Principal's News 2026 Term 4 Week 2

Celebrating Community, Connection and Opportunity

First Steps Towards BIG School at BDC

Our future Kindergarteners have taken big steps towards their 2027 school journey by attending our Orientation Days. We also have a large number of siblings joining us in Kindergarten, in addition to our new families.

Do You Have Our Kindy Readiness Checklist?
There are some helpful areas to consider: 

• Social-emotional readiness: Can they notice and name their feelings, cooperate, take turns and bounce back from minor disappointments?
• Self-care and independence: Can they open a lunchbox and use the bathroom without adult assistance?
• Focus and cognitive skills: Are they developing curiosity and listening skills?

Read more about Kindergarten here, or contact our Enrolments Team at enrolments@bdc.nsw.edu.au for information about joining our community.

Starting Kindergarten is one of life's wonderful milestones, filled with excitement, curiosity, new friendships and a few butterflies along the way! We have been delighted to welcome our Kindergarten 2027 children and their families to Bishop Druitt College as they begin their school journey by attending our Kindergarten Orientation Days. This provided an opportunity for parents and carers to connect with our College community, while our student-only Experience Days last week were thoughtfully designed to help children become familiar with their new school environment.

Every Child, Every Beginning where our team is led by Mrs Sam Maker (Kindergarten Engagement Coordinator) and Mrs Sarah Stokes (Head of Primary), who recognise that every child arrives with unique strengths, interests and experiences. 

School readiness is not about being able to do everything before the first day. It is about developing the confidence to have a go, the courage to try something new and the reassurance that they belong.

Through The BDC Way, we look forward to welcoming our families and, in partnership, encouraging each child's curiosity, wellbeing and love of learning as they begin their educational journey.

To our Kindergarten Class of 2027 and their families: welcome to BDC! We cannot wait to share this exciting new chapter with you. 

If you are new to the area or still considering Kindergarten options, please contact our Enrolments Team.

Scholarships

Academic Scholarships for 2028
Applications for Academic Scholarships commencing in 2028 are now open for students who will be in Years 7–12 in 2028. Applications can be made via our Academic Scholarships webpage and close at midnight AEDST on Sunday, 7 February 2027.

Special Focus Scholarships for 2028
Applications for Scholarships with a Special Focus for 2028 will open early in Term 1, 2027.

27th Annual Geoff King Motors BDC Golf Day

The annual 18-hole golf day was held at Bonville Golf Resort on Sunday, 18 October, for the 27th Annual BDC Golf Day in support of the BDC Barracudas Sporting Club. Our annual event supports our students in this sporting club. Thank you and congratulations to all golfers and, of course, the winning team!

Thank You to Our Golf Day Organisers
A huge community day like this takes many hands. However, I would like to thank the following major sponsors and people for coordinating the day: our naming rights partner, Geoff King Motors; our major partner, FXBC Mid North Coast; Mr Brad Daymond; Mrs Holly Heather; Mr Shane Oxley; and Ms Natalie Titcume.

Thank You to Our Sponsors
Thank you to our naming rights partner, Geoff King Motors, and our major partner, FXBC Mid North Coast.

Our sponsors are:

• Reconstruct
• Newton Denny Chapelle
• Midcoast Trucks
• Westpac Business Banking
• Aequitas Investment Partners
• Faircloth & Reynolds
• Newcombe Coach Lines
• ASCT
• Anything Earth
• FXBC Mid North Coast
• CHC Pharmacy
• TerryWhite Chemmart
• Medical General Practice
• SCL Support Services Care Group
• Jetty Village Pharmacy

BDC Barracudas at the Bledisloe Cup

And rugby at the Bledisloe Cup! Junior Rugby BDC Barracudas attended the game last week. A huge thank you to the parents of the club for giving them this incredible opportunity to run out onto the field at the Bledisloe Cup.

Southern Cross University: Celebrating Future Educators and Community Partnerships

We were delighted to attend a special morning tea hosted by Southern Cross University, joining Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Tyrone Carlin alongside fellow donors, partners and university supporters. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with the next generation of educators and formally acknowledge the talented recipients of the Bishop Druitt College Education Prizes:

• The Bishop Druitt College Arts Education Prize
• The Bishop Druitt College STEM Education Prize
• The Bishop Druitt College Wellbeing Education Prize

At BDC, we are deeply committed to fostering excellence and innovation in teaching. Sponsoring these awards allows us to support outstanding student teachers as they prepare to shape the future of regional education. Congratulations to all of this year's prize recipients, and thank you, SCU!

Ukraine

School 114, Kharkiv, Ukraine: A Message from Mrs Yullia Petrishcheva
Recently, students from Class 9-A of Kharkiv Lyceum No. 114 received a special gift: printed books created together with the children. Recall that in 2025, Simon joined the volunteer activities at Kharkiv Lyceum No. 114 through the "Ukraine Speaks English" project by the "Vchysya" NGO. These books were created as a wonderful reminder of our joint work, warm meetings and pleasant memories that will forever remain in our hearts. Special thanks to Annamarie, the mother of one of our BDC students, who published these amazing books.

Ukraine Visit: October 2026
I was fortunate to attend a number of educational presentations, visit schools and complete humanitarian work in Ukraine during October. We welcomed four educators from Learn and Teach UA to BDC in June, and we welcome visitors from Ukraine again in November.

We were welcomed by Mrs Viktoriia Khrystenko, a member of the Lviv City Council and Chair of the Standing Committee on Education and Science. The city council coordinates and runs public education, with over 250 public educational facilities, from preschools through to specialist education schools. They have also welcomed thousands of children displaced by the war into the education system. This is an amazing humanitarian effort.

Our team visited a public school, where we heard about the centre for national-patriotic education. Here, teenagers have the opportunity to study safety, tactical medicine and basic military training. The Principal welcomed us alongside the leader of the cadets with great enthusiasm, and we were introduced to the teaching that takes place in shelters during alerts and the facilities provided. Even a public school had a religious statue at its entrance.

I was welcomed back to the School of Free and Caring, where the NGO Learn and Teach UA presented and I shared some perspectives on life in Australia. I also hosted a Q&A about spiders, sharks and snakes! These children were energetic, polite and curious, and had learnt English well with their teachers.

The Superhumans Centre in Lviv, where "Those who were injured in war and found the strength to live on are Superhumans", provides treatment for amputations and other health needs, including facial reconstruction, psychological support and war trauma. It was an incredible facility, supported by private sponsors such as Howard Buffett. Seeing the 3D printing of facial bones and prosthetics for legs was an amazing, albeit unfortunate, reminder of the need for this technology. There have been over 3,000 items "printed" since 2022.

The team at HopeFull, whom I volunteered with, also provided approximately 1,000 meals that day, served to veterans, families and staff. This is where we cooked pizza as part of their meal service.

Delivering four tonnes of donated pet food to an animal shelter was a little unusual. However, you can imagine the large number of pets requiring care because they have been injured, run away or been left behind when their families have had to leave due to the impact of the war. It was another example of selfless volunteering, largely led by an amazing Australian lady from Victoria, where 60 dogs and over 20 cats received healthcare, were walked each day and were kept warm during the harsh winters. Their goal is to rehome these animals in their care. It is an amazing example of care in Ukraine under very difficult circumstances.

It is easy to become exhausted by alerts and attacks over a few days, or by the concern you feel when heading out. However, to experience this over five years, with the continued targeting of civilians, creates a level of fatigue you can only imagine. Each person I spoke with (often through Google Translate) was determined to see the freedom of Ukraine, ensure the safety of their family and welcome those supporting their country or an NGO.

Australia and the service demonstrated by members of our BDC community were warmly received and discussed. I also met Viktoriia and Iryna, who visited us in June. They still speak fondly of their time here and thanked the people of BDC whom they met or who supported them.

Visiting Ukraine and experiencing even a small part of what people live through each day continues to deeply reinforce the importance of our service and international programs at BDC. Our children, who develop citizenship and strong character attributes of inclusivity, courage, service, justice and mutual respect, will make the world a better place in the future.

Thank you to the many people who enquire about or support different aspects of our connections to projects and service programs. A special thank you to everyone who has supported our work in Ukraine.

Term 4 2026

There has been a strong start and focus in our classrooms this term. The HSC is well underway, the Year 2 and Year 4 swimming intensives have taken place, and there are a number of presentation days and evenings coming up.

Key Dates for Your Calendar

Please keep these key dates in mind:

• 28 October: BDC Sports Awards Dinner
• 12 November: Performing Awards Awards Night
• 3 December: Primary Presentation Awards
• 4 December: Secondary Presentation Awards
• 7 December: Whole School Christmas Service (all welcome)
• 8 December: Last day of school for students
• 11 December: Office closes until 11 January 2027