Principal's News 2026 Term 2 Week 6
By Simon Doyle, Principal
Community Connections
Community events are a big part of our life at BDC and, since our enormous and fun filled Mothers Day breakfast, we have welcomed many onto the College grounds through our recent Kindy Pop In, Open Day, and our showcase for World Options and performing arts evening. Many families, both new and continuing, have taken the time to check out why BDC has the best start to school on the Coffs Coast you can experience for your children.
This included meeting our Kindergarten teachers, Mrs Sam Maker, our Kindy Engagement Coordinator, Mrs Sarah Stokes, our Head of Primary, and many of our staff in our wonderful classrooms. Many excited families I met were for Kindergarten 2028 or 2030. The decision to join BDC often starts well before that last year before “big school”. We welcome all enquiries, no matter how early you start to look at making this important decision for your family.
Open Day 2026
During Open Day 2026 we were joined by a number of our Parent Ambassadors, thank you, who with our student leaders accompanied the tour groups around the College. I want to thank these parents for investing in sharing their experience at BDC with new families. Some came off night shift and others juggled busy family commitments or work hours. Having your experience shared with new families makes a great difference.
If you are interested in becoming a Parent Ambassador for BDC, please check out our website https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/community/parent-ambassador-program
Throughout Open Day the weather provided a fun challenge as we navigated the campus and, once again, we had a variety of family backgrounds. Some are already joining BDC, some were visiting for the first time after enrolment for 2027, and some were just curious to see what The BDC Advantage looks like. Tours included our virtual tour and information for BDC Horizon Online enrolments.
The diverse range from Kindergarten to Year 11 families was wonderful to see and it was inspiring to listen to children’s aspirations, from becoming a dancer or entering the trades, to studying to become a doctor in my groups.
Partnerships and Support Announcement
Bishop Druitt College has been proud to announce an innovative community partnership with McGrath Estate Agents, supporting both the BDC Barracudas Sporting Club and the BDC High Performance Program. This unique model directly connects community engagement with the development of grassroots sport and elite student athlete pathways at BDC.
Thank you to Mr Troy Pinder and his team for their support of our students.
Supporting Our Community
Many families, individuals, and local businesses support the College through Christmas hampers, bake sales, food bank donations, raffle prizes, donations for BBQs, travel, and service projects in many different ways. We thank you for the generosity you show across each year in making a difference for our school students.
Pentecost Services
Rev Lisa Williamson and our students led our Pentecost Services for primary and secondary with a focus on the birthday of the Church. Thank you to our families who could join us at the primary service last week.
Kindergarten or Year 11 2027?
2027 enrolments are still being accepted for Kindergarten or Year 11 2027, with limited places in other year groups as well for 2027, and we encourage you to contact our enrolments team for further information on joining us at BDC.
enrolments@bdc.nsw.edu.au
https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/join-our-college/steps-to-enrolment
Perks and Perspectives Meet and Greet
Can you join us for morning tea and meet myself, key staff, or our friends from Ukraine?
Global Connections
Our community is a caring and generous family. We see this every day in many different ways. A 2026 focus assisting a school in Ukraine was led by the Act Local Care Global Year 6 to 8 service program with Mrs Bruggemann. I can share that the first student art packs have arrived at the school.
I want to thank our families and students for these creative ideas and actions that will make a difference to children under the most extreme conditions in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. This is living our College motto, Faithfulness in Service.
An education group of three staff will also be joining us for three weeks this term to share their experiences with staff and students, life in Ukraine, what school is like, traditions, and culture. We will share more of their visit in the next newsletter.
Performing Arts
A large number of students have been enjoying their love of the performing arts in the Battle of the Bands, Oliver the musical at the Jetty Theatre, and our local eisteddfods. Thank you to the staff and families for your assistance and support of over 200 students across these opportunities. We have a very creative and performance-minded student group.
Looking Ahead
We look forward to the second half of Term 2 with a number of key events, EYE Week, academic reports, and we culminate in our annual Foundation Day Service on the last day of Term 2. You are warmly invited to attend the service.
Last week we were fortunate to have a number of local elders onsite for a yarn up and this week we recognised National Sorry Day on 26th May. Our staff have also completed a Cultural Afternoon led by our Aboriginal Education Officer, Ms Cailin Walpole. In 2026 we have moved our NAIDOC Week Assembly to the start of Term 3.
The long weekend will be a nice short break for many families and, for HSC students, a chance to refresh and come back into focus for the final Term 2 study and assessment needs.
More key dates this term
Primary Athletics Carnival - 1st June
Secondary Athletics Carnival – 2nd June
Cup Cake Day - 9th June
Perks and Perspectives - See flyer above for dates and venues
EYE Week - 22 June
Foundation Day Assembly - 26th June
As we all gather and stand upon Country, may we acknowledge and respect Gumbaynggirr Land and the thousands of years’ worth of both physical and spiritual connection to Country, culture and teachings embedded forever within these Lands.