Beaconhills College

A sausage and a song: Beaconhills Middle School choir members (l-r) Caitlyn P and Georgina M enjoyed chatting to Evergreen Retirement Village resident John McKay at the barbecue after the Christmas concert.

Beaconhills College’s Middle School choir was warmly welcomed at the Evergreen Retirement Village in Pakenham recently to entertain residents with some Christmas carols.

The students delighted residents with their performance of a few well-known carols, along with some other modern arrangements. A barbecue after the show gave the students a chance to meet the residents and have a chat.

Music teacher Lauren Lee said the excursion was all about engaging with the local community through song and fellowship. She said it was a great success and the residents really enjoyed the concert.

“The students were able to bring some Christmas cheer, socialise with the residents and share stories,” she said.”

“It was the chance to sing to a very attentive audience, which gave students some valuable performance experience plus the opportunity to relate to more mature members of our community.

“The students had to be encouraged initially to get talking, but once they got going I found it hard to drag them away when it was time to leave.”

The choir is already booked to go back to the retirement village next year.

Pakenham Campus softball and Berwick Campus cricket teams smashed their way to victory in the final of the SEISA (South Eastern Independent Schools Association) junior summer competition, both defeating Newhaven College.

Pakenham’s boys’ basketball team was also victorious against Berwick Campus, winning 24-18.

Softball coach Elaine Simpson said the girls recorded an “awesome” 19-11 victory against the previously unbeaten opposition and showed great teamwork on the day.

Rob Murray from the Berwick Campus said the junior boys’ A cricket team made premiers for the second year in a row, with Jack B batting 25 to help the team win 117 to 31.

“The boys went through the season undefeated,” Mr Murray said. “Their highest total for the year was 200 against St Pauls and the leading run scorer for the year was Yash P (team captain), who averaged 62.5 with the bat and was only dismissed once for the year.”

“They were very strong in both batting and bowling and were never really challenged throughout the year. A very talented group of young cricketers!”

Berwick’s junior boys’ cricket team

Pakenham Campus junior softballers were winners

Dylan (left) with sports commentator Sandy Roberts at the book launch

Dylan Beaumont, 12, has published and launched a unique interactive ebook called BallSports which reflects his passion for all things sport.

Now available in iTunes, BallSports includes slideshows, video footage, instructional guides and ‘wow’ moments, as well as exclusive interviews with some of Australia’s leading sports commentators.

It even has Dylan’s own commentary on the St Kilda vs Collingwood Grand Final, with NBA basketball, cricket, tennis and soccer also covered.

Well-known commentator Sandy Roberts was one of the identities Dylan approached for an interview. He made a guest appearance at Berwick’s Middle School Assembly on Tuesday 17 November, when Dylan interviewed him live on stage as part of the ebook launch.

Mr Roberts praised Dylan for his achievement and said he fielded a number of interview requests, but Dylan was the “most enthusiastic”.

“For someone of your age to put together the interviews…the variety you provided and the depth you went into…you should be commended,” he said.

And he had some sage advice for students like Dylan who were aiming for a career as a sports commentator: “Do your homework and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions!”

Dylan won first prize in the Years 5-6 category for BallSports at the Young Explorers ICT competition held on 29 August at Monash University, after working on the project for nine months.

He subsequently went on to launch the book on iTunes, with a portion of the proceeds of each book sold donated to the Beehive Foundation, a charity which helps young people build resilience, self-esteem and confidence.

Dylan said he wanted to start a website where he could blog about sports in general and interact with viewers.

“I hope to write further ebooks and place them on my website to share with my viewers,” he said. “This will be ongoing venture, as one day I would like to become a sports commentator just like my favourites who appear in my ebook.”

You can go to the iBooks Store to download BallSports for only $2.99.

Winners (l-r) Winston L, Rachel C and Steven S

Beaconhills College was strongly represented in the recent City of Casey Fresh Words awards, with seven of the College’s students among the 27 award recipients.

Fresh Words is an annual competition which celebrates the talents of emerging young authors, poets and songwriters.

Beaconhills’ international students were star performers in the English as a Second Language Year 11/12 category, with Rachel C taking first prize and Winston L runner-up. In the Year 9/10 category, Shao (Steve) S and Vivienne F were both runners-up.

Our local Year 9 and Middle School students also extremely well, with Russell R winning the Year 9/10 Creative Writing award and D’Jay C and Olivia runners-up in the Year 9/10 Poetry and Lyrics category.

International Programs Co-ordinator Susan Wood was at the ceremony and was delighted to see the international students collect their awards.

“I think it is a really strong endorsement of the success of our EAL (English as an Additional Language) programs,” Mrs Wood said.

Berwick Campus Year 12 student Mason Peatling has earned a place in USA’s Eastern Washington University basketball program.

The talented 6’8” (200cm) basketballer has played the last two years for the Dandenong Rangers in the South East Australian Basketball League and was chosen to represent Victoria Metro at the Under-20 Australian Junior Basketball Championships.

Mason will visit the States with his mum in December then head over again in June next year in preparation for the 2016/17 NCAA season with the Eastern Washington University ‘Eagles’.

He said the selection process had taken a year, with the Eagles flying out coaches twice to meet with him and his family.

Mason said he was still deciding which degree to study in the States, but was leaning towards business.

He is excited about the chance to move a step closer to his dream of becoming an NBA player, but knows the competition will be tough.

“It’s a lot more physical than here, “ he said. “But this is definitely going to the next level.”

As well as distinguishing himself on the basketball court at Beaconhills, Mason has also excelled academically – he was Dux in Year 9 and received the Best All Rounder award in Year 11.

Elliot and Hayley at the competition

Two Beaconhills students have taken out first and second prize in the Rotary Club of Pakenham’s Primary School Public Speaking Competition held on 27 October.

Hayley D (Year 6) was the champion speaker with her speech ‘Stop That Bullying’, with Elliot P (Year 6) runner-up with his topic ‘We Can Make a Difference’. Hayley was awarded $300 and Elliot $200.

Teacher Rosemary Jackson-Smith said both students had worked incredibly hard to prepare their speeches.

“These students are a credit to their parents and the College,” she said. “Their standard of public speaking was head and shoulders above all other competitors.”

Students choose their own topics for the competition and do their own research.

Skipping Siennas: Year 3 students Sienna O (left) and Sienna W were enthusiastic participants in Jump Rope for Heart

Beaconhills College is now the second highest fundraiser in Victoria and the fourth in Australia in the Heart Foundation’s Jump Rope for Heart program.

To date, students at the College’s Pakenham Campus Junior School have raised a staggering $22,911 for the cause through a series of skipping activities in recent months.

The amount raised well exceeds Beaconhills’ previous record of $15,000 in 2013.

Physical Education teacher Renyce McConnell said it was a “huge achievement” for the students to raise so much money.

“They loved being part of it and also enjoyed the fact it was helping others,” Ms O’Connell said. “Heart disease doesn’t affect just one group of people in our community and I think this cause really resonated with our families.”

Students took part in skipping workshops and were inspired by a visit from the Rockbank Xtreme Skipping Team.

Beaconhills was one of hundreds of schools across Australia which took part in the Jump Rope for Heart event.

Heart Foundation CEO, Mary Barry, said Jump Rope for Heart was a health education, health promotion and fundraising program rolled into one where children learn about the importance of being heart healthy and making healthy lifestyle choices.

“It’s a fantastic initiative for schools to be involved in – it’s great for confidence, strength, co-ordination, teamwork skills, cardiovascular health and fitness, and heart health knowledge,” Ms Barry said.

“The program is uniquely positioned to educate families, school communities and students about the importance of keeping their hearts healthy through regular physical activity and balanced nutrition.”