Closure Information

Update to College Bus Service - Tuesday 11 March (Tropical Cyclone Alfred)

Monday, 10 March 2025

Thank you for your patience as our Bus department undertook safety and accessibility assessments to determine the operational capacity of our Bus Service.

We are now able to advise that the BAC Bus Service will be partially operational on Tuesday 11 March. Please see the details of individual route operational capacity below.

BUS ABSENCES TOMORROW: If your child/ren are scheduled to catch the bus tomorrow, but will not be (either because you choose to keep them home, or would like to drive them to school yourself), please make sure that you let us know via both the STM Bus App and by texting our out of hours bus number: 0499 009 506.

The following information is current as at 4:10pm on Monday 10 March and applies to both morning and afternoon routes. All bus routes will be reassessed on Tuesday 11 March, and we will provide further updates once this information is available.

• Bayside: not operational
• Crestmead: fully operational
• Forest Lake: not operational
• Ipswich: partially operational (operating except for the stop John Murphy Park/Diamantina Blvd, Brassal – all other stops will be operating)
• Logan Reserve: partially operational (operating from the stop Chambers Flat Road and Rossmore Road, Logan Reserve inclusive and onwards. If you can safely get to this stop then you are welcome to have your child/ren board here – please arrive no later than 7:35am for a 7:40am departure)
• Ormeau: fully operational
• Park Ridge: fully operational

We understand that this disruption to our service may cause inconvenience for families and thank you for your understanding as we make these decisions with the safety of your children and our staff as the utmost priority.

This information is current as at 4:10pm Monday,10 March 2025.

College to Reopen - Tuesday 11 March (Tropical Cyclone Alfred)

Monday, 10 March 2025

Further to our update on 9 March, we are pleased to advise that the College (including BAC Early Learning) will reopen Tuesday 11 March 2025.

We are blessed that the College grounds have sustained little to no damage, and for that we praise God!

Please Prioritise Your Safety

We understand that local conditions vary significantly across the region. Please only send your child/ren to school if you feel it is safe to do so based on your local circumstances. While education is important, it is not more important than your safety. The safety of your family and our staff remains our highest priority, and we fully support the decisions of our staff and families to stay home if needed.

Please follow the Queensland Government’s safety advice, and do not try to drive through floodwater, or roads that have water over them and stay informed about travel conditions: check the Queensland Government’s QLDTraffic website for flooding or hazards on your route.

Important information to note about the College reopening:

• BAC BUS SERVICE: We will provide a separate communication by 4:00pm this afternoon, Monday 10 March, regarding the operational capacity of our Bus Service.
• REPORTING ABSENCES: if you choose to keep your child/ren home tomorrow, or if they will be absent due to sickness or any other reason, please ensure you report their absence in the usual way, via:
  • the Absence Form on the College website, or
  • the BAC App.
• EVENTS:
  • Parent/Teacher Interviews: the interviews originally planned for Monday 11 March have been rescheduled for Tuesday 11 March. Your current booking time/s will be retained, and our booking system will remain open until 3:00pm Monday 10 March if you would like to make any changes to your booking/s (please access your confirmation email to make changes).
  • Year 11 Camp: the status of our Year 11 Camp, scheduled for 12-14 March is still undetermined. We will communicate separately with Year 11 families about this event as soon as we are able.

Families who have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Administration Office, which will be open regular hours from Tuesday 11 March.

This information is current as at 10:15am Monday,10 March 2025.

Further Update on College Closure: College to Remain Closed - Monday 10 March (Tropical Cyclone Alfred)

Sunday, 9 March 2025

We have undertaken a thorough assessment of the current situation and have determined that BAC (including BAC Early Learning) will not reopen on Monday 10 March.

The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and current conditions do not meet our standards for reopening.

We will continue to monitor the situation and take advice from Seventh-day Adventist Schools (South Queensland), and will provide a further update regarding the College reopening by 10:00am, Monday March 10. This update will be sent via email and posted on the College website and social media channels.

Parent/Teacher Interviews (10 March): the interview evening scheduled for Monday will not go ahead as planned. This event has been rescheduled for the following evening, Tuesday, 11 March. Your current booking time/s will be retained, and our booking system will remain open until 3:00pm Monday 10 March to enable parents to make any necessary changes to their booking/s (please access confirmation email to make changes).

We understand this continued closure may create challenges for families and appreciate the BAC community's patience, understanding, and cooperation as we navigate the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred together.

This information is current as at 1:20pm Sunday, 9 March 2025.

Update on College Closure Dates (Tropical Cyclone Alfred)

Friday, 7 March 2025

As Brisbane continues to wait on the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, we would like to share some further information with you regarding our reopening of the College:

• Given the unpredictable nature of this event, at this stage, it is likely that schools will remain closed on Monday, 10 March 2025.
• We will write to our staff and families again and share information on our website and social media channels, by 4:00pm on Sunday 9 March, to confirm whether the College will remain closed on Monday.
• Should the College remain closed on Monday, we will share information by 10:00am on Monday 10 March regarding College reopening beyond Monday and any impact on other College events.

We continue to take advice from Seventh-day Adventist Schools (South Queensland), Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), and the Queensland Government, and our decision-making will be in line with their guidance and with the safety of our students and staff as the utmost priority.

We will continue to hold our entire school community in our prayers and place ourselves in God's hands as we trust in His guidance, and sincerely hope you weather the storm with minimal impact.

This information is current as at 2:00pm Friday, 7 March 2025.

College Closure (Tropical Cyclone Alfred) - Thursday, 6 and Friday, 7 March 2025

Wednesday, 5 March 2025

Considering the weather conditions predicted surrounding Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Seventh-day Adventist Schools (South Queensland) has made the decision to close the Adventist schools in our region as of the end of service on Wednesday, 5 March 2025, including any after-school activities originally scheduled for today.

BAC Early Learning, as well as our Primary and Secondary campus, will be closed:

• Thursday, 6 March 2025
• Friday, 7 March 2025

Wednesday 5 March

• All after-school activities, including sports, practices (including Secondary musical practice), Instrumental Lessons, or any other activities originally scheduled for today, are cancelled.
• Our Primary and Secondary campus will be closes as of the end of the school day.
• Early Learning and Extend (OSHC) will continue to provide service until all children have been collected, however collecting your child/ren as soon as possible once school ends will assist the College and its services in an efficient closure process and enable staff to collect their own children.
• The BAC Bus Service will run today, Wednesday 5 March.
• Year 8 Camp: Our Year 8 students are expected back from their camp at Emu Gully in time for the end of the school day, and we will communicate separately with Year 8 families should this change.

Some staff, including myself, will remain on campus - including Early Learning - until every student has been safely collected, or has a safe means of transport home or to another safe place with appropriate supervision.

What does the closure include?

Our campus will not be staffed, so please do not bring your children on Thursday 6 or Friday 7 March.

This closure includes the cancellation of all College/College-related activities originally scheduled for Thursday 6 and Friday 7 March, including the following:

• the BAC Bus Service
• BAC Early Learning
• Extend Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)
• Bright Sparks playgroup (held at the Mt Gravatt Church)
• Instrumental Musical Lessons, including School to Stage group or individual lessons that fall on Thursday 6 or Friday 7 March
• any regularly scheduled before or after-school sports or other extracurricular activities, including Primary district sports
• PLEASE NOTE: Adventist Schools Sports Associate (ASSA) has also made the decision to cancel the ASSA Futsal Gala Day on Monday 10 March

When will the College reopen?

We anticipate that the College will reopen on Monday 10 March. Weather permitting, we will conduct a site visit on Sunday 9 March to assess whether the school is operational. We will communicate this with you via email, on social media (Facebook and Instagram), the BAC app, and our College website, by Sunday evening to confirm whether the College will reopen as scheduled.

Will my Primary/Secondary child be provided with classwork, or expected to complete homework over the closure dates?

Neither our Primary nor Secondary teachers will be providing classwork over the closure period. Primary students are not expected to complete their regular homework over these dates.

We wish you and your family all the best, and hope that you will join us in praying for the safety and security of our entire school, and wider local communities.

This information is current as at 11:30am Wednesday, 5 March 2025.