Bentley Park College

Our ‘Link and Launch’ Coordinator, Benjamin Holt, is here to help young people who have completed Year 12 in the last few years but are not in education, employment or training.

‘Link and Launch’ coordinators assist young people to navigate a range of post-school study, training and work options in line with their individual goals, aspirations, skills and strengths and support them to make independent choices that will equip them to make a successful transition.

To find out how Ben can assist, please contact him on 0436 684 280 or [email protected]

🔬 Science Week kicked off yesterday with our Exploding Watermelon Rubber Band Challenge at the Secondary Canteen. This was a House vs House competition, with Arlington taking the win with the first exploded watermelon! Thanks to our Year 11 Science Ambassadors, incognito as our Sports House Mascots, and Science staff for running the events!

Today’s challenge will see students build and launch paddle-pop-stick catapults, with the furthest shot taking the win.

Looking ahead:
• Wednesday 19 August: Dress as a Scientist Day + Minute-to-Win-It Competition
• Thursday 20 August: JCU Science Activity

We would love to see as many students and staff as possible getting involved throughout the week. Dress as a Scientist Day is open to any science-related profession, so students and staff can get creative. Ideas include chemist, forensic scientist, veterinarian, doctor, dentist, astronaut, archaeologist, marine biologist, engineer or any other science-related career!

💙 It's Science Week! Secondary are holding daily lunchtime activities in the Canteen area, led by our Year 11 Science Ambassadors!! A highlight will be 'Dress as a Scientist Day' on Wednesday for Secondary students and staff to get creative! 🔬

💡Ideas include chemist, forensic scientist, veterinarian, doctor, dentist, astronaut, archaeologist, marine biologist, engineer or any other science-related career.

🎓 What do you think of our school? Here’s your chance to have your say to help make our school better. 💻✨ The School Opinion Survey is open 27 Jul-21 Aug 2026. Check your email for your invitation link. 👉 More info: www.qld.gov.au/SchoolOpinionSurvey

During Bullying No Way Week (17–21 August), we’re asking students, families, and communities to take action. Small actions, like including someone, speaking up, or showing kindness can make a difference and can help effect change. Actions don’t need to be big to change someone’s world 💜

Dear Parents and Carers

The term has gotten off to a great start, with events like Parent Teacher Interviews and NAIDOC Week, and there’s many more great events still to come in Semester 2.

▪️Presentation Night
The College’s annual blue-ribbon event is our Presentation Night, and this year we have a date and venue change. Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC) is Cairns Regional Council’s state-of-the-art performing arts venue where we have chosen to hold Presentation Night there on Tuesday 17 November. Selected students from Year 5 to 12 will receive awards and/or perform on the night, with Primary, Junior Secondary and College Captains for 2027 also being announced. More information will be distributed to families in Term 4.

▪️Student Free Day
A student free day is scheduled in Week 8 of this term, on Friday 4 September. On this day, there will be no school for State school students across Queensland. The College offices will also be closed.

▪️Long Service Leave
From Monday 17 August through to the end of Term 3 on Friday 18 September, I will be taking Long Service Leave, including some overseas travel.

During this time, we will be welcoming Mr Geoff Moore as Acting Executive Principal. Geoff is the substantive Principal at Gordonvale State High School, and more recently has been Acting Executive Principal of Redlynch State College.

▪️Vale Peter Krugle
Finally, it is with sadness we learned this week of the recent passing of Mr Peter Krugle, past Bentley Park College Principal. Peter was a kind, thoughtful and steady leader who guided the College from 2012 to 2020 before retiring in the same year. We offer our deepest sympathies to Peter’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.

Enjoy the rest of the term, and I look forward to returning to the Executive Principal’s desk at the start of Term 4 on Tuesday 6 October.

Yours sincerely,
Kylie Cochran

📌 A student free day is scheduled in Week 8 of this term, on Friday 4 September. On this day, there will be no school for State school students across Queensland. The College offices will also be closed.

🤖 Enrichment@Bentley: Coding with KUBO
Students dove into the world of coding as they learned to program KUBO robots to follow their commands!

Each week, they worked through a range of fun challenges, starting with simple tasks and gradually building to more complex ones. They designed their own maps, took KUBO for a visit to the amusement park and even turned him into a superhero to rescue people from burning buildings and animals stuck in trees.

Students worked in pairs to complete the tasks, write stories, share with the group and use their resilience and problem solving skills when things didn’t go as plan.

Thank to Mrs Carter for facilitating the program, and the Year 6 Mentors for their support.

🚑 Our Certificate II and III Health students had a visit from the local Edmonton station Paramedics this week!

Queensland Ambulance Officers Sam, Suzie and Harrison spoke with students about their personal stories of getting into Paramedicine; where they studied, what an average day is like, the shifts and practices of daily life.

Students were actively involved in touring the rig, viewing the defibrillator, airway kits, medications and patient transport and mobility equipment.

Numerous interesting questions were asked and the students really enjoyed learning about this fulfilling and honourable career in health available to them at CQU after leaving BPC in the future.

📜 A group of dedicated Year 7 to 10 students continued a long-standing Bentley tradition when they participated in the prestigious Australian History Competition at the end of last term.

The competition has been running for over 20 years, with over 38 000 students from across the country challenging themselves each year to understand the critical thinking skills that make History so much more than a collection of facts.

With a focus on using evidence, analysing and evaluating – the competition sends students on a search through the living past to discover the ‘big ideas’ that make the world run and provide the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’.

Depending on their year level, students engage with investigations into the ancient world all the way up to twentieth century and Australia’s own journey – mirroring the courses they undertake in their curriculum.

Students now excitedly await their competition results, and announcement of our national and state winners.