Bayside Bulletin Newsletter, 24 October 2023 | Bayside Christian College Hervey Bay

Principal’s Message

How do we prepare children for the world around them? How do we help them make sense of all that is going on? How do we change our futures?

There is little doubt in my mind that we are at a pivotal point in our journey on this earth. The depravity that we have seen in our recent history has been truly evil, and there are times when I believe that the forces of evil seem to be winning. This is observed not only in world conflict, but in far more personal examples such as our relentless drive for the next thing, the manner in which we speak to each other and the way we treat other people. When we do these things, we do in fact turn away from our God.

Sitting in Hervey Bay, there is not a lot we can do to stop or prevent world conflict, but we can absolutely change the manner in which we respond to each other. Do we hold people to account for the libellous, defamatory, and horrid things they say online? Do we stand up for others against such cowardice? Do we ensure that even when we are upset, aggrieved, or indeed hurt that we respond with love and care? Do we build our relationship with God? Do we seek His help? Do we seek to understand His plan for us? Are we listening for His will?

If we want our children to have a future, one that is positive, one in which they will be supported by all around them, to live in a society in which they will be respected and cared for, do we not need to make sure they will do this for all others? When did we ever take the view that it is “us” against the world? God allowed His only Son to live as one of us, to teach us about God, to encourage us to be in a relationship with God, and then to die for us. What a sacrifice? How could one express a greater love?

Sadly, as fallen individuals we will ALL make mistakes, we will transgress against our neighbours, and we will fail to treat our neighbour as ourselves. We do, however, make a deliberate choice in choosing to continue down this path or to make the change that we need – one interaction, one person, one act of kindness at a time. We choose to follow God’s ways or like in the Garden of Eden, disobey, and turn our backs on our God? How can we do this if we truly believe in God?

It seems to me that there is a direct correlation between declining social standards and the rapid fall of community and the decline of faith and religious practice. If we would only stop and see all that God has done for us, would we not approach all others with even greater kindness, positivity, and graciousness?

Bayside Christian College has Christian principles central to our name and our existence. To be a member of this community there is an expectation that all in our community will act with kindness and respect to each other, that we will support each other, and that we will strive to not enter into dispute but rather actively promote kindness and love for all.

There are times when we struggle with such positivity and loving gestures, but in our times of strife, are these not the times we should give more of ourselves? To seek the loving grace from God? To seek God’s provision through the help of others?

I have met thousands of parents in my 30+ years in education, and the one thing they all have in common is they want the very best for their child. Sadly, not all want the best for other people’s children – just their own. If we seek and want a caring environment, one with high morals and values, we need to seek this in ourselves, before we seek it in others.

We have been given the freedom to choose whether to live as God intended or to turn our backs on Him. Living as God intended is not always easy, but it is through our faith in Him that we will be supported, encouraged, and ultimately be given a place with Him in eternity. The choice is ours. If we seek the best for our children, we will encourage and teach them in the way they should behave to all others, and from this they will not stray.

B Grimes
Principal/ CEO

Deputy Principal’s Message

As we look back on the past fortnight, I feel blessed to have witnessed the incredible hard-work, dedication, and commitment of our staff to make our school events possible. It is truly heartwarming to see our school community come together, and I have much gratitude for their tireless efforts.

This fortnight was a bustling one, with a series of events that showcased not only the diverse talents of our students but also the unity and spirit of our wonderful staff. At the 8–12 Years Swimming Carnival, I had the privilege of observing the excellent teamwork of our staff members; from teachers to teacher assistants, groundskeepers, and bus drivers. Each one played a pivotal role in ensuring that the event ran smoothly and, most importantly, that our students had an enjoyable experience, making life-long memories and learning important skills.

In the true spirit of teamwork, our staff members modelled the importance of ‘having a go’ and emphasised to our students that it is not always about competition, but about working together and giving your best. Their actions served as an inspiration to all, reinforcing our commitment to nurturing academic excellence, character, and values. Kudos to our incredible staff for their meticulous organisation, and thank you to our students, for displaying exemplary behaviour by adhering to our school values throughout the day. We’re also deeply appreciative of the parents and community members who joined us, adding their support and enthusiasm to the event.

Our MADD (Music, Art, Dance, and Drama) Night Showcase was indeed, a night to remember. I would like to express my thanks to our parents and community members who cheered on our talented students. These young individuals demonstrated courage, by battling stage fright and stepping out of their comfort zones to share their incredible talents. It was a beautiful celebration of perseverance and the God-given gifts that make each of us unique.

I want to offer a special thank you to Mrs Muller and all the staff members who worked diligently behind the scenes to organise and prepare MADD night. Your efforts did not go unnoticed, and the entire community were privileged to witness the inspiring display of music, art, dance, and drama from our talented students.

Many of our Junior School students participated in their first swimming lesson last Friday. Learning essential water safety skills is vital, considering our coastal location. It is reassuring to see our young learners of the Bayside community, being equipped with these life-saving skills.

In the spirit of service to the community, let us reflect on the words of 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” We are indeed, blessed to be part of the wonderful community of mateship at Bayside Christian College, where our staff, students, parents, and community members come together as one, supporting each other in our shared journey of education, growth, and faith.

Edelle Broadhurst
Deputy Principal

Queensland Meningococcal B (MenB) Vaccination Program

Information for Parents/Guardians of students in Year 10

Commencement of the Queensland Meningococcal B (Men B) Vaccination Program

Meningococcal disease is a rare but serious infection caused by bacteria that enter the body through the nose or throat. These bacteria are more commonly found in teenagers and young adults.

While most people recover fully from a meningococcal infection, some individuals can experience lasting health issues like limb deformities, skin scars, hearing problems, and possible loss of brain function. About one-third of children and teenagers who survive meningococcal disease develop permanent complications.

There are different types of strains of meningococcal bacteria. Thanks to improved vaccinations against some types, the meningococcal B strain is now becoming the leading cause of illness and death from this disease in Queensland.

Queensland Year 10 students are routinely offered free vaccination to protect against meningococcal strains A, C W and Y through the Queensland School Immunisation Program.

Commencing in the 2024 school year, the Queensland School Immunisation Program will also provide Year 10 students vaccination against the meningococcal strain, which require two doses.

Previously, funded meningococcal B vaccine was only available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and individuals with specific medical risk factors. However, the Queensland MenB Vaccination Program will now make the meningococcal B vaccine available free of charge for all eligible infants, children, and adolescents in Queensland.

Parents of Year 10 students will receive a package containing a consent form and information about the vaccines offered in the Queensland School Immunisation Program. It is important to read this information and discuss it with your child, once you are comfortable, please complete, sign, and return the consent form to your child’s school.

The consent form can also be downloaded at https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/school-based-vaccination-program Children will not be vaccinated unless a signed consent form has been returned.

People with certain medical conditions associated with an increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease (such as a deficiency of complement components, functional or anatomical asplenia, HIV, or recipients of a haematopoietic stem cell transplant) are recommended to receive extra booster doses of meningococcal vaccines. Please discuss this with your doctor.

For more information, visit the following links.

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/immunisation/meningococcal-b https://conditions.health.qld.gov.au/HealthCondition/condition/14/33/95/meningococcal-disease

Emergency Services visit Sunshine Kindy

This week we have been learning about our Emergency Services and how much they help us in many ways. We were very fortunate to be able to have visits from the Fire Service and the Police Force.

On Wednesday the firefighters came to visit us at Kindy. We sat under the big tree and firefighter Mark talked to us about fire safety. If there is a fire in our house, we yell out “FIRE, FIRE!” to let the adults know there is a fire. If there is a fire in the house, we “GET DOWN LOW AND GO, GO, GO!” to get out of the house and be safe. We also learnt that we don’t go back inside for anything as it is not safe, let the firefghters do it. Once we had finished learning about keeping safe, we went up near the fire truck to have turns spraying the fire hose with firefighter Mark. What a fun morning!

Thursday was another exciting morning for the children, with a very special visit from the police. A police visit was organised in the lead up to our emergency evacuation and lock down practice week. This visit aimed to help the children understand that the police are here to help and support us if we ever need them.

Acting Senior Constable Holly from Maryborough Police Station spoke to the children about the police uniform, how to identify police in our community and how the police are always here to help if needed. She then pointed out the different items she carried around as part of her uniform — taser, handcuffs. The children also used their literacy and numeracy skills to locate the police badge, “000″ and the word “Police” on the stickers she gave us.

We said a huge thank you to Acting Senior Constable Holly as she left us.

QKLG: Connectedness — Building positive relationships.

QKLG: Communicating — Exploring and expanding language.

QKLG: Well being — Exploring ways to be healthy and safe.

Year 1 Science

This term Year 1 are studying ‘living things’ in science. This week, Mrs Ashton visited 1Q and 1T to investigate how living things looked under the microscope.

Spelling Bee

On Saturday Bayside Christian College had four teams compete at the Station Square Spelling Bee. We had two teams who made it through to thrilling tie-breakers and our Year Four team won their heat with a perfect score. They go onto compete in the finals on the 4th of November. Well done to all participants!

Good luck to our senior teams who compete next Saturday (28th October)!

3T Sock Puppets

On Friday 3T finished the week creatively making sock puppets. This is part of a design project which culminates in them presenting the Christian Creation Story as a puppet show. They also practiced their sharing, taking turns and co-operating skills. It was a lovely way to finish a busy week.

3T make Robots

Last week 3T had a lot of fun doing an assessment on 3D shapes and angles. They made 3D shapes from 2D nets and then used the 3D shapes to make some wonderful robots.

5T Patterns

5T are learning about number patterns and creating a general rule to find the 50th and 100th term. Using matchsticks they created a pattern and developed a rule that would make it easier to calculate the number required as the pattern expanded. The students learnt very quickly that using a general rule was more efficient than sitting and counting out matchsticks. They were keen to apply this knowledge to more complex patterns and were amazed how easy it was to find patterns and create rules.

Year 10 Chemistry

Year 10 science students are studying chemistry this term. Here they are investigating the signs of a chemical change.

Year 10 Science 2 | Bayside Christian College Hervey Bay

Forensic Science

Last week Forensic Science students investigated the problems that can be associated with eye witness testimony. They discovered that it wasn’t as easy as they thought to be able to remember and describe items or a person after they were no longer present. This week students learnt how to analyse and process fingerprints. They then applied this knowledge to match crime scene fingerprints with a suspect’s, to determine if they was guilty of the crime.

Marine Science

Year 12 Marine science students are studying the causes of rising sea levels. In this experiment they are investigating the effects of thermal expansion.

Bumper Sticker Winner!

Congratulations to our bumper sticker winner, Sheena, seen by one of our spotters. The college will be in contact with you to present your prize of two $50 vouchers for Enzo’s!

To be in the running for this fabulous prize, grab a sticker from admin, stick it on your vehicle – and you may be the next winner!

Bayside Hurdler

Jack Mitchell has finished 7th fastest in the finals of the 110m hurdles at the Queensland School Sports Track and Field Championships over the weekend.

Lucky Day for all Swimmers

Check out the photos here:
More swimming photos

Friday 13th did not live up to its reputation, far from it. The day saw all the 9–12 year olds jump on the bus and travel to the Hervey Bay Aquatic Centre to compete in a friendly house competition. As well as 50m competitive races, there were also 25m races and novelty races which included the ducky race, seahorse pool noodle race and the most anticipated boat race. Everyone who participated thoroughly enjoyed themselves swimming hard and enjoying the comradery. The staff refused to be left out and got involved in the novelty races and took first place in the 4 x 50m relay. A great day was had by all, many thanks to those who made it possible and continuing to build positive sporting culture at Bayside.

Congratulations must go to the following:

9yr old Girls
Runner up: Rebecca Yeatman
Winner: Maya Neething

9yr old Boys
Runner up: Romeijn Mennard
Winner: Aaron Cummins and Maxwell Renton

10yr old Girls
Runner up: Elizabeth O’Neill
Winner: Grace Murphy

10yr old Boys
Runner up: Judah Friesen

11yr old Girls
Runner up: Eden Hamilton
Winner: Sophie France

11yr old Boys
Runner up: Matthew Collings

12yr old Girls
Runner up: Grace Cork
Winner: Isabella Christophers

12yr old Boys
Runner up: Harley Ferris
Winner: Myles Lloyd-Hartwig

House Results

1st: Chisholm — 566
2nd: Burrows — 440
3rd: Stace — 350
4th: Johnson — 241

Wide Bay Triathlon

It was a beautiful morning at the Wide Bay Triathlon on Sunday, October 15th. Our Multisports Excellence students put in an incredible effort, highlighting their dedication and sportsmanship. The school was represented across all 3 school-age groups, with Rory, Dyshart, and Tyler competing in the senior age group, Lilly and Imogine competing in the junior age group, and Elizabeth and Ben competing in the under 12s Aquathon.

Mrs Davis also participated in the Adult’s intermediate division, clinching first place in her first ever Triathlon!

Everyone gave it their all, and Bayside Christian College is very proud of their achievements. Congratulations to all the participants for their impressive performance, and we look forward to their continued success in the upcoming challenges.

The details:

Senior Race: 500m swim/15km bike/4km run