College News 2025 - Term 3 Week 1

From the Headmaster

In this week’s From the Portal, Headmaster Mr Andre Casson welcomes our community to another term at BBC.

Key Term 3 Dates and Events

Term 3 is packed with unrivalled opportunities across the BBC campus. Consult the dates below to make sure you don't miss out.

• Cyber Safety Presentation | Thursday, 17 July
• Year 6 Canberra Tour | Tuesday, 22 to Thursday, 24 July
  
• Year 9 Outdoor Education | Monday, 28 July to Friday, 1 August
  
• Semi-Formal | Saturday, 2 August
  
• Junior Music Week | Monday, 4 to Friday, 8 August
  
• Junior School Gandparents and Friends Day | Friday, 15 August
• Junior School Book Week Parade | Monday, 18 August
  
• Father/Carer & Son Breakfast | Thursday, 4 September
  
• Spring Bling Ladies Lunch | Friday, 12 September
• Activities Week | Monday, 15 to Thursday, 18 September
  
• Year 10 Outdoor Education | Monday, 15 to Thursday, 18 September
  

We've also shared these dates on our Instagram page in an easily saveable format. As always, Highlands is the best and most accurate place to remain up-to-date with any upcoming events.

From the Deputy Headmaster

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Today, we were privileged to welcome Ms Susan McLean, widely known as the ‘Cyber Cop’, to speak with our students from Years 7 to 12. Susan is Australia’s foremost expert in cyber safety, bringing a wealth of experience and a powerful message about the importance of responsible digital behaviour. 

A former Victoria Police officer with 27 years of service, Susan was the first in the state to be appointed to work specifically on cyber safety and young people. Since addressing her first case of cyberbullying in 1994, she has become a global leader in combating online misuse. Her impressive career includes accolades such as the Victoria Police Region Four Youth Officer of the Year, the National Medal, and the National Police Medal. She also undertook specialist training with the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and collaborated with the Dallas Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force. 

Founder of both the Victoria Police Cyber Safety Project and Cyber Safety Solutions, Australia’s leading cybersafety consultancy, Susan is committed to equipping children, families, and schools with the knowledge and tools to stay safe online. 

Her presentation was dynamic, engaging, and incredibly informative. As she began, Susan reminded students, “I’m not a mind reader. I don’t know how much you know about being online, but I’ll start at the beginning, and you can fill in your blanks with the information I share with you.” 

Students and staff left the session with a clearer understanding of both the risks and responsibilities associated with life online, as well as a renewed sense of empowerment to navigate the digital world with care and confidence. 

Tonight, Susan will engage with our parents, and tomorrow, she will work closely with our Junior School. It has been an incredible opportunity for our community to engage with Susan and hear firsthand not only about the dangers but also the skill set required to navigate the online world safely. This is a further safeguard for our community and a testament to our commitment to the Tartan+ Wellbeing Model. We remain grateful and appreciative of Susan’s expertise and look forward to welcoming her back next year. 

Mr Scott Murphy

DEPUTY HEADMASTER

We encourage all in our community to come along and learn about this important topic, regardless of whether you have RSVPed.

Your Feedback Matters – Help Us Improve

As part of the recent communication regarding Semester 1 Report Cards, all Prep to Year 12 families received a link to two short surveys about our Continuous Reporting and Honours Program. We truly value your insights and would greatly appreciate a few moments of your time to share your feedback.  

So far, we’ve received some thoughtful responses, but we’d love to hear from more families to ensure we’re capturing a broad range of perspectives. Your input plays an important role in helping us refine and enhance these key initiatives.  

Please find the links above to access the surveys. We kindly ask that you take a moment to complete them if you haven’t already done so. Your voice helps shape the future of our programs and supports the best outcomes for our students.  

If you have any questions about the surveys, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Summa Todd (Head of Junior School) or Ms Amelia Apogremiotis (Head of Secondary School).  

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. 

Mrs Summa Todd
HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL 

Ms Amelia Apogremiotis 
HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL     

BBC’s 40 Hour Famine Challenge

This year, I have been talking with the boys at Assemblies and Chapels about the theme, “With God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). At the end of Term 2, I told them about World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine challenge, and how I was asking God to move the hearts of the boys to actually do something to help others in the world less fortunate than themselves.   

To illustrate this simple point, I put 12 different types of drinks from the College Tuckshop on stage at Assembly and talked about all the options they have to quench their thirst. Then, I placed a bottle with dirty water at the end of those options and explained that this was the only choice for many in the world. I told them that it wasn’t in a tuckshop to pick up, but possibly kilometres away and that it had to be fetched each day.   

Something must have hit home because over the coming days, many boys spoke to me about the message and expressed their desire to help.  

Well, the time has come, and I have a guest speaker from World Vision in Melbourne coming to Assembly next week to share more about the need for support. We will establish a BBC page where boys can sign up. As a parent, you will need to give your permission for them to participate. So, we not only need the boys to help, but you to actively respond as well.    

Once permission is given, the boys can get sponsorship, and this money will be used to make a difference in the world.   

I know this firsthand, as my wife and I have just returned from visiting our World Vision Sponsor Child in Kenya. Her name is Faith, and she lives in the Lower Yatta region. The World Vision staff arranged some time with her and her parents. It was special to hear how our sponsorship over nine years had helped her, and will continue to help as she attends college.   

The Project Manager also took us to a water project to meet the locals who had benefited from a pump and tank installed in a highly remote area. These utilities provide accessible water not only to the locals for personal use, but also to nine schools and a local hospital. Without this equipment, the alternative is digging into the dried-up river bed and putting dirty water into a container, as some are still forced to do.   

Considering this, I want to achieve something that BBC has never done before. I want 500 of the Secondary School boys to sign up, get their parents’ consent, choose an activity to participate in, and secure sponsors to help make a real difference in the world.    

As parents, I’m asking you to support the boys and encourage their participation. BBC is an awesome school with a remarkable community. Let’s spread some of that goodness worldwide by supporting World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine. Thank you. 

Mr Stephen Ward
CHAPLAIN

Co-Curricular Events - Term 3

Term 3 offers a remarkable calendar of events in our co-curricular programs. Check out what's coming up below and save the date.

• RoboCup International | Until Wednesday, 23 July 
  
• Twelfth Night Senior Production | Thursday, 24 to Saturday, 26 July (Book Tickets)
  
• Old Boys' Day | Saturday, 26 July (Click here, here, and here to view videos from returning alumni at last year's Old Boys' Day)
• Concerto Competition Final | Wednesday, 30 July
• Pipe Band European Championships and World Championships | Thursday, 5 to Monday, 18 August
• Boarders Day | Saturday, 9 August
• Showcase Concert | Thursday, 21 August
• Cultural Round | Saturday, 30 August (Click here to view footage from last year's Cultural Round)
• Grand Concert | Saturday, 30 August

We've also shared these dates on our Instagram page in an easily saveable format. As always, Highlands is the best and most accurate place to remain up-to-date with any upcoming events.

Update Your Details Now

As Term 3 begins, we strongly encourage parents and guardians to take the time to ensure that your address and email details are correctly recorded in Highlands. Accurate documentation of these details enables prompt and convenient communication with the College and the distribution of important information related to your son's education.

To verify your details, please visit the Parents Lounge on Highlands and navigate to the Parent Details section, as shown in this screenshot.

All updates to visa or residency details should be emailed to BBC's Academic Services Coordinator, Ms Angela Reilly, at areilly@bbc.qld.edu.au

Order Your Copy of the 2025 Portal Yearbook

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

We have begun preparing the free 2025 BBC yearbook: the Portal. 

To help us continue to advance our sustainability efforts, we will only print copies of the Portal for families who place an order. 

To order a Portal for your son or sons, please complete this online form. You will be asked to provide the name and year level of your eldest son to receive a copy. 

Please be aware that if you do not complete this form, your family will not be provided with a complimentary copy of the 2025 Portal.  

The 2025 Portal will be distributed to students in class during Term 1, 2026.  

Parents ordering copies for current Year 12 students are strongly encouraged to provide a valid contact email address. This will enable BBC to notify you when your Portal is available for collection. You will be able to retrieve your order from the Alumni Office in early 2026.  

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via communications@bbc.qld.edu.au 

Warm regards, 

BBC Communications 

Upcoming Events

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