Berendale School

As of 01/01/2023 Berendale School has ceased as we know it and has merged with Katandra School.
We invite you to head over to the new page for Katandra Berendale Special School (interim name).
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090000273715 and like and follow to keep up to date with the merge, new build and the happenings at Katandra Berendale Special School.

The day for Berendale's Colour Run finally arrived.
Warm weather, all though a little bit windy and the oval was set up and ready.
Bring out the excited students, music and colour to mix, after a quick warm up we were off an running.
Colour everywhere, laughs, smiles and enjoyment echoed around the oval.

On behalf of the students and staff of Berendale School we would like to thank the families, friends and community for supporting our fundraising event by donating to the school via the school's donation page: https://myprofilepage.com.au/campaign/633bc3ea73ef562a7b720f45/view

Berendale's donation page will remain open until 17th November. So it is not to late to still contribute by going to Berendale's page above.

Once again thank you for your support, funds will be going towards sensory equipment and resources for the school.

4 sleeps to go.
Now is the time to get those last minute sponsorships.
Please support and share with friends and families. You can donate to Berendale School's fundraising page by following the link: https://myprofilepage.com.au/campaign/633bc3ea73ef562a7b720f45/view

Students and families thank you in advance for your support and sponsorship pledges you give to assist with the purchasing of sensory equipment and resources.

The countdown is on!
With only 3 weeks to go, it is now time that students should have registered their profile at www.australianfundrising.com.au and are sharing it with family and friends to raise funds for sensory equipment and resources for Berendale School.

If you would like to support Berendale School but don't have a student doing the fun run at school, you can donate via the following profile link.
https://myprofilepage.com.au/.../633bc3ea73ef562a7b7.../view
Your donation will be greatly appreciated and accepted on behalf of the students, families and staff of Berendale..

Today, I was pleased to announce on behalf of the Victorian Government that Juliet Cooper will be the foundation principal of the newly merged Katandra and Berendale schools. Juliet is an experienced Principal, most recently at Port Phillip Specialist School.

From next year, the two schools will merge and operate over two campuses, while the junior and middle school buildings are constructed at the Berendale site.

This has been a great outcome which will mean a smoother transition for students from primary to secondary school.

Woo hoo! It’s time to start fundraising! 🎉💰

Students have received their sponsorship booklet and can now create their online profile at www.australianfundrising.com.au to share with family and friends to raise funds for sensory equipment and resources for Berendale School.

Big prizes are up for grabs! Raise at least $10 and your child will receive a selection of awesome prizes.

If you would like to support Berendale School and don't have a student doing the fun run at school, you can donate via the following profile link.
https://myprofilepage.com.au/campaign/633bc3ea73ef562a7b720f45/view
Your donation will be greatly appreciated and accepted on behalf of the students, families and staff of Berendale..

This September Stars and the Moon presents the SpongeBob Inclusical! The hit musical adaptation of everyone's favourite sea sponge brings the world of Bikini Bottom to life, with songs by the likes of John Legend, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Sara Bareilles, and more.
Stars and the Moon’s unique casting model pairs performers with and without disabilities to support each other in performing their roles. This way, we get to explore the complexity of the characters, tell authentic stories about connection and celebrate STaM’s message of inclusivity!
Stars and the Moon is committed to making our performances as accessible to audience members as it is to our performers. The Alexander theatre provides all-inclusive wheelchair and mobility access. Our Monday night performance will be Auslan interpreted with reserved seating for the signing Deaf community.

It was nice to meet Roger who visited Berendale School last week to present a generous donation on behalf of the Welfare Team at the Highett RSL Sub Branch Inc. The funds will be used towards resources for our students' learning and engagement. Thank you to the Highett RSL for their continued support.

So pretty 😍 Thanks for sharing these Light and Sound projects from your lovely students, School! Rainbows for everybody!

Please see the flyer attached and the link below for two “come and try” art therapy workshops for young people happening on June 18th in Bentleigh; one for 8-12 year olds and one for 13-18 year olds. The workshops allow young people to try this wellbeing strategy in a safe, small group environment. If they like it, they can engage in further groups or consider one to one art therapy.


https://apathtofollow.com.au/resources/

Come along to Berendale School's first combined Open evening and Careers and Pathways Expo.

Berendale School would like you to gain an understanding of how we will support your young person to achieve in Excellence in Education while at Berendale School and to find the most relevant post school pathway.

Please register - the link on the flyer or contact the School on 9555 6141

You love Sports? Come and join them to have fun :-)

See below for more information.

The cost to attend for each participant will be $5, which is redeemable for refreshments following completion of the activities circuit. To ensure appropriate support is provided please provide details upon registration at: https://www.trybooking.com/BWKVU

For your kids who are interested in visual art and creative writing

And last but not least, we are saying goodbye to Ms Sarah Sloan. Sarah is a brilliant teacher who works with her students to create learning experiences that are relevant, engaging and meaningful to them. Outside the classroom, she leads teachers to implement a whole school reading program, providing ample opportunities for students to develop their literacy skills for their pathway, employment and active participation in the community. Sarah is moving to another school, and we want to wish her the best in her new journey!

That’s a wrap for 2021! Have a festive and relaxing holiday, and we look forward to welcoming students back in 2022.

We want to say good bye and a massive thank you to our superstar Art and Technology Teacher, Andy Ding! Andy was pivotal in building our Art and STEM Programs and connecting the curriculum to many wonderful opportunities in our local community, where students could exhibit their artworks for the public to see and enrich their learning by participating in STEM competitions. Andy has taken up a new leadership position at another school, and we wish him every success in his new adventure! You will be missed!

This week we are saying farewell to a number of our talented staff.

To start, we want to congratulate Mr Tom Evans for being successful in gaining a teaching position at another school. Tom has been teaching at Berendale School for 6 years, and we want to acknowledge his contribution in leading the school's Respectful Relationships Program and SWPBS, which ensured every student could develop their emotional literacy and social skills to face any challenges. Thank you Tom for going above and beyond for our students! We wish you all the best in your new role.

Congratulations to our young filmmakers on their success! Their short film won the Finalist Award in the Focus on Ability Short Film Festival. The students worked together in Tech Club and created an animated shadow puppet film together with an amazing soundtrack to bring their story alive! Well done!

Check out their film here: https://www.focusonability.com.au/FOA/films/2478.html

Welcome Back! Our Year 9 and 10 students had a wonderful time camping over an action packed weekend. Here are some pictures of our happy campers enjoying the activities with their Brighton Grammar and Firbank buddies. Thank you Brighton Grammar School and Firbank Grammar School for hosting this amazing program!

Our Year 8 students had a fun day out. They saw their artwork displayed at Kingston City Town. Then, they visited an exhibition, followed by travel training to Southland. Once again, congratulations on their success with their artwork - it looks fantastic on display!

GRADUATION PHOTOS! Last week we hosted the Graduation Evening to celebrate a significant milestone of our Year 12 students. It was a joyous celebration with students playing in a band, singing and follow a presentation of speeches. We were proud to hear their greatest achievements and fondest memories at Berendale School. Congratulations and best wishes to our Year 12 students 🎓🎓🎓

These pizza pillows are absolutely stunning! Students had so much fun learning to use a sewing machine to create these. Brilliant work!

Congratulations to our Art Teacher, Andy Ding and a group of Year 8 students for creating an artwork for Kingston Arts. Andy was selected to participate in an artist in residence program titled, “Big Break 2021 – In The Making” by Kingston Arts. He was interviewed by rawcus and Pia Johnson about his work at Berendale School for the past two years. The students were then invited to collaborate with the artists to create a photograph that captures Andy’s passion for the arts, disability inclusion and community. Their artwork is being installed and can be viewed on the windows of The Kingston Town Hall from Wednesday 8th December. We look forward to seeing it on the grand display!

Here is a video from Kingston Arts about the project: https://youtu.be/YYs3-7CgtxE

Big Break 2021 - In The Making Each year The City of Kingston celebrates International Day of People with Disability. This year we engaged with Rawcus in collaboration with photographer Pi...

A group of students in Year 12 attended their first post school transition day at Outlook Services. Students were able to meet the staff and participants in the program as well as complete a number of life skill activities.

Students will return to attend a social BBQ and learn more about their pathways to independence program starting next year.

Thank you to all the students and staff that spread some colour around Berendale last Wednesday.

Your kind donations raised $104 which has been donated to Reachout.com to assist with their continuing work working with young people and families with mental health concerns. https://about.au.reachout.com/home

Thank you to our WRS hospitality group that prepared all the fairy bread for morning tea for the classes.

We’d like to introduce our new Art and Technology Teacher, Ann-Marie to the Berendale School community!

"Hello Berendale community,

My name is Ann-Marie and I will be teaching Art/Tech at Berendale at the start of 2022. Here is a little bit of background information about myself in order for you to get to know me a little better.

I am from the UK originally; a city called Leeds, which is in the north of England about an hours drive east of Manchester. I have been a teacher for over 20 years now and I still absolutely love it. For me, there is no better job!

I currently live in Cheltenham with my seven year old daughter and I am teaching STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) at a primary school in Parkdale. I love coffee, cooking, reading, and going to the beach in my spare time. I also love travelling and exploring new places. All my family are still in the UK so it will be great to finally get to go back there to visit them once travel restrictions ease.

I am thrilled to be joining the Berendale team next year and look forward to meeting you in person in 2022.
Enjoy the summer!"
Ann-Marie

Thank you Auntie Sammy for coming back to Berendale School to deliver Aboriginal Cultural Education Workshop for our students. Also, our staff have enjoyed attending your PD in the afternoon and learning from you about the Australian Kulin Aboriginal Art Symbols and the Kulin Language.

More photos from the Year 9 excursion to Thomas Street Reserve!

Year 9 students went to Thomas Street Reserve last week. The park has equipment that is designed so that children of all different abilities can play together. Last term the students researched accessible parks and then designed their own playground, so they went to check out the equipment there.

There's also AUSLAN signs throughout the park. The students have also been learning AUSLAN so they had to find as many of the signs as they could.

They had a great time! They also got a look at the houses features on The Block.