She arrived at me@BAC with her arms folded and a firm conviction that nothing would impress her. Every time, there's at least one.
“This will be boring,” she told me.
“I bet you'll like it,” I said, reassuring her that her opinion would change before she went home.
“Right, you’re on!" she said, sceptical.
Moments like this remind me that transition is not just about information. It's about transformation...
This transition program gives Year 6 students a chance to experience Year 7 on the BAC Secondary campus for a day before their big arrival next year. Our own Year 6 students cross the bridge, buses bring students from Ipswich Adventist School, and other students from across Brisbane join us for a shared day on our Secondary campus. Each child is met by student leaders, who will walk beside them throughout the day – sharing morning tea and lunch, answering questions, offering reassurances, and showing them that Secondary is not something to fear, but something to grow into.
At our welcome and worship, uncertainty begins to give way to confidence. In their mixed groups, students make connections as they experiment and explore in Science, step into creativity in Drama and Music, create prints on their new me@BAC calico bags in Visual Art, and work together in a fast-moving, fun game in the MPC.
It is not just about the lessons they experience, but about the future they see themselves stepping into. Secondary school is no longer an unknown; it becomes something real, something possible, something accessible.
So why are days like me@BAC important?
They certainly help students make friends and ease anxieties. But more than that, they shift perspective. The change is in what the students discover about themselves – that they are ready for this next step, and that they can truly belong here.
And sometimes, all it takes is one day, one conversation, and a moment of honesty at the end to realise that what once felt daunting may, in fact, be full of possibility.
What happened to the student who was sure me@BAC would be a bit “ho-hum”? Just before the Q&A session at the end of the day, she caught up with me: “You were right. I owe you ten dollars!” Of course, no money will ever change hands, but our banter reveals something deeper: beneath the bravado, many students are simply wondering what this next chapter holds for them – where they will fit and whether they will belong. I hope they can see themselves fitting here.
