Beaconhills College

Congratulations to Pakenham brothers Bailey and Jack Christie, who made a splash at the recent National Skiing Championships.

Bailey, Year 10, achieved Silver in Slalom, 5^th in Jumps, Gold in Tricks and was awarded Silver overall. While competing at Nationals Bailey broke a Trick and Overall State record, in his first year in the U17 category.
He has now been selected to ski in Spain in August at the Junior World Championships, one of six skiers to represent Australia.

Older brother Jack, Year 12, was awarded Gold in Slalom, Bronze in Trick, 4^th in Jumps and the overall Gold Medal at the National competition.  He has now been recognised as one of the top five skiers in the world, with an invitation to compete in the US Masters next month.

Phenomenal results boys!

Bailey Christie skiing at the Australian National Championships

Jack Christie skiing at the Australian National Championships

Seeing Sherbrooke Forest through the eyes of Wurundjeri elder Murrundindi was a special cultural experience last week for our Year 3 students from the Pakenham Campus Junior School.

Beaconhills College cadets formed a guard of honour at Bunjil Place, Narre Warren, during the launch of the book Victoria Cross, Australia Remembers on 21 April.

The book tells the stories of Australian Defence Force members who have received the Victoria Cross, the highest award in the Australian honours system.

Our cadets stood with members of the Navy and the Air Force Cadets for Keith Payne VC and Doug Baird, father of Cameron Baird VC. Today the Beaconhills Cadet Unit are attending the Dawn Service at Pakenham and the Berwick ANZAC Day March.

Helsinki here we come! Floorball champions Annie Lean (Year 12 Pakenham Campus) and Beaconhills alumnus Emily Noney are heading to training camp in Finland before competing in the World Cup in Switzerland on Wed 2 May.

Best of luck to the girls.

Emily Noney (left) and Annie Lean are excited to be representing Australia in floorball

Thanks to everyone who told us where they would like their Relay for Life fundraising money directed.

The results of our quick poll showed that most people nominated ‘all cancers’ as their preferred area of cancer research.

Beaconhills Cardinia and Casey Relay for Life events raised a grand total of $45,645.65, thanks to the efforts of our 444 walkers and those who supported and donated money to the events. The amount was enough to earn the College two Cancer Council Victoria Research Awards.

The College’s Head of Citizenship and Service, Clare Tuohy, said it was an outstanding example of service in action.

We are delighted to share with our community the stunning recent equestrian success of Year 6 Berwick student Poppi Plumb.

Riding at the Grand National show in Sydney, and judged by international judges, she was announced the winner of the Shetland Pony class, runner-up of First Ridden and 2nd runner-up Show Hunter Pony.

Competing at the Sydney Royal Easter Show she was named Champion Show Hunter Pony, and Reserve Champion Girl Rider U12.

Congratulations Poppi on some highly impressive achievements!

Photo by Little More Grace Photography

Dear Beaconhills College community – you have raised the cancer fighting fund, now where should we spend it? The final Relay for Life fundraising tally is $45,645.65. What an outstanding effort from our 444 walkers and donors! Please post your comments on which area of cancer research we should support, thanks to our 2018 Cancer Council Victoria Research Awards. All suggestions welcomed.

• Breast cancer – six projects focusing on treatment and causes for all ages
• Leukaemia – three projects focusing on the disease, its treatment and causes
• Leukaemia and lymphoma – six projects focusing on early detection, treatment and causes
• Melanoma – one project focusing on treatment for all ages groups
• Anal cancer – early detection and prevention of this cancer in adults and indigenous Australians
• Bowel/gastric cancer – one project focusing on treatment
• Epithelial cancer – research into causes and early detection of epithelial cancers (cancer that begins in the cells lining an organ)
• Bowel/breast/lymphoma/lung/melanoma – one project in final year developing novel immunotherapy
• All cancers – two projects focusing on causes and treatments for all cancers
• Lung cancer – project focusing on new treatments
• Bone cancer – one project focusing on bone cancer
• Mesothelioma – new treatments being researched by The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
• Liver/Hepatocellular – cancer research

We congratulate everyone who participated in the Cardinia and Casey Relay for Life events.

Little Beacons Learning Centre has just achieved two more benchmarks of the State Government’s Healthy Together Achievement Program. It now has five of the six benchmarks services can attain with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyles and improving places where people live, learn, work and play. The centre recently achieved ‘Safe Environments’ and ‘Tobacco Control’ and will soon complete the set of six.

Head of Little Beacons, Vicki Reid, said the program supports the centre’s focus on a holistic approach to healthy living – very much in line with the underlying principles of Beaconhills College.

If you are wondering what our Class of 2017 students are up to, here’s some information on their tertiary destinations and chosen fields of study.

Beaconhills College is pleased to report that 96 per cent of students who applied for tertiary courses through VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) received an offer. Seventy-seven per cent of the Class of 2017 headed to university, 14 per cent to the workforce/other, seven per cent to TAFE and two per cent had an independent tertiary offer.

The City of Casey invited Berwick Campus school captains and vice-captains to a Casey School Leaders reception last month at Bunjil Place to celebrate their appointments to the role.

Caitlyn Pritchard, Riley Boland, Nakeesha Vogrig and Ben Casey were among the school leaders across the City of Casey who attended. Keynote speaker on the night was Sam Webb, the co-founder of mental health charity organisation Livin.

Last year’s Berwick Campus captain Zac Vogrig did a brilliant job as MC on the night. The student leaders are pictured here with Sam Webb (centre).