsland Grammar in Sale. The Valley Campus team (with the assistance of one Village student, Travis P) won the Competition and will advance to the State Finals to be held at MLC, Kew on Wednesday 23 July.

The Valley team also came first in two of the disciplines: English and Code Breaking. One of the Village teams achieved fifth place overall and came first in two disciplines: Science and Forensic Sleuths.

The Village team were especially commended on their performance in Science and were asked to thank their Science teacher for the work she had done with them (Danielle Negri). The other Village team came third in Creative Production and were asked along with the first and second place getters to perform their skit in the final session.

Carmel Byrne
Middle School Learning Specialist

From Year 9

Personal Best Presentation

Wednesday 18 June will see the culmination of many weeks of intense preparation when students’ Personal Best Projects are presented to parents and friends. The students have worked extremely hard to complete their self-driven projects both at school at in many cases at home. The myriad of projects range from teaching others new skills, landscape gardening, woodwork, musical items, dance, refurbishing bikes, canvases, mosaics and scrapbooking to name but a few.

Students are not graded on the project itself but on their Portfolio, which is a log of their journey that includes the planning stages, a photographic diary, progress reports and personal reflections.

Year 9 Examinations

The Year 9 students recently sat their first set of examinations. Examinations were conducted in the subject areas of English/Humanities, Mathematics/Science and LOTE. In preparing the students for the examinations, students were tutored on study techniques, examination techniques and examination procedures. Students sat the examinations in large groups to help in preparing them for future VCE Examinations where examinations may be sat as a year level; students can find this to be rather daunting.

Students are to be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves throughout the examination period.

Year 9 Outdoor Experience Elective- Semester 1

Year 9 Outdoor Experience Elective students challenged gravity at The Hardrock Climbing Centre in the city this semester. After initial safety checks and a quick climb up the beginners wall, even the most inexperienced climbers were soon pushing themselves on some very steep climbs. Rope work skills learnt in this elective and on Outward Bound were put to the test by belayers guiding their climbers up some extreme gradients. The double auto-belay climb was a real hit, giving two climbers a chance to race each other unassisted against the clock. Most students agreed they gained much confidence from this great experience.

Michael Rosenfield
Year 9 Teacher

Paralympian – Don Elgin

The Year 9 programme was very fortunate to have Triple Paralympian Don Elgin visit and speak to the students. Don spoke for over an hour about his life, career, sporting and personal achievements. He was very engaging and showed slides of his high and low points, discussing how he overcame adversities, setting and achieving goals and excellent motivational tips on dealing with life, school, drugs and relationships. He had the students actively involved throughout and many questions were asked afterwards.

Nicola Whitfield
Year 9 Teacher

From the Senior School

The Contrasts of School Life

At the end of any semester, the temptation always is to be reflective and look back on what has been achieved. In trying to resist that impulse I find myself simply looking back over the last seven days and remarking on the extraordinary roller coaster that life in the Senior School can be. Within 48 hours of the GAT Examination when 213 students were crammed into the PA Hall and expected to work for more than three hours, we were witnessing the splendour of this year’s first of two Presentation Balls. Many of the fine young men and women from Year 11 who were presented that night had not only sat the GAT examination but had just emerged from two weeks of rigorous examination pressure. That all of them looked so wonderful and danced so beautifully is a great credit to them and their supportive families.

Remarkable Student Achievement

Every year, the South East Local Learning and Employment Network reward students from this area who, as well as studying the normal range of school subjects, find the time to work in more Vocational learning environments. Beaconhills was delighted to receive notice that Tom L from Year 11 had been shortlisted as one of the three finalists for the award of VET student of the year and was invited to The Castle in Dandenong for the awards ceremony. We were even more delighted to learn that he won the award and we are very proud of him and his achievements. In every interview that Tom has given since he has been full of praise for the support of Mrs Brooke O’Hara, our Careers Counsellor and VET co-ordinator. I pass on my special congratulations to both of them.

Alan James
Head of Senior School

VCCA Plain English Speaking Award

On Tuesday 20 May, two Year 12 students, Jessica B and Adrian M, competed in the regional final for the VCCA Plain English Speaking Award at Mount Eliza Secondary College. The Award provides an excellent opportunity for students to build self-confidence and extend their skills in oral communication, speech writing and research. In Australia each year state and territory committees organise and conduct competitions at school, regional and state levels.
They competed against students from Padua College, Mentone Grammar and Carrum Downs Secondary. Each student had to present a prepared six minute speech on a topic of their choice and a four minute impromptu speech about ‘Being Lucky’, with only four minutes preparation.

Adrian’s prepared speech was about the need for Australia to become a republic. His delivery was engaging and supported with sound evidence. Jessica’s prepared speech was about achieving true reconciliation for Australia’s indigenous population and was delivered with confidence and poise.

After intense deliberation from the adjudicators it was announced that Jessica had come first and Adrian second. This is the first time Beaconhills College has entered the competition and it was a delight to see the high calibre of our entrants.

Jessica will be competing in the State semi-finals in July at the Treasury Theatre. Village staff and students are very proud of her achievements.

Melissa Fuller
Senior English Teacher and Public Speaking Coordinator

We welcome Exchange students from France

Six students from our sister school in Bourg Saint Maurice in the French Alps are arriving on Friday 22 June 2008 and will stay for five weeks with their host families from the College. Five of them, Nathanel, Brice, Jessica, Robin and Antoine will be hosted by Alex D (Y11) C (Y11), Tom S (Y11), Amy F (Y10) and Ben S (Y12).

After exciting holidays during which they will visit different parts of Victoria and Australia, the French students will attend the College for two weeks at the beginning of Semester 2, before their departure, which is scheduled for 28 July 2008.

“I would like to show Robin my country hoping he will find it as fascinating as I found his” said Ben.

We look forward to the French students’ visit which will enhance our franco-australian friendship!

Eva Fairweather
Head of French

Year 10 and 11 Design and Technology

Year 10 students have been hard at work in Design and Technology classes working on two ‘design and make’ projects. The first sees the students using the design process to research and develop ideas for a laminated picture frame. This is designed to give students experience in a range of workshop tools, processes and techniques whilst taking into account the different levels of past practical experience that the student may have. Students are required to incorporate different timbers and a range of other materials as necessary. Students experimented not only with different timbers but with resin casting, working with acrylic, and applying a range of finishes.

The second project for the semester was a Slot-Together Furniture assignment, looking at ways of manipulating a material to produce a functional product from a set amount of plywood. Other materials could be used as necessary, but the main concept was to be creative in designing and making furniture without any joints, glues or screws. The range of ideas presented was fantastic, from storage units and coffee tables to a guitar stand and a cat bed. The finished quality of the products was very high and the students are to be congratulated on their use of tools and machines to achieve the end result.

Year 11 students have successfully worked through Unit 1 VCE Design and Technology, working under the unit heading Design Modification and Production. The unit introduces the idea of product development, covers the theory of the Principles and Elements of Design and includes the issue of Intellectual Property within the design world. Students examine the work of practicing designers and investigate case studies of their work, relating the student’s experience of the design process into industrial examples. In amongst this is the practical experience student’s gain by designing and constructing their own product in a workshop environment, studying material characteristics and working processes. The issue of project management has also proved important.

There have been a range of very successful products from the Year 11 students including a dart board cabinet, mirror stand, outdoor dining trolley, snowboard storage unit, snake enclosure and media storage unit to name but a few. I look forward to reporting on their progress through Unit 2 in a few months time.

From Performing Arts

Grease is the Word - Musical Production 2008

There will be two very important full cast holiday Grease rehearsals during the coming school holidays. The rehearsals will be held on Monday 23 June and Friday 11 July. Due to major ground works and construction in and around the Performing Arts Centre, the rehearsal on Monday 23 June will be held in the Lecture Theatre, not the Performing Arts Hall. Parents are asked to drop students off at 9.30am in the Middle School car park. Students will be able to be picked up at 4.00pm on both days of the holiday rehearsals. All students are requested to bring their own lunch and drinks to both rehearsals.

All students in the Grease Band will be required to attend the holiday rehearsal on Friday 11 July. Students in the Backstage Crew will be required to attend both holiday rehearsals.

Keep up the great work everyone. It is just over two months until Opening Night.

Grease Performance Dates: Thursday 28 August, Friday 29 August and Saturday 30 August.

Wes Smith
Grease Producer

Strings Cross Campus Pizza Nights

On Tuesday 27 May, a Pizza Night rehearsal was held as part of the Junior School Strings Programme. Junior School students were very excited to welcome the Valley students and to work with a guest tutor, Alan Tooke. On Thursday 12 June a Pizza Night rehearsal was held as part of the Middle and Senior School Strings Programme. This cross campus event provided the students with an extended rehearsal session to learn and consolidate repertoire for the 2008 Melbourne Strings Festival to be held in August at Monash University. In addition to this, students were given the opportunity to socialise together. These special rehearsals were very productive and proved to be a huge success for both students and staff.

Tuesday 3 June was also an exciting day for all of the Year 2N students who presented their very first Year 2 Strings Concert to approximately one hundred and fifty guests in the Lecture Theatre. A lovely variety of Violin and Cello items were presented by the students, who also introduced all the items themselves. It was a very special event for all involved. Well done.

Clare Bugeja
Strings Teacher

Year 5 Band Programme

On Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 June, I was delighted to be able to conduct the Year 5.1 and 5.3 class bands at their Semester 1 concerts for parents and friends. All students from both classes presented very polished and professional concert items in solo, small group and full band ensemble settings. The highlight of both concerts was the great confidence that all students displayed considering it was their very first public concert. I was most impressed with the quality of the ensemble sound and I look forward to working with them much more in the new Training Concert Band that will commence in Term 3 2008.

Congratulations to all students involved and also to Mr Laughton and Mr McLaren for preparing the students so thoroughly.

Winter Concert

The 2008 Winter Concert showcased many exceptional music, dance, speech and drama items, in a fresh new format with the emphasis on bringing the students and performing groups closer to the audience. In between each main stage item, the audience was regaled from the smaller platform stages set in front of the main stage, with performances from the many smaller ensembles while the set-up crew prepared the larger stage for the next act. Not only did this make the transition between acts much smoother, it also allowed the appreciative audience to be given a taste of the diverse range of music practiced, perfected and performed by the Performing Arts students of Beaconhills College.

It was a very successful event, and all students and staff are to be congratulated on presenting such a professional evening on Performing Arts items.

Don’t miss the inaugural End of Year Concert to be held in early December which will be sure to surprise and delight all who attend.

Wes Smith
Head of Performing Arts

Speech and Drama Soiree

A highlight of the Speech and Drama programme for both Village and Valley campuses is the Oral Presentations and Performances Soiree (OPP) held each year at the end of first semester. This combined campus event was held on Thursday 12 June at the Valley Campus and 26 students took turns to present their three-minute prepared talks to an audience of family members. The audience was well entertained by amazingly diverse subjects, such as Chickens, Tomatoes, Tigers, Horses, Cleopatra, Famous Inventions, Vikings, Littering, Children in Crisis and Do Adults Really Listen? Some talks were humorous, some addressed serious issues, but all were interesting and clearly showed the end result of the term’s work studying oral communication and public speaking. The evening concluded with the presentation of Trinity Guildhall Examination Certificates.

Carolyn Ebdon
Speech and Drama Teacher

Generations in Jazz Music Festival

As part of our co-curricular programme, the College sent Jazz Bands from both campuses attended the Generations in Jazz Music Festival which was held in Mount Gambier, South Australia on Friday 23 May and concluded on Sunday 25 May. This was a great opportunity for our students to perform at a prestigious jazz festival and to experience musical performances by the Australian Army Band, James Morrison and many past winners of scholarships provided by Generations in Jazz.

The weekend included other activities such as competitions, workshops with professional jazz musicians and attending concerts featuring some of the top Jazz ensembles from a variety of high profile educational institutions.

The College composite Jazz Ensemble/Stage Band performed extremely well and did both themselves and the College proud. They performed three pieces one of which was composed and arranged by Ed Wilson (of “Daly Wilson Big Band” fame) who also happened to be the adjudicator. Ed’s comments were most positive about our performance to the extent that our students should feel extremely pleased with their performance.

Don Laughton
Head of Instrumental Music - Village Campus

New Village Training Concert Band

After recently conducting the Year 5.1 and 5.3 class bands at the Year 5 Band Programme Concert, I am very pleased to announce that we currently have twenty five students from Years 5 to 8 who will be the founding members of the Village Campus Training Concert Band. The new training band will commence rehearsals in Term 3, with all students taking on sessional music lessons as part of the Training Concert Programme. There are still twenty places available for any students who have not yet returned their expression of interest forms.

It is a very exciting time for our young music students, and I am really looking forward to conducting them at their first public concert in the near future.

Wes Smith
Head of Performing Arts/Training Band Conductor

From the Sports Department

Swimming Season comes to an exciting end

After two very competitive Middle and Senior School House Swim carnivals held during the early part of Term 1 students from the Junior, Middle and Senior schools were invited to represent the Beaconhills in the major swimming meets of the season.

A squad of 30 students represented at District level and were extremely successful with most of the squad medalling and moving on to compete at Zone level. The competition was a lot tougher at Zone and 11 students were able to progress to the Regional Championships.

Bridget B was successful at the Regional level and went on to compete at the State Finals and finished in the top 15 in both of her events.

The Senior Squad came together with a team of 60 students representing Beaconhills in the SIS Division A Swimming Carnival. The night started well for the team and continued on throughout the night with many of the team members finishing in the top three of their races. The final result on the night was outstanding with our Senior Team breaking a 19 year winning streak of Padua College and taking out the Senior Shield. Overall the team finished second and are ready to take the challenge to Padua in 2009.

The season finished with our Years 3 & 4 House Carnival and the swimming on the day was superb. All students represented their House with pride and enthusiasm. The competition was close with only 10 points separating the top two teams going into the final relays and double points up for grabs. The final scores on the day were:

1st Place Dolphins 236pts
2nd Place Echidnas 210pts
3rd Place Eagles 158pts
4th Place Fireflys 156pts

Congratulations to all students involved this year in the Swimming Programme.

Scott McConchie
Head of Sport