15 August 2024

Important Dates

From the Principal's Desk

Kaya

Term 3 is well underway. It started with our Year 12 Ball at the Pan Pacific in Perth. The theme was ‘Winter Wonderland,’ the students in attendance looked amazing and danced the night away. This was an exciting milestone for our Year 12 students.

We have also hosted our annual Post School Options Expo this term. It was a great success, with over 50 families attending and 25 providers showcasing their services. We had three former students participate as guest speakers. Jasmine, Cameron, and Allana spoke to the crowd about their journeys in the last years of schooling, right through the post school options and services they used to help them succeed in their current roles. We were extremely grateful to them for giving up their time to share their stories. They have certainly made us proud.

Our year 10 students also start their industry hours for Work Right this term. Their first day was Friday, week 4, and Breaky Club had a real buzz. We couldn’t have asked for a more positive and productive first day. The students have been engaging in weekly Work Right lessons, building on their career taster programs from year 9, and are now finally getting to experience different industries in the community. Students enjoyed industries from animal care to hospitality, manufacturing, and horticulture.  We can’t wait to hear the student’s feedback as they explore different industry experiences.

Andrew recently posted updates on our Connect School Space about our new website going live. If you have any feedback, please feel free to send it to your classroom teachers.

Third-party online Permissions for 2024 have also been advertised on our Connect page. This is mandatory for all students, so please click on the link and complete the form if you haven't already. It is now overdue.

We are halfway through the term already, and a few more exciting events are still to come. We have our year 10’s participating in their Duke of Edinburgh’s overnight Adventurous Journey in week 6, and the Department of Emergency Services Cadets overnight camp for our year 12’s in week 10.

Bring on more of that spring weather!!

Angela Whittington

Class Updates

7AF

Wow! What a busy start to the term it has been. While playing a selection of maths and english games, we have been concentrating on our social skills, communication, and appropriate behaviours while improving our maths, reading, spelling, and conversation skills. We also made lovely food in our maths lessons: egg fried rice, tomato and basil pasta, and chilli con carne. It has been a fun educational journey.

We were lucky to attend two one hour rugby clinics and had fun learning new skills in the sunshine. Yes, we were super fortunate that it wasn’t raining!

                                                                                           Rugby Clinic

Moreover, we have been following some of the highlights of the Olympic Games and watching Behind the News (BTN) to learn more about some of the participants.

Could I please remind all parents to book a time for an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting with me so that we can set some new goals for this semester. Thank you.

Annie Foyster and 7AF

7SS

We are happy to have started the term with full attendance. It was wonderful to see the students return after the holidays with a mature attitude, and quickly get into the routines at school.

We were fortunate to have two rugby clinics this term, both run by Rugby WA. The clinics helped us learn some rugby-specific skills, like passing and receiving the ball, kicking the ball, and tackling. The staff taught us these skills through fun activities, and we thoroughly enjoyed the sessions.

Every Thursday, we go to the school library during period 3, choose a book of interest, and quietly read it. Some of us also borrow the book and bring it to the classroom. We use our free time between lessons to read our books.

This semester, we joined the rest of the school for Interest Based Options group on Wednesday afternoons. In week one, we were given a brief description of the various available activities from which we independently chose our favourite activity. We are all enjoying IBO as it allows us to mingle with students from other year groups and have fun.

We have been watching Olympic highlights and completing our Olympic booklets in class. We are keeping a tally of our Australian Olympic team's medals.

IEP meetings are progressing well. A big thank you to all those who made time to attend the meeting and discuss goals. The athletics carnival is scheduled for week 9, and the AFL carnival in week 6. I am looking forward to a great term ahead.

Susan Solomon

8CL

This year, we’re fortunate to have Mr Arrantash come into our classroom to help support our learning in mathematics, lead our Wellness walks on Monday and Tuesday mornings, and encourage us to get involved in the school’s Containers for Change initiative. Our contribution to this initiative has been collecting containers around Coker Park and the school, sorting them, and preparing them for a cash refund. We raise 10 cents for every container.

As a class, we are excited about our upcoming projects. In conjunction with our hands-on measuring lessons and building plan investigation with Mr Arrantash, we will follow our building plans to build a house in Minecraft.

Students are also enthusiastic about learning about topics of choice in History and taking virtual tours of historical significance on Google Earth. We recently discovered that the British Museum in London can be accessed via Google Earth and are now brainstorming the other places we can go using this remarkable program.

Our latest game recommendation is The Floor is Lava. Most students liked this game because they could get up and move around rather than sit at a table. This can be played with the whole family or small group.

Carissa Lee

8MS

We have all returned from the holiday full steam ahead, re-energised and ready to go.  

The whole class is working very hard on all our IEP goals.

As part of the environment module in ASDAN, we enjoy learning about natural disasters. Some of us were shocked to learn that Australia has had extremely dangerous and devastating tornados. Tornadoes are not just an American occurrence. Only this year, a damaging tornado hit Bunbury in our Southwest.

We have been completing our Ignite evidence files.  We have especially liked creating photo collages as proof of evidence for the physical activity and hobby modules.  Check out the collages of us hitting the gym and the D&T shed for woodwork.

                                                                                     Photo Collages

During weeks 2 and 3, students had the opportunity to participate in rugby clinics. They had an absolute ball demonstrating tackling and throwing skills and working with the other year 8 students. Lots of photos were posted on our class Connect. Please check them out.

                                                                                                Rugby Clinic

Students continue to collect containers to support the school’s fundraising initiatives and progress with their Ignite (Level 4) hours. It’s great to see the teamwork skills, and we are also using the containers for our numeracy sessions.

Charline Martlew and Pat Spadanuda

9MH

Hi all, here are some highlights from this term.

Students continued researching the Paris Olympics, located the flags of different countries, and studied an Olympic athlete and some sports played at the games.

                                                                                   Olympic team flags

Students have been keeping up to date with the Olympics. Each morning, students recorded their chosen countries' medal count and watched a few highlights of the events.

In Art, students made an Olympic torch and learned about the history of the torch.

In literacy, students researched a chosen job and listed the name, opening hours, equipment used, and what type of industry it belongs in.

Researching jobs

Students identified different ways to pay for things and listed the difference between a debit and a credit card.

During science, students continued learning about the different parts of plants. They identified each structure and discussed their roles.

Students identified how they were feeling using the zones of regulation chart. They then completed an activity called “How My Body Feels”, listing what happens to their body when they feel a certain way.

Constable Care attended our school and spoke to our students about online safety. They thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.

Rugby WA conducted some rugby clinics for our students. It's great to see the students getting involved and having fun.

Having fun at the rugby clinic

In cooking, students made stuffed potatoes.

Mustafa Hussein

9SN

We had a fantastic start to the term with lots of new projects and activities.

Students are working on their projects on Wednesday morning. The topics are chosen according to their interests and strengths. During semester 2, they will use multimodal resources, including Minecraft education, to complete their projects.

In literacy, we are working on reading and writing emails and creating silly sentences using nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The Paris Olympics is the topic of discussion every morning in our classroom. Mitchell shares the medals tally with the class, and we watch the day's highlights during our brain breaks. Students also work on finding information about the Olympics in their chosen countries.

In numeracy lessons, we are learning about the area using grid paper and blocks, times tables using arrays and calculating simple discounts using calculators.

Students have been learning about plant and animal cells. We created plasticine cell models in our science lessons.

Making cell models

We are learning about the United Nations.

Students participated in two rugby clinics this term. The clinics were fun and engaging.

Rugby clinic fun

In art, we have learnt to create castles and suns, using 10 squares and triangles, inspired by Paul Klee.

Miss Mincherton assists us with drumbeat in our music lessons on Mondays.

 Kyle brought his chess board to share with friends. Thank you, Kyle.

                                                                                       Kyle sharing his chess board

Saadia Niazi

10VL

The second half of the year has gotten off to a flying start.

Students had an incursion from Constable Care about staying safe online, they have practised their lawn bowls and athletics skills, practised signing in and out of the Business Centre at Senior School in preparation for Year 10 Industry Tasters and identified their bus stands and bus numbers at the Cannington Bus Station.

They are looking forward to trying lots of places for their Industry Tasters.

Vanessa Laudehr

10WP

Wow! What a start. We are continuing with our English and Maths workbooks.

This term, 10WP will commence Workplace Learning (WPL). In preparation for this, we have been working on our Work Right portfolios. A program was developed to teach students how to work safely in different environments and follow safety procedures. This included learning first aid from nurse Amy.

Also, in preparation for WPL, the students have been on a Transperth Network tour. This provided them with knowledge on how to find the correct bus/train, tag on and off, and what to do and who to look for if they need assistance. It was an excellent opportunity to gain confidence using public transport and feel comfortable approaching a Transperth staff member if they need help.

Transperth excursion

Once students begin WPL in week four, they will visit various industries and spend two hours on a Friday for two weeks, experiencing what work is conducted there and whether this is a type of employment the students would like to consider. They will be rotated through the various industries every two weeks with options such as mechanics, hospitality, animal shelter, gardening, retail and warehouse, and our Woolworths store, CANDO. This is an exciting opportunity for students to gain insight into different workplaces.

In Recreational Pursuits, the class has completed learning how to play golf and is now learning how to play lawn bowls. The class will attend Vic Park Bowls Club every Tuesday for six weeks. There is also an AFL carnival and a Basketball carnival with the Perth Wildcats coming up soon, so watch out for notices.

In addition, we have started transitioning to the Senior School. Students will walk across to the Senior campus for period two to understand what it will be like next year. This is intended to ease any anxiety and nervousness that students may have. They will spend an hour there and then return to the Middle School for recess.

Warren Preece

11JL

Term 3 is going well in the 11JL class.  We have been enjoying reviewing our ITP goals, thinking about the future when we finish year 12 and what that may look like, attending the Post School Options Expo, and commencing new HPE practical sports activities and new WPL placements this term.  Together, we are honing our knowledge about road safety and traffic rules, and we are learning about the interesting topic of drugs: legal drugs (such as medications), drugs that are legal once you are 18 years of age (such as alcohol) and illegal drugs and the damage they can cause.  At the end of term 2, we said farewell to Mrs Bhoraniya, and we welcomed Mrs Willier, who will be with us during term 3.

Some highlights of term 3 so far include:

Oliver – I found it interesting to find out about the negative effects of taking illegal drugs.  When I experienced wearing the Fatal Vision Goggles, I realised just how dangerous it could be to be under the influence of illicit drugs.

Robbie – I am looking forward to my ITP meeting and planning my next goals. I also like going to Ten Pin Bowling.

Jack – I like working with Lily, my therapist at school, going to Workpower for WPL and bowling each Monday.

Edmund – I like looking after the greyhound dogs at GAP (Greyhounds as Pets).

Jai – I began WPL at Our Ruby Girl Café. I like using my device to communicate and participate in singing and music activities.

Hannah – I like wearing my Woolies uniform at the CANDO Store each Thursday.  As part of my uniform, I wear a cap and an apron while I serve customers.

Jayden— Commencing my WPL at Australia Post and receiving the “Employee of the Week” canteen voucher. On Wednesday afternoons, I enjoy joining some Year 11s from the other class for social games.

Summer—I like my WPL at the YMCA Child Care Centre. I love working with the children there. I also enjoy the gardening/horticulture course each Friday. I especially like pruning the plants.

Jim – I enjoy WPL at Workpower, ten-pin bowling each Monday and taking part in cooking activities.

Devyn - I have been having fun in Music Rocks and am trying hard to learn the road rules so that I can achieve my Keys 4 Life Certificate by the end of the year.

Maddison—I like Keys 4 Life, bowling with my friends on Monday during HPE, going to TAFE each Wednesday, going to Proudly Productive each Thursday for WPL, and enjoying my gardening elective on Fridays.

Post School Options Expo

Jenny Lockyer

11MM

The 11MM class should all be congratulated for their mature attitude and positive start to the semester. Some highlights include workplace learning placements, TAFE, physical education excursions to Cannington Leisureplex, Bowling, Pot Black and making new friendships. Well done to all our students, and may I acknowledge and thank our dedicated class staff team.

                                                                                   Working hard at TAFE

Michael McGoldrick

12CG

Welcome back to term 3.  With only seven weeks of schooling left for most of 12CG, it will be a super busy term. 

The Ball went off without a hitch, and all the students looked absolutely stunning in their beautiful dresses and suits. Everyone had a blast dancing, eating and spending time with friends. It was a night they will never forget.

School Ball

Everyone is busy working towards completing their courses in class, with some working on completing their SBT modules.

We have the DFES overnight camp this term in week 10, where the students will be attending the Perth Hills Discovery Centre in Mundaring on Thursday and Friday.  12 CG have been busy practising using the walkie-talkies and erecting tents in preparation.

                                                                            Preparing for DFES Camp

Term 4 will bring the year 12 dinner at Brando’s Pizzeria in Victoria Park and the Presentation Ceremony at the Canning Town Hall – more details to follow.

Cindi Griffin

12WW

This term, our class has been exploring AI, specifically ChatGPT. The students have learned to use this tool to their advantage, including editing reports, drafting podcast scripts, and creating emails. They discovered that they could modify the text to be more or less formal and even ask ChatGPT to generate recipes, which they used for their soup enterprise, Souper-Dooper. Some students generated the following paragraphs to highlight their activities this term.

Winston:  As term 3 gets underway, I’ve been thinking about what made it so awesome. For me, the best parts were diving into sports and art (at TAFE) and having a blast with my friend Dylan.

Sports have been a huge highlight.  Whether we were on the soccer field or in the gym, it was always exciting to push myself and celebrate our wins with friends.

Art has also been amazing.  I loved getting creative with painting and sculpting.  It’s been great to have a way to express myself and try new things.

But honestly, the best part of everything has been sharing these experiences with Dylan.  We’ve had so many laughs and made some really cool memories together.

I’m looking forward to more fun and adventures next year and excited to see what’s in store!

Jaimie: I've had a blast playing soccer for HPE this term!  Every practice and game has been so much fun, and I've really enjoyed getting better at the sport.  Working with my teammates and celebrating our wins together has been awesome.  Overall, it's been a great experience, and I've loved every minute of it.

Dylan: I loved being part of the school's sports programs—playing and cheering together made for some awesome times. I also really enjoyed spending time with the dogs at Greyhound as Pets; they were so gentle and made everyone smile. Another highlight was helping out with Souper Doper, our soup-making project. It was fun cooking up delicious soups and working together with friends. These moments have made my time at school special and memorable.

Germano: I love all the fun times I have with Mr Mac on Fridays! Whether we're jamming out to great music, whipping up something tasty in the kitchen, or just having a blast with social games, it’s always a highlight of my day. Each activity is a blast and makes for some awesome memories.

As you can see from our photos, the Winter Wonderland Gala School Ball was a highlight. Most of our class attended and looked their very best. Seeing so many of our students embrace the opportunity to show off their dance moves was incredibly wonderful.

Rhoda Whelan and Lynna Woon

Design and Technology

Year 7 Woodwork

Year 7 Woodwork students are nearly finished their Cessna aircraft model. They have been busy cutting wheels and shaping all the components ready for the final assembly. For many students, making this model is the first time they have used a screwdriver to assemble something. It is challenging learning to push and turn at the same time!

Year 8 Woodwork

Year 8 woodwork students are getting close to completing their jewellery box project. Students have assembled their jewellery boxes with hinged lids and fitted locks. Many students thought it was strange to put everything together and then remove all the hardware components for painting! Workshop staff hope that students will forgive them when they see the final finish of their projects!

Year 9 Woodwork -

Year 9 Woodwork students have started making money box trucks. This project is where working drawings are introduced to students for the first time. Students and the teacher work together to interpret the plans and use them to mark out the timber needed to make the project. Many students can see the 2D working drawing turning into a 3D model.

Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh Award News

Year 10 have started working towards completing their Adventurous Journey and Service sections of the Duke of Edinburgh award this semester. Students are completing a service to the school by completing work for the school garden. So far, they have moved a truckload of mulch and spread it around the garden under the direction of Mrs Woo. They have also begun some lawnmower training so they can assist in maintaining some grassed areas of the school that are not covered by an agreed contract. We started lawnmower training by asking students to follow lines of cones on the grass to help them mow in a straight line following a safety briefing.

                                                                                         Year 10's moving mulch

Students are also getting well underway with preparations for their overnight camping experience at school. They have been practising cooking breakfast dishes with camp cooking equipment in the school garden. They have also been learning to use the school's self-inflating mattresses and practising packing sleeping bags. We are hoping for some fine weather during the coming weeks so students can get some practice putting up tents.

Cooking toast

IBO Boot camp

Staff have started a new IBO subject called “Bootcamp,” which has become popular with students this term. Participants began the term by doing camp cooking, starting UHF radio training, forming two teams, donning their safety glasses, and having a mouse trap catapult battle. We are waiting for the weather to settle so we can learn how to put up tents and complete a GPS-guided scavenger hunt.

Tradestart

Tradestart students attended the 2024 Careers Expo at the Convention Centre in the city. The event coincided with the Indian Ocean Defence Conference, which meant that students experienced a significant police presence and extra security, which was an extra life experience! Once inside the careers expo, students interacted with many exhibits. Natashja was fascinated by a pair of remote-controlled dogs mingling with the crowd. Oliver found a mini excavator, and Robbie sat on a Quad bike used by the SAS regiment. Jamie popped on a set of goggles and had a virtual dive in a submarine. Edmund found a stand where he could use remote-controlled earth-moving machinery on a mock mine site. When we left the Expo, students used Google Maps to navigate to a city Subway store to get lunch.

Back in the workshop, students have been learning about and using a range of fixings used in gyprock, concrete brick and timber. This task involved mixing and casting concrete in a mould, waiting 28 days and then, students used industrial and handyman-level hammer drills to fit Dyna bolts and plastic wall plugs into the concrete. Students also learned how to cut gyprock plaster boards and practised using wall-hanging fixings. Students have also learned how to cut new threads and used this skill to make an adjustable junior hacksaw as a metal work project.

New school garden feature

If you happen to be visiting our school garden, staff have created a new feature using recycled materials. As well as looking great, the new feature is a very visual way our school is celebrating and promoting Indigenous culture in our school.

Mark Arrantash

Workplace Learning

Another busy term with great things happening in Workplace Learning.

We recently had a Post School Options Expo, which was very busy. Many providers came to explain what they could offer students and their families when they leave school. Many providers can provide help before the students leave and assist with NDIS planning and how to use the funds. Over 30 families took the opportunity to speak to various organisations in one place. 

We had a raffle draw for families who completed our survey on the night. The survey revealed that the parents found the event helpful for their future planning. Congratulations to Paige Dunner, the winner.

The students attending the TAFE courses this year have been working hard and have been rewarded with excellent results. The new courses for next year have been discussed during Individual Education and Transition Meetings. Please note that if your child attends TAFE, they must be able to get to the venue independently. This year, some parents collaborated and arranged for one family to take several students to TAFE while other parents picked them up.

The Year 10 students have started their Industry Tasters, which will give them experience in various industries. This will help them understand what is expected in Workplace Learning and what tasks they enjoy.

On the first day, there was some anxiety. However, all the students who came to school had successful workplace days.  We are so proud of how they have adapted to the senior campus and starting new experiences.  

Our senior students continued in their placements and have attended regularly, working well and impressing the employers with their knowledge of the Employability Skills. 

One term to go - we are expecting this to be another busy term.  We have come to that bitter-sweet time when we will say goodbye to our Year 12 students early next term.  I look forward to them returning to repeat the quote I always leave them with: “Those were the best days of my life!”

Carollyn Pears and Narelle Watkins

Interest Based Options (IBO)

Having the Year 7 students join us for Interest Based Options every Wednesday afternoon is terrific. Students from Years 7 to 10 can choose and participate in an activity for the term.

This term, the activities offered are Boot Camp, Karaoke, AFL, Cooking, Silent Disco, Chess Club, Lego Club and Sensory Activities. Next term, students will have the opportunity to choose another option to participate in.

Well done, Year 7’s, for transitioning so well into our IBO program!

                                                                                     Having fun in IBO

Student Services Update

The Student Services team looks forward to exciting and positive events and dates in term 3 after a jam-packed term 2.

We finished term 2 with a bang, celebrating Naidoc Week – “Keep the Fire burning Blak, Loud and Proud alongside Cannington Community College. We had a great week celebrating our Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island Peoples, cultures, history, blessings and learnings for all future generations of Australia. We participated in the National Choir video project “Black Fella- White Fella”, we did a whole school collaborated Aboriginal Hand Art piece for our BER, we had Noongar Language presentations, Didgeridoo & Damper making, and Bush Tucker tasters. Students loved the kangaroo and crocodile kebabs. It was an excellent way to end a busy term. Our team would like to thank Mrs Magnussen from 10 VL for all your great work and support on all our promotion days.

Term 3, we have exciting events and dates coming up.

Week 5 - 12^th-16^th August: “Bullying No Way Week.” Everyone Belongs! Bullying No Way Week is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative, connecting schools and communities to find workable solutions to prevent bullying.

Week 6 - 22 & 23 August 2024: Daffodil Day – Morning Tea, Daffodil Day is Cancer Council’s most iconic and much-loved annual campaign that raises life-saving funds for world-class cancer research. 

Week 7 – 30^th August 2024 is " Wear It Purple Day.” Every year, thousands of schools, community organisations, universities, and workplaces hold events across Australia for Wear It Purple Day. As a day of significance for many Australians, it focuses on our LGBTQIA+ youth and the issues they face while showing them they have the right to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming. We encourage you to celebrate Wear It Purple Day with us on 30^th August.

Week 8 – 3 & 4 September Year 7 – Immunisations - To learn more about the School-based immunisation program and provide your consent online, visit: http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Schoolimmunisations paper based consent forms have been sent home with year 7 students.

Week 9 – 13^th September 2024, we have a “R U OK DAY” big pancake breakfast. R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention efforts by encouraging people to invest more time in their relationships and building the capacity of informal support networks – friends, family and colleagues - to be alert to those around them, have a conversation if they identify signs of distress or difficulty and connect someone to appropriate support, long before they're in crisis

Week 10 - 16^th-20^th September, we have “Mental Health Week” and “Take the Moment.” The National Alliance on Mental Illness Take the Moment campaign encourages us to foster open dialogues, cultivate empathy and understanding, and share resources to support individuals and families on their journey towards mental wellness.

The Student Services team is planning and prepping for these fantastic events, so look out for updates and photos. We wish all the students, their families, and staff a terrific remainder of the term. Wow, it's already August!

The Student Services Team

Office Information

Payments

Thank you to everyone who has paid their contributions. Just a reminder, you can pay your contributions by EFTPOS or direct debit on our website – parent payments or by payment plan. Please do not hesitate to contact the office to arrange a payment plan. 

All charges for years 11 and 12 students are compulsory. The school cannot subsidise your child's excursions/camps if charges are not paid (or an approved payment plan has been made) by the end of term 1 each year or until charges are fully paid. 

Middle School Parking

Please note that parking is not permitted in the driveway at the school's entrance, as indicated by the 'no stopping' markers and yellow line, as this causes a traffic jam on Wharf Street and is dangerous for students. The disabled parking bays are for people displaying an ACROD sticker only. Your cooperation would be appreciated. Parents are welcome to park beside the school near the bus bays. Parents picking up children from the bus bays need to arrive early before the buses.

Visiting the School

All visitors must sign in at Reception/Business Centre and receive a yellow visitor label.

Tanya Buchan

LAC Service

Friendship