Welcome to the new school year, particularly students and parents who are joining us for the first time. Please keep yourself up to date with events and activities through this newsletter and by checking our Facebook page and Twitter feed.

2016 will be another exciting year for our college. Students now have full use of all the new facilities in the Ulumbarra complex. The site includes learning spaces for music, drama, dance, foods/hospitality and a student café. We also make extensive use of the new Ulumbarra Theatre. The new courtyard areas around the café are particularly attractive to students.

Later in the year we anticipate our Student Services Centre, currently under construction, to be open.

Each year, BSSC students are allocated to a House. Under this structure students and parents will have access to a dedicated team of staff for support. It’s important that students and parents quickly develop an understanding of which house they are in and who the key contacts are for that house.

New parents would have been introduced to the college online portal Compass during Blast Off interviews. Compass provides an important link between teachers, students and parents. Students and parents have separate login details and it’s important these are not shared. Among other things, students will use Compass to check their timetables, receive important notices from teachers and access work tasks and assessment grades. Parents will receive regular notifications about events through Compass and can also check attendance, work completion and grades. Parents can also approve absences online through Compass. Parents will receive separate notifications about newsletters.

College Council elections will be conducted in February. Nominations will open on Monday 8 February and close on Monday 22 February. I encourage parents with an interest in a position on council to nominate. Further details, including how to obtain a nomination form, will be provided next week. Parents may also contact the office on 5443 1222 for further details.

Dale Pearce

Principal