What Community Events and Alumni Initiatives Does St Bede's College Offer?

Updated

St Bede's College runs a calendar of community events for families and friends, alongside an alumni network (Old Collegians) with its own fundraising appeal. The main examples named on the college site are the Beda Reada book weeks festival (including a Tough Guy Book Club and Family Trivia Night), the 2026 Art & Technology Show at the Mentone Campus, and the Finian Foundation Appeal, which supports students in need. Details such as dates, ticket prices and registration steps are not published in the source material, so check the college's news and calendar pages for current arrangements.

Community events for families and friends

The site groups these under "College Families & Friends" and "Events." Three are explicitly described:

Beda Reada book weeks festival

  • A reading-focused festival run across "book weeks."
  • Includes at least two evening events for students and families in August, one of which is the Tough Guy Book Club & Family Trivia Night.
  • The college frames these as part of the same Beda Reada program, so expect a literacy/reading theme rather than a general social night.

2026 Art & Technology Show

  • Held at the Mentone Campus.
  • Runs Wednesday 7 October to Friday 9 October.
  • Purpose stated on the site: to "support student creativity and artistry" — i.e., it showcases student work in art and technology rather than being a market or external exhibition.

Other calendar activity

The site also carries a "Key Dates" and calendar section and a "Latest News" feed, which is where additional community events (wellbeing sessions, leadership announcements, book club evenings) appear as they are scheduled. The calendar widget on the page loads dynamically, so the reliable route is the college's own key dates page rather than a static list.

Alumni: Old Collegians and the Finian Foundation

Old Collegians network

  • The college maintains an Old Collegians community and, per the site, is marking 20 years of St Bede's Old Collegians.
  • Alumni news and appeals are published through the same news feed as general college news.

The Finian Foundation Appeal

  • A fundraising appeal run through the Old Collegians/Finian Foundation.
  • Stated goal: raise $35,000 by 30 June to help students in need "thrive."
  • This is the clearest documented way for alumni and friends to contribute financially; the site does not list payment methods or donation platform details in the material available.

How families and friends can get involved

Route What it involves What to check first
Attend a Beda Reada event Evening events such as the Family Trivia Night, open to students and families Dates, venue and whether booking is required
Visit the Art & Technology Show Drop-in style showcase at Mentone Campus, 7–9 October 2026 Opening hours and whether it is ticketed
Follow college news and key dates Ongoing events, wellbeing guides and leadership announcements The calendar page, since listings update
Support the Finian Foundation Appeal Donation toward the $35,000 target by 30 June Current appeal status and how to give
Connect as an Old Collegian Alumni network and 20-year anniversary activity Contact route via the college

Practical notes before you plan

  • Dates move. Only the Art & Technology Show has fixed dates in the source (7–9 October 2026). The Beda Reada evenings are described as "this August" without specific days, so confirm before arranging travel.
  • Two campuses. Events are split between Bentleigh East and Mentone; the Art & Technology Show is specifically at Mentone, so don't assume the Bentleigh East campus.
  • No pricing published. The site gives no ticket prices or payment details for events or the appeal. Treat cost and booking requirements as unknown until confirmed on the college's own pages.
  • Audience. These are college community events for students, families and alumni — not general public programming — so some may require a connection to the college.

For anything time-sensitive, the college's news feed and key dates page are the authoritative sources; the homepage calendar loads dynamically and won't display in a static view.