Bentley Park College eNewsletter

CITIZENSHIP

2025 Captains' Profiles

Our 2025 College, Junior Secondary and Primary Captains are doing a great job leading and representing their cohorts, and inspiring their peers and younger students. Here's a little about why they love school and their advice for aspiring leaders.

Year 1 Fire and Rescue visits

Year 1 had two visits from our friendly Fire and Rescue department this term. On the first visit, they learnt about good and bad fires, the dangers of smoke, dialling Triple Zero (000) in an emergency, the role of the emergency services in helping in a fire emergency, safety around fires and having a school and home escape plan.

On the second visit, the Fire and Rescue team brought along their fire truck! They showed students the jaws of life and the instrument they use to turn off electricity. To finish, they allowed students to have a go of the fire hose and tested their sirens. Year 1s really enjoyed the experience!

Cairns Youth Council

The Story of how the Cairns Youth Council came about

by Vince, Year 10 student and Cairns Youth Council member

A new pilot program launched in Cairns on March 27 2023, aiming to empower local youth by establishing a Youth Council to involve them in local government decision-making. This initiative is a collaboration between the Cairns Regional Council and the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), designed to encourage young people to take an active role in shaping their community.

The Young Mayors program specifically targets individuals aged 17 and under, allowing them to run for election to the Youth Council. This council serves as a platform for these young leaders to address issues that directly affect their lives and futures.

Elected through a democratic process by their peers in the Cairns region, the Youth Council identifies key priority areas and collaborates with the local council to implement various projects and events that resonate with the youth.

In 2023, then Cairns Mayor Bob Manning emphasised the significant contributions that young people can make to the community, highlighting the value they bring to the region. The Young Mayors program, inspired by successful models from the UK, invites any resident aged 17 and under in the Cairns Local Government Area to nominate themselves for a position on the Youth Council.

Cairns joins other Australian cities like Mackay, Horsham and Wollongong in piloting this innovative program, with plans to expand it to councils nationwide. During the election process, 24 nominated candidates campaign for 39 days, engaging with their peers and participating in a 'Meet the Candidates' event focused on public speaking, and allows the community to get to know them better. This initiative not only fosters leadership skills among young people, but also ensures their voices are heard in local governance.

Then comes election week, the biggest, most stressful and exciting week for the candidates. In 2023, September and October, 24 young people campaigned for the 12 youth council seats. More than 3,500, young people aged 12 to 17 cast votes at 17 polling locations across the region. Then came counting day, when the FYA team counted all the votes from the week. They then call the successful candidates to ask if they would like to continue their journey to the youth council.

The Cairns Youth Council is the country’s fourth democratically elected council and the second to be sworn in for Queensland. A swearing in ceremony was held at Cairns Regional Council chambers in 2024 to mark the official start of the region’s inaugural Youth Council’s term in office. The Cairns Youth Council will serve an 18-month term in office from February 2024 to July 2025; and have a $10,000 budget to deliver their priority agenda.

Vince with then Cairns Mayor, Terry James

Yarns from Yaburu Bulmba

Term 2 has been an exciting time in Yaburu Bulmba! Miss Nicola has joined YB as the new Year 10 Mentor, bringing with her a wealth of experience that will support and enrich the Year 10 YB girls.

Yaburu Bulmba is ending the term on a positive note. Our Week 10 TRP lesson was a class party for the 7s, 8s and 9s - full of good food, good music and fun games! The YB Mentors are wishing the girls a safe and relaxing holidays so that they return to school well-rested and ready for Term 3.

Just a reminder that the Kitchen is open Lunch 1 every day for breads and spreads, cold water and fruit. We also have a microwave available for girls to come and heat up their lunches from home.

Positive Star Girls

Yaburu Bulmba is celebrating our girls who have positive behaviour and make good choices! We have a brand-new board in the room that allows the girls to see when they have been nominated by their teachers or by a YB Mentor for positive behaviour.

On Wednesday of Week 10, YB hosted the Reward Lunch, and there were plenty of smiling faces as we celebrated positive behaviour and good choices. It was fantastic to see how many Yaburu Bulmba girls make the right choices and uphold the values of Bentley Park College and YB.

TRP Lessons

TRP Lessons this term have focused on reconciliation and teambuilding. The girls have engaged in a wide variety of lessons that strengthen their bond with their YB sisters and helped form new friendships. We’re looking forward to the exciting TRP lessons that have been planned for next term.

Term 3 Camps

There will be two Yaburu Bulmba camps next term. The Junior Camp for Years 7,8 and 9 will be in Week 3, and the Senior Camp for Years 10, 11 and 12 will be in Week 5. Camp forms have now been handed out - please ensure that they are signed and returned. The $50 payment can be made at the College Administration office or online.

Camp will be at Quinola Lakes in Malanda so make sure to pack some warm clothes! Itineraries will be handed out the week before camp to all students who have returned forms and paid.

Young Indigenous Women in Leadership Event

Yaburu Bulmba attended the inaugural Young Indigenous Women in Leadership Event with Trinity Bay State High School and Yarrabah State School. It was an incredible day and our girls proudly represented the College and Yaburu Bulmba.

There were 13 guest speakers who came and yarned with us, and they were all proud Indigenous women. The gathering was held in Reconciliation Week, and the theme of ‘Bridging Now to the Next’ was prevalent throughout the day.

CIAF

This year Bentley Park College’s very own Yaburu Bulmba students were selected to design Garments for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) Fashion Performance, ‘Look & Listen’.

'Look and Listen', is a celebration of First Nations culture, showcasing breathtaking and visually arresting wearable art that culminates in a seamless fusion of groundbreaking fashion, modelling, design, and performance.

Our girls will take centre stage following their Collection at the CIAF Fashion shows called 'LOOK' on Thursday 10 July 10.30 am, and Friday 11 July 5.30 pm. Tickets are available via the CIAF website, so come along and support our very talented girls – Elysia, Yoshikita, Shirley-Anne, Uneke, Savannah, Tahlia and Annabell.

The Yaburu Bulmba team:

Year 7: Ms Waisie: mailto:wnewm18@eq.edu.au

Year 8: Ms Siobhan: mailto:sderm0@eq.edu.au

Year 9: Ms Yasmin: mailto:ywill36@eq.edu.au

Year 10: Ms Nicola: ngaga0@eq.edu.au

Year 11, 12: Ms Kristen: mailto:kware57@eq.edu.au