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30-34 Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham VIC 3810
92 Kangan Dr, Berwick VIC 3806
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Learning that Matters
Yesterday, our Little Beacons raised $768.55 with their ‘Market for Bangladesh’ fundraiser.
Children of all age groups made goods to sell, including shortbread biscuits, sun catches, succulent pot plants and much more.
All proceeds go directly towards the Kindergarten in Bangladesh. Thank you so much to the children, staff and parent volunteers who helped with the fantastic event.
The Year 4 Pakenham Campus basketball team has won the state finals of the Hooptime basketball competition this week.
The College had a boys’ team from each campus competing, with the Year 6 team from Berwick making through to the elimination final.
Congratulations to both teams on the strong results, as well as coaches Tracy Feiner and Troy Stevens (Pakenham) and Year 8 coaches from the Berwick Campus Ben Forbes and Corey Brown.
State champions! The Year 4 team from Pakenham Campus
Berwick Campus Year 6 team
Beaconhills College has launched a ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’ campaign to help provide good quality children’s school shoes and stationery for local families in need.
The College has partnered with the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Pakenham-based charity 4C’s to call for donations of good quality used school shoes, sports shoes, footy boots and stationery such as pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners and pencil cases.
Senior students will help collect donations at the College’s Pakenham and Berwick Campus receptions on Monday 11 December from 3-5pm and Tuesday 12 December from 9-11am. Donations can be made any time to the Little Beacons Learning Centre reception from Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 December. Thanks for your generosity!
• Please only bring shoes that are in good condition and are cleaned, polished and tied together by shoe laces or paired together using rubber bands.
With more than 40 long-term international students, a new residential facility next to our Pakenham Campus, extra study tours and a suite of academic programs, Beaconhills’ international program is truly moving to an exciting new level in 2018.
Why? What are the benefits for our College community – and for your children?
I believe we have an obligation to give our students opportunities to better understand and appreciate cultural differences. For more than 30 years, our students have been able to learn new languages, take part in service and cultural programs overseas and host international students in their own homes. The benefits have been immense. The richness it has brought to their lives – personally, and in many cases professionally, is immeasurable.
Beaconhills now has a new Head of International Student Programs, Pooja Gupta, who leads our international programs, with Michael Johnson heading the International Teaching and Learning.
With a busy 2018 planned for study tours, the team is keen to hear from families who like to be homestay hosts for short or long-term students. If you would like to help give one of our international students the experience of living with an Australian family (and there is a payment for hosting) I invite you to email us on international@beaconhills.vic.edu.au
Chinese student Steve Shao (left) has enjoyed his stay this year with homestay hosts Wendy and Noel Saunders
Exciting news for Pakenham Campus student Callum Porter who has been drafted to the Western Bulldogs Football Club at pick #74.
Callum has had a busy year balancing his Year 12 studies and sporting commitments, but his hard work has paid off. The Gippsland Power Vice-Captain was the 2017 College Sports and Millett House Captain. Congratulations to Callum on his fantastic achievements.
A fantastic guitar cake created by Year 9 Berwick Campus student Mitchell Johnston has earned first prize in the Dandenong Show cake-decorating competition held earlier this month.
Mitchell created the cake for his Personal Best project. He entered the cake in the Dandenong Show’s adult novice section and not only won first place in that section, but champion in show.
Mitchell said the cake took about 12 hours to make, including baking, woodwork and decorating.
“The hardest part was putting the strings on the guitar, as the icing was too soft to hold them tight,” he said.
It’s not the first time Mitchell has entered his cake creations in the show – he entered a 3D octopus cake when he was only 10 years old.
Despite his cooking abilities, Mitchell has no real aspirations for a career in food: “I would like to be a vet, but I will enjoy making cakes for friends and family in my spare time.”
This kitchen at the Railaco Pre-Secondary College in East Timor must produce around 550 lunches each day for students. We want to help.
Thanks to two of Beaconhills College’s Food Services initiatives, we believe we can raise the $11,000 US needed for a new kitchen at Railaco in less than a year.
Our BeaconMeals program, where Year 8 Certificate of Excellence students prepare family-sized meals for sale through the College, is already supporting local charity 4C’s by way of donation of surplus meals. Now we plan to direct profits from all BeaconMeals sales to the Railaco kitchen project.
In addition, our Food Services department has recently launched ‘Beacon Boxes’. This scheme enables our community to order fresh vegetable boxes through FarmGate and have them delivered fresh to the College each week for collection. Up to 10 per cent of profits from these sales will now also go to the Railaco kitchen project.
Beaconhills College has long supported schools in East Timor and our Year 10s will again have the opportunity to visit the East Timor schools in 2018. I am absolutely delighted that we are able to further support education in East Timor through our College initiatives.
Railaco school kitchen, East Timor
Beaconhills College canteen, Pakenham Campus.
Each year, our Year 9 students have one term to work on a project that is their personal passion and bring it to fruition.
The astounding breadth of creativity never fails to amaze teachers, parents and students when the works finally go on display – and this year was no exception.
Each student’s interests clearly shone through in the finished products. At the Pakenham Campus, Tylah Ryder showed her love of all things equestrian by making a western leather saddle, while Jacqui Dunstan created her own horse jump. Berwick Campus projects varied from a stock whip to a range of sports cream. Madeline Hawley spent nearly 90 hours painstakingly folding paper cranes to create her magnificent art piece.
Beaconhills was the first school in Victoria to introduce an on-campus Year 9 program, in response to the observation that Year 9 was traditionally when students switched off from their learning – often the most unproductive of the senior years. The program became the blueprint for many similar programs in schools across the state.
Here is a selection of photos of project from both campuses this term.
School holidays just got a whole lot easier thanks to a range of programs now on offer at Beaconhills College.
Whether it’s craft, kite flying, kicking a footy, picnics or pancake making, there is something to appeal to all ages and interests.
Little Beacons Learning Centre has a three-day vacation care program from 11-13 December which includes activities such as Christmas craft and a fantastic excursion to the Lillydale Lake ‘splash pad’.
Sports-loving students will enjoy the College’s Multisport program from 11-15 December with a choice of tennis, basketball, floorball, netball, gymnastics, tee ball and soccer.
Go to the College Shop on our website to find more info and under ‘camps and co-curricular’ and ‘courses’ (Junior School art program).
Lest we forget
Students from both campuses attended poignant Remembrance Day services earlier this week, to observe a minute silence for those Australians who have died as a result of war.
At the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month, we remember them.
Year 7 camp
Early Explorers site sod turned
College Facebook page temporarily unavailable.
Top Class Drama award
Lockdown Information
Headmaster concludes service in 2021
Paige is a Top Class Dancer
Emerging artists
Grant to help build ‘nature’s classroom’
Seetali’s solar farm
Staff Day focuses on renewal
Georgia’s Top Art
Get set for the new Community Arts and Recreation Centre
Vale Neville Clark
World Teachers’ Day
7 key questions to ask when choosing a school
The importance of regular school attendance
Combatting racism starts with education
Get ready for a return to school
Supporting our community through crisis
Term 2, with a difference
Online Learning to continue into term 2
Support for health care workers
From humble beginnings
Celebrating student leadership in 2021
1300 002 225 | Int: +613 5945 3001
reception@beaconhills.vic.edu.au
Pakenham Campus
Berwick Campus
Little Beacons
Gate C, Syme Rd, Pakenham VIC 3810