Principal's News 2026 Term 3 Week 3
By Simon Doyle, Principal
100 Days… that’s a lot (if you are in Kindergarten)
Our Kindergarten students recently celebrated their 100th day of learning at Bishop Druitt College. A wonderful milestone in their first year of school.
What does this look like? They now have a wonderful routine at home before they get to school, look amazing in their school uniforms (and big school bags), sit with classmates every day as they commence Crunch & Sip, know an amazing teacher or two, and have enjoyed expressing themselves at the EYE Festival. Our youngest learners have grown in confidence, curiosity and independence, embracing every opportunity to explore, create, read, count, question and discover. Their friendly smiles and waves are also part of living the values of the BDC Way through kindness, courage and a love of learning. We look forward to celebrating many more milestones as these young learners continue to flourish with their friends at BDC.
19 years old in 2029?
Year 10 will be the Class of 2028, and many will be 19 years old in the first year after graduating from BDC in 2029. I encourage you to read my article to consider what is important for our 2028 graduates.
We wish Year 10 well as they hold discussions at home with parents and carers, and engage in the extensive pathways program already underway to support their choices for Year 11, including career workshops, taster lessons, acceleration courses, curriculum information sessions and interviews this week. Thank you to Ms Andrea Wiffen, Head of Secondary; Mr Craig Verbruggen, Horizons Online; Mrs Bronwyn Kelly, Director of Learning and Teaching; Mrs Janine Ryan, Careers Pathways Coach; and Mrs Sheree Downes, Year 10 Coordinator, for creating this focus at the start of Term 3.
Grace-full Hospitality
Rev. Lisa Williamson and I have recently returned from the Anglican Schools Australia Annual Conference, where this was the theme for 2026. We were filled with a sense of generosity and hope throughout the program, which contained many moments of clarity about the wider Anglican school community, our Marks of Mission, particularly service, schools as an expression of God's generosity, worship, and the challenges schools face.
We were fortunate to hear from a range of world-class leaders, including the Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO DD (A Menu for an Abundant Life), Mr Priyan Max Jeganathan (The Audacity of Sacrifice), Ms Kim Brooklyn (The Parkerville Story) and Professor Stan Grant (A Language of Infinity).
The theme of Grace-full Hospitality challenged us not only to celebrate this within our Anglican schools, but also to continue living it in our daily lives at BDC as part of our Anglican identity.
5-Star Employer of Choice by The Educator
Bishop Druitt College (BDC) has once again been recognised nationally. This recognition highlights the College's workplace culture within the Australian education sector, marking another milestone following previous selections in 2023 and 2025. We also recently received an Excellence Award in the Regional School of the Year category ahead of the Australian Education Awards this week. This follows the College's strongest academic results to date in 2025, where 80% of university applicants secured early entry offers into competitive fields such as Medicine and Engineering.
The annual 5-Star Employer of Choice Award is based on an evaluation process assessing employee satisfaction, leadership support, workplace policies, benefits and professional growth opportunities. This included Workplace Culture and Everyday Support, Collaboration Across 'The BDC Way', Driving Regional Innovation and Structured Professional Growth.
As Principal, I am extremely proud of our inspiring professionals across the campus, and I thank our community for your continued support of our staff members in the varied roles that are part of the BDC community.
Seen Ya's On Show (HSC Showcase) and Trial HSC Examinations
Congratulations to Year 12 on their performances, major works and projects. It was an outstanding night showcasing HSC works. We wish the Class of 2026 and our accelerated HSC students well for their Trial HSC examinations over the next two weeks.
Australian Team All Schools
Congratulations to Charlotte Bunny (Year 11), who has been selected in the 2026 NSW All Schools 18 Years and Under Girls Football Team following the NSWCIS Championships.
Performance at Sydney Town Hall
Nine exceptionally talented musicians have earned coveted places at the prestigious HICES (Heads of Independent Co-Educational Schools) Music Camp, competing against hundreds of applicants from across New South Wales. This competitive application and video audition process involves students from 23 independent schools statewide.
The successful students heading to the August camp and finale performance at Sydney Town Hall are:
- Sofia Bravo (Year 9) – Jazz Vocals (Jazz Ensemble B)
- Finlay Hunton (Year 10) – Baritone (Male Vocal Ensemble)
- Oliver Day (Year 9) – Baritone (Male Vocal Ensemble)
- Joshua Wing (Year 8) – Clarinet (Symphonic Wind Ensemble)
- Lucas Tai (Year 7) – Violin (String Orchestra)
- Margot Lawlor (Year 6) – Violin 1 (String Ensemble)
- Angela Li (Year 6) – Violin 2 (String Ensemble)
- Theo Williams (Year 6) – Alto Voice (Vocal Ensemble)
- Eido Roques (Year 6) – Oboe (Concert Band)
We wish our musicians well as they rehearse with renowned conductors and prepare for the major concert in Sydney.
NCIS Sport
Term 3 has commenced with Commonwealth Games energy across our independent school representative sport structure. This week, 120 students competed at the NCIS Athletics Carnival in Tweed Heads. These strong participation numbers continue in the coming weeks through futsal, the AFL Paul Kelly Cup, Secondary Volleyball, Rugby 7s and Barney Barselaar Football.
It is always a positive sight to see our students in their College sport or team uniforms representing BDC, and demonstrating positive behaviour both on and off the competition field.
2027 Year 10 Opportunity for Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Kokoda Track
The College is pleased to announce that we will be offering a new experience for Year 10 students in 2027, extending our rites of passage and outdoor education program. Mr Tim Chapman will be sharing details later this term on how to express interest in the challenge of completing the Kokoda Track in PNG.
Thank You from Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
We have humbly accepted a beautiful handmade Ukrainian flag, a Motanka doll, and the city flag of Kharkiv. These handmade gifts were created by staff and parents as a gesture of thanks from Lyceum 114 and sent to our College by Mrs Yuliia Pietrishcheva, who stayed with us as part of the educators' tour from Ukraine in Term 2.
We also recently received a letter of thanks from Principal Liudmyla Zlatova of School 88 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Mrs Zlatova thanked the College for the art packs we sent to their youngest students. It is incredible that our community can make a difference and create hope in a school community so far away, especially under the difficult circumstances of a five-year invasion.
These two communities taking the time to share their gratitude also demonstrates the way we are living the 2026 theme of Grace-full Hospitality.
Dear Principal Doyle,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and generous message. Your kindness and the care shown by your school community mean more to us than words can express.
We are deeply grateful for your initiative to send small gifts and art supplies for our younger students. Your kindness and support brought great joy to the children. They were delighted. It is wonderful for them to know that they have friends so far away in Australia who are thinking of them.
Thank you also for your warm wishes for our staff and students. Your support and friendship give us strength during these challenging times.
Please accept our sincere thanks and extend our appreciation to everyone at Bishop Druitt College who is contributing to this wonderful initiative. We are deeply grateful for your compassion.
With heartfelt thanks and best wishes to you and your entire school community.
Warm regards,
Liudmyla Zlatova
Thank you for your continued support of the College, and we look forward to our Father's Day BBQ Breakfast on 3 September.
God bless.
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.