5 April 2023

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

From the Principal’s Desk

It’s hard to believe, but the footy season has started. Some people were unhappy the Eagles lost to the Roos last weekend. Summer was relatively mild this year which made for a nice change. Nevertheless, skin cancer is still a major killer in Australia, and we are looking at getting bucket hats made for students. The school board will consider this at the next board meeting, which will be on the last day of this term. We don’t need any new members this year, we are lucky to be able to continue with our current board, but you are free to attend meetings if you are interested - ring the office for details.

I have asked parents/carers from our middle school to consider being on the Parents and Citizens Association (P&C). We need an active P&C to run the canteen. The key is to have some office bearers who can commit to at least eight meetings yearly. Training is available for the office bearers from WACSSO, the state parent body. We hope to get some nominations and do a quick election, then meet for our AGM before the end of the term.

A huge thanks to Mrs Whittington, Mr Griffin, Mr Downing, Ms Gale, Mr VW, Mrs Te Kani, Mrs Dann, Mrs Pears, Mr Panizza and Mrs Dutson for all their work on the senior school camp in Albany. Mr Panizza even came across from the middle school to help us out. The pictures look amazing, and the feedback from staff and students was extremely positive. It is a mammoth undertaking with considerable costs and is something none of us should take for granted.

Congratulations to our basketballers who represented the school at the Interschool Basketball Competition in Lesmurdie. We played against several secondary ESC teams. We fielded three teams in the comp. Our girls’ team was outstanding, beating other mixed teams twice. We are the only school with a dedicated only girls’ team, and we hope other school teams will take our lead. Our division 2 team was outstanding and did not lose a game all day. Finally, our Division 1 boys’ team were the undefeated tournament champions with a nice big trophy for our school to prove it. All players must be commended for their participation, teamwork, and spirit and well done to all concerned, including our coaches Mr Hussein, Mr Griffin, and Mr Pestell. We will be presenting trophies at the assembly in week 10.

The Department of Education has announced the new and improved Connect Now app is now available! We listened to you and improved the app. We made it easier than ever to use, and you will stay logged in until you log out. All your school info is now available in one single app, with quick access to notices, learning content, and calendar events. Check your children’s reports, school notices, and upcoming events from your mobile device. I have added a step-by-step guide to using the app on the School Connect page in the library section. The new app will allow you to see your child’s class Connect page easily.

Our Annual Report is nearly finished and will be available in the first week of term 2. Huge thanks to all the staff who have worked so hard to get it together - we get very positive feedback around our publications from parents, other schools, and the regional office. If you have any ideas for our reports/plans, please let the board know, as we are always looking for ways to improve.

The Government of WA has sent schools more Rapid Antigen tests (RATs). COVID-19 cases have started to slowly rise over the last few weeks, as reported by WA Health, and with the winter flu season approaching, it is important for our school communities to be prepared. We anticipate receiving over 2000 RATs and want to distribute them as soon as possible. You will see a letter from the Chief Health Officer in the newsletter. We anticipate giving each student ten RATs to take home to their families. We will tell you the exact day this will happen. If you do not want this to happen, please call the front office and let us know.

Mr Heng will take up a position in a new school starting in term 2. We have yet to find a replacement but will ensure there is a new teacher to start with the class in term 2. There are processes for recruitment that must be followed, and I can’t guarantee the teacher who has the class in term 2 will have it all year. We wish Mr Heng well. Mrs Woon has had to postpone her return from maternity leave and won’t be with us till term 3 and in a part-time capacity. We will advertise for education assistant and teaching positions in our school next term.

The Lake Street extension is still progressing, with much work being done. It makes it very difficult for our students to go cross-campus. Whether it is middle school students going to the gym at our senior campus or senior students accessing the recreation room on our middle school campus, it is often too difficult and time-consuming to walk all the way around. We hope to get some access in term 3 before work starts on the Metronet. Canning City is certainly a hive of activity.

Can I again remind parents/carers to take extra care when dropping off or picking up students in our bus bay areas. Ramadan starts March 22 and ends April 21 - Ramadan Mubarak. Well done to all the assembly award winners, and finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all the staff for helping the students shine each and every day.

Andrew Wilson

School Board

The end of term one is almost upon us. The staff have been working hard to assess where students are at and meet parents to complete the IEPs (Individual Education Plans) and ITPs (Individual Transition Plans). It's a mammoth task, so a big thank you to all the teachers and staff for ensuring our kids have goals and objectives for the year that suit their needs and wants. Such a great thing about our school is that every student can learn in a way specific to them.

Don't forget to pay those school contributions and charges. Call the office, and they can help you set up a payment method that works for you.

If you are on Instagram, check out our account:

It's a great way to keep up to date with all the fun things happening, such as the senior camp to Albany and the Kalabilty Basketball competition.

I hope you all have a safe and Happy Easter enjoying the last of the sunshine.

Emma Blake, School Board Chair

Class Updates

7CL

Science: Students have engaged in science lessons, observing and recording their findings on what happens when heat and cold are applied to various food items. We are currently observing the properties of the weird substance, Oobleck (cornflour mixed with water), asking, “Is it a solid or a liquid?” before predicting what will happen to this stuff after heating and freezing.

STEM: This has been a popular subject in our class! We have been creating pictures by colouring in the squares on a grid and then recreating them using building blocks in Minecraft. The students have done a tremendous job, and it’s fair to say they enjoyed the project immensely. We will do more work in different learning areas using Minecraft as an educational tool throughout the year.

Our grid pictures

Students have also worked with a partner to design and create the tallest tower using marshmallows and dried spaghetti. It was encouraging to see them share their ideas through drawing and discussion to achieve a common goal.

Basketball Clinic: Thank you to Mr Hussein for organising and inviting us to participate in the Kalability Basketball clinics in Weeks 6 and 7. We had a lot of fun learning new basketball skills, and it was awesome to see all students have a go at participating in this event.

Year 7 Student Councillor: A big congratulations to Louise Taylor, who was voted year 7 student councillor. Louise is excited and will do a fine job representing her peers and the school this year.

PBS: 7CL students are well on their way to reaching their goal of receiving a total of 3500 AIR as a group, earning them a class party at the end of the term. Keep up the great work, 7CL!

Carissa Lee

7CM

There has been a new buzz in the class this week. We are beginning to get excited about attending our first CCESC Fun Day at Kalamunda Water Park. It looks like an action-packed day has been planned by all those involved. We will plan our recess and lunch menu over the coming days.

We have started reading the novel ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ by Roald Dahl. Mrs Martlew has linked our science sessions to this, and we have already experimented with swirly milky colours. When you place drops of food colouring into a bowl of full cream milk and add a drop of dishwashing liquid, the colours swirl and dance by themselves. Please have a look at some of the photos we took.

Chevelle, Elena and Lebron observing the swirling coloured milk

Swirling milky colours

We enjoy sinking our teeth into our option classes, woodwork and cooking. We have completed making a car in woodwork and are learning how to make healthy snacks in cooking.

Sam – look at the concentration!

Considering that we have started at a new school, we have transitioned seamlessly from primary school to high school. We are all excited about what the rest of the year may bring.

The Class of 7CM

8MH

Students participated in phonics, comprehension, direct instructions, spelling, reading box, and form filling during literacy. Also, students emailed Mr Hussein and shared what they learnt and liked about the week.

In numeracy, students participated in handling money - coming up with different ways to make 65 cents, looking through the canteen menu and calculating change up to $5.00. Also, calculating different changes given 1 or 2 items and telling time - ordering o’clock and half past whilst using an interactive game, identifying what occurs in the morning, afternoon, and evenings, telling time to quarter past, quarter to and calculating five-minute intervals.Measurements - students measured each student's arms, feet, and height. They also converted centimetres to meters.

In science, students learnt about composting. We walked into the school garden and looked at our worm farm, garden and compost. Also, they learnt printer toners can be recycled as the remaining materials are used to make high-quality roads.

Composting and recycling toner cartridges

During HASS, students learnt about different types of natural disasters in Australia.

Learning about natural disasters

In cooking, students made pizza scrolls, tuna baked and rock cakes.

Cooking pizza and rock cakes

In health, students listed different types of protein, dairy, carbohydrates, fats, fruit, and vegetables. They also discussed the importance of eating each food group.

Healthy food pyramid

Over the past few weeks, our students were involved in a basketball clinic through the WA sporting schools. They learnt basic ball-handling skills and recognised different passing options

Mustafa Hussein

The Basketball Clinic

8SN

This is the last edition of our newsletter for this term. It is unbelievable how quickly we have come to the end of the term.

We had a busy but very exciting term. The students were involved in multiple activities throughout the term, with literacy and numeracy being the focus. In our numeracy rotations, we continued developing time, money and measurement skills according to the ability levels, while in literacy, we are working towards developing spelling, comprehension and grammar skills.

Numeracy rotations

Students completed their Aboriginal rainbow collage during art class, which looks fantastic on display in our classroom. We nominated our student councillor for the year during the last half of the term. The formal announcement and badges will be presented in the school assembly in week 10.

Mr Hussain organised a basketball clinic for the year 8 students. They thoroughly enjoyed the two sessions. On Wednesday, 22 March, a few of our students also participated in Kalability Basketball Competition. It was an excellent opportunity to be part of a big community and develop social skills.

Enjoying basketball practice

We have been learning about International Women’s Day in our HASS lessons. The students took a keen interest in the topic and participated in the class discussions.

Our school chaplain organised Nintendo time during social games and lunch breaks for the year 8 students. It was great to see everyone enjoying the special treat.

Saadia Niazi

9VL

Hello, everyone from the 9L Legends! That’s the name the class has voted on for what we will be called for Market Day. Our Market Day prep is in full swing. We have a collection of stress balls made already and lots of water beads ready to make a different range of stress balls as well. We’ve taste-tested smoothies and have all materials, costs, and sale prices worked out.

Abu and CD making stress balls for Market Day

Tanmay with a stress ball made for Market Day

Yusuf and Hamida making stress balls for Market Day

We have continued learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture. We have learnt about language groups in Western Australia and interesting information about David Unaipon.

Hamida learning about David Unaipon for Indigenous studies

Lochlan learning about David Unaipon for Indigenous studies

Reed learning about David Unaipon for Indigenous studies

We also cooked pancakes last week and really enjoyed them. We learnt about allergies and how not everyone can eat the same foods, so we used an egg replacer in our pancakes.

The class getting excited for in class cooking of pancakes on Friday

In Health, students have been learning about growth and development. They also learnt how to cross the road safely, which was useful for our excursion to Scitech.

We travelled to Scitech by train, and the students had a blast! They got to go and watch a movie inside the Planetarium, play with the interactive exhibits and watch a theatre show about power and electricity.

Patrick and Lochlan on the train to Scitech

Reed pulling himself up on one of the machines at Scitech

Tanmay, Masouma, Ms Taylor, Lola and Mrs Daley outside Scitech

Yusuf outside Scitech

The 9VL Team

9WP

All our assessments have been completed, and students have been allocated to numeracy and literacy groups based on their abilities which works well, allowing them to consolidate their learning and extend their knowledge with challenging questions.

The class has been learning about indigenous culture during Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS). We began with learning about ‘Dreamtime’ and ‘Dreaming’. We now progress to learn about the indigenous seasons, their names and how these affected the indigenous people. We now have an indigenous calendar alongside our western calendar, and students can compare the seasons to each other.

In enterprise, 9WP has been busy creating their garden signs and has learnt to use several hand tools and machinery. These skills are an important part of their skills development, and it is great to see that all are accomplishing the tasks set for them.

Creating our garden signs

In STEAM, 9WP, along with Miss Laudehr’s class, went to SciTech as part of our study on the solar system. The students were treated to two presentations on the solar system and then had the opportunity to experience some exciting demonstrations and hands-on activities. By all accounts, the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves, with the highlight for many being the Planetarium and viewing the solar system. Others enjoyed the force demonstration and the explosions, notably the plasma gun. We also managed to navigate the local train station and Perth station. The students could quickly identify the platforms we needed and how best to get there—a big thank you to Miss Laudehr and her team for organising the excursion.

Having fun at SciTech

Warren Preece

10KP

I can’t believe that we are nearing the end of term 1. Students have been working diligently and have shown improvement in all subject areas.

Under the watchful eyes of Mr Arrantash, our production of wooden crates has been ticking along very well. As our business management and enterprise project, we have been working hard and putting together a plan for sales on market day. Seeing our teamwork in action In the D&T workshop is fantastic. While some of us remove nails from recycled wood, others cut it, preparing it for sanding and nailing into crates, and the final team varnishes the crates. The finished products look fabulous. The students have all contributed to creating an order form that we have been practising filling in to check if it is missing any information that needs to be added. We will be going around and taking our orders soon. We have also been working industriously in running our class plant hiring enterprise by sorting potted plants, washing and drying the pots, and delivering the potted plants promptly to our customers. We also followed a tight schedule checking on the health of the plants and watering them. After several class discussions, we finally voted and named our plant hire enterprise “Green Troopers”. We are still working on designing the logo.

We focus on functional numeracy in mathematics, and the students concentrate on their time-telling skills. Some look at analog clocks and watches, while others look at digital formats. Jack even uses his time reading skill when working out in the gym to know when to start and finish. We are reviewing and revising what we already know, slowly building confidence and polishing up our skills in telling the time for when we start workplace learning, where telling the correct time is crucial.

Reon, Ryan, KoopA and Charli from our class were chosen to participate in the Kalability Basketball tournament at Kalamunda. They worked hard getting ready with lots of practice before the event and had a ball participating, literally and figuratively! They also met students from other schools and had the opportunity to build friendships outside their school. We are especially proud of Ryan, who scored the first three opening points, and the entire team, who, despite the hot venue, went on to compete with many teams without complaints,

We visited the DFES Education and Heritage Centre on Tuesday, 21 March. It was an informative excursion that taught us to problem solve and take action to prevent and respond to a fire emergency. We did all that through watching a video, role play, looking at relics of actual fire events and many hands-on activities. I am delighted with the behaviour put on by my class during the visit as they listened attentively and answered all the questions that were asked in the best possible manner. The best part of the excursion for the students and even the staff was when we wore the fire and emergency officers’ uniforms and got on a fire truck. It was fun and put a smile on everyone’s face!

DFES Education Centre Visit

Listening intently

Students and staff are all looking forward to Fun Day in week 9, Friday and a short but busy last week of the term, which starts with the end-of-term assembly hosted by the senior students on Monday and ends with the ANZAC Day assembly on Thursday, which is the last day of the term.

The staff of 10KH congratulates our students for all their hard work and achievement in term 1 and wishes everyone a well-earned and restful term break.

The staff of 10KH

10SS

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of term 1. Time has flown by, and students have worked amazingly in all subject areas.

We have worked very hard with Mr Arrantash In business management and enterprise, producing our concrete mushroom garden ornaments. It is amazing to see our teamwork in the D&T workshop. While some of us are mixing the concrete, others are cutting the mesh, getting the tubes ready for the mushroom stems, painting the mushrooms etc. The finished products look fabulous. We have all contributed to creating an order form that we have been practising filling in to check if it is missing any information that needs to be added. We will be going around and taking our orders soon.

Making our mushrooms

We have also been working tediously in running our class laundry enterprise by collecting, washing, drying and delivering the laundry promptly to our customers. After several class discussions, we finally voted and named our laundry enterprise “Weekday Washers”. We are still working on designing the logo.

Using the washing machine and clothesline

In mathematics, we are focussing on our time skills. We are reviewing and revising what we already know and slowly building confidence in telling the time.

We visited the DFES Education and Heritage Centre on Tuesday, 21 March. It was an informative excursion that taught us to problem solve and take action to prevent and respond to a fire emergency. We listened attentively and answered all the questions that were asked. We even had the opportunity to wear the fire and emergency officers’ uniforms and get on a fire truck. It was fun!

Staff also enjoyed the excursion

Tenisha, Summer, Edmund, and Hugh from our class were chosen to participate in the Kalability Basketball Carnival at Kalamunda. They had a great time participating in the event and meeting students from other schools.

We are looking forward to Fun Day and a short and busy last week of the term, which starts with the end-of-term assembly hosted by the senior students on Monday and ends with the ANZAC Day assembly on Thursday, the last day of the term.

We wish everyone a wonderful term break.

Staff and Students of 10SS

11CG

It’s been a busy few weeks at the senior campus. Most students attended the four-day Albany camp, while the non-campers enjoyed activities at school and an excursion to the Fremantle Markets. In amongst that, Harmony Day was celebrated at Sevenoaks on Wednesday, 15 March, where the students enjoyed watching the array of cultural dances from around the world. There were many activities to enjoy and food tasting from all corners of the world.

Ebony enjoying Harmony Day

The basketball carnival is fast approaching, and three 11CG students have been nominated to go: Monique, Dylan and Daelen – so good luck, guys!!!

The students look forward to Fun Day at Kalamunda Water Park in week 9 and another excursion to BStreet Smart in week 10.

Have a safe and happy break, everyone. See you all next term.

Cindi Griffin

11MJ

We are now almost at the end of term 1. There has been a lot of activity over the last few weeks.

In DFES Cadets, students have been learning fire safety. They investigated the laws around arson and the impact of fire on individuals, businesses and the community. They discussed survival strategies if caught in a bushfire or if a fire approaches a building. They conducted a safety evaluation of the campus, identifying potential fire risks and ways to mitigate them. Students continue to practice fire drills. They have improved their reaction time and know how to move in different situations. Students also created a Community Education Tool to teach others about in-home fires and presented it to the students in LS5.

Teaching others home fire safety

In ASDAN, students have been researching the dangers of tobacco and drug use. Furthering their understanding, students have examined the laws and penalties associated with the possession and trafficking of substances. They have also investigated the harmful effects of tobacco and drug usage.

Emotional well-being is the current key focus in health theory. Students have been learning about the different types of stresses and pressures that impact their daily lives. They have been developing an understanding of ways to manage their emotions and methods that can promote healthy mental well-being.

In Keys for Life, students are learning road rules and safety. These skills will form the foundation for students seeking a driver’s licence. Students have also participated in a car maintenance training session with staff from RAC. Students learned the fundamentals for general car maintenance and performed tasks including cluster gauge familiarisation, fluid checks and tyre pressure reading.

In Community Service, students are working as part of Clean Up Australia to remove litter from Charles Treasure Park.

During week 7, most of the campus travelled to Camp Quaranup, Albany. Students engaged in team-building activities and practised independent living skills. Students also participated in outdoor education activities, including fishing, archery, kayaking., and swimming at Greens Pool. Students could also visit The Gap, Albany Wind Farm, the Whaling Station or the National ANZAC Centre, Granite Skywalk, or the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk. For our day campers who remained at school, there were fun activities, including party planning, making sushi, Harmony Day, and an excursion to the Fremantle Markets.

The Gap

Coming up, we have the ANZAC Day assembly, in which our class will participate in the Acknowledgment of Country, the Fun Day at Kalamunda Water Park and the senior school assembly.

Ryan Michael and Melanie Jones

12AF

Hayley, Stevie, Jaydene, Charlotte, Nadeer, Henry and Cole were lucky enough to go to Albany on camp.

Hayley Bowe for 12AF

Having fun in Albany

Freo Markets

Practising our marching

12DG

We have a group of students preparing for the basketball carnival on 22 March. They are improving their skills and fitness, and it is exciting to see them starting to understand team structure and game plans.

We have all identified our new ITP goals and are working with teaching staff, therapists, parents and carers to achieve our goals. We are starting to prepare for next year and trying to plan for life after school.

We have begun learning about interview skills in English, creating interesting discussions and ideas about what to do and not to do in an interview. During ASDAN, we have started to learn about sexual health and different forms of contraception.

Health lesson

In HPE/DFES, we had our first camp at Quaranup in Albany, and it was great to see most students challenge themselves and cope with a busy schedule and some different activities.

In Maths, the students have started completing footy tipping and tallying their results each Monday. It has created lots of social banter and gives students a topic to discuss after each weekend.

Most students have commenced ADWPL and travel into the community to various locations with minimal fuss. It is exciting to see some students thinking about future employment and their journeys into the workplace.

The Class of 12DG

Design and Technology

Year 7 Enterprise: Students have finished their finger cars this week and can now take them home! The next project will be a wooden naughts and crosses game that they will make for Market Day next term. The students are settling into our school environment well and getting used to the new routines, which is great.

Displaying their finished finger cars

Year 8 Enterprise: Students from 8MH are busy making bird mobiles. Staff were elated this week when some students gained the confidence and the skills to safely use the scroll saws without assistance to cut out wing shapes for the mobiles. It was great to see students taking on a new challenge, succeeding and reaping the reward of a great result.

Ethan and Ken using a scroll saw

Year 9 Woodwork: Students have completed their paper towel dispensers. They used a wood lathe to turn the centre spindle from a square piece of timber. This project encompassed many skills such as drilling, counter sinking and final finishing.

Year 9 Enterprise: I reported in the last newsletter that 9WP produce wooden garden signs from recycled timber donated by Telstra. Students in this group have become a hard-working team as they have all learned the production steps needed. Patrick has enjoyed learning how to use the compound saw and the belt sander as his contribution to the project.

Patrick belt sanding a quirky garden sign

10SS Enterprise - Concrete Mushrooms: Mrs Solomon’s class produces concrete mushrooms in numbers! The class poured 25 new concrete mushrooms last concrete pour and had 23 successes. The class is about to enter a taking order phase as we have had massive interest from customers wanting to secure a CCESC Mushroom for their garden.

The concrete mushroom team hard at work

Tradestart: Students have completed a job for the school, which involved solving the problem of storing the DFES mountain bikes. Bike wall hanging brackets were purchased, and the students marked out the walls and fitted plastic plugs into the brickwork using a masonry drill. This project was great for students to get hands-on experience using spirit levels and drill drivers. There were lots of bikes to hang, and students found it challenging to hang in there and complete the job.

Oliver drilling bricks for wall fixings

Tradestart students hanging DFES bikes

Mark Arrantash

Please click below for information about the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

Workplace Learning

The end of term 1 is upon us already! We have had a fantastic start to the year and look forward to term 2 being just as successful.

I had the pleasure of accompanying students to senior camp last week. It was an awesome experience, and I was impressed to see the students’ levels of maturity and independence increase.

Everyone has been attending workplace learning regularly and doing an excellent job! It has done the job of awarding the Employee of the Week a difficult task!

Congratulations to Lachlan Nightingale. He has accepted a School Based Traineeship at Water Authority and will be attending a meeting this week to sign a contract.

Liam Boyd and Monique Park have also been offered a School Based Traineeship with Good Samaritan Industries, which will be organised before the beginning of next term.

Isaac Beard and Liam Boyd will complete the seven-week Charged Up For Work program Edge Employment Solutions run this week. They will attend a presentation ceremony on Thursday. Well done, Isaac and Liam!

Hudson Hough and Oliver Thomas have been nominated as the next Charged Up for Work participants, and we are sure they will be great representatives of our school.

We are also excited to have secured new employer partnerships with Our Ruby Girl, Colquhouns, Jason Windows and Minuteman Press. We look forward to our students' continued success in term 2, starting their new placements at these workplaces!

Carollyn Pears

Lachlan and Issac at work

CANDO Fresh Food

Orders for CANDO Fresh Food have been picking up in the second half of the term. Each Wednesday and Thursday, the Workplace Learning Students have been printing the order forms, selecting the products and ticking them off the order form. They pack them into the Woolies Bags and then deliver them to the relevant classroom for the staff or class orders. Following this, they return to CANDO Fresh Food, update the itemised stock document, and email it to all staff. This allows staff to know what the latest stock levels are and if there are any discounts available.

Our biggest order so far has been made to send to the Senior Camp in Albany. This order was exciting to pack because we needed more than just a bag to put everything in before we could deliver it.

The repairs on the actual shop are almost complete, we are just waiting for a final coat of paint before the products are all moved back into the store, and we can start operating out of our real shop.

Mrs Whelan has been developing resources for the classes to use to help with the explicit teaching required before bringing students to shop at the store. This means that every student, regardless of their ability, can participate at some level in the store, either as a customer or as a worker.

In the coming weeks, the Workplace Learning students will be developing a survey to send out to students and staff to seek their input regarding the types of products that would be useful to stock in our shop. This will help inform our ordering processes.

We look forward to bringing you more updates in term 2.

Rhoda Whelan

Amy making a delivery to Mrs Griffin

Hayley giving an invoice to Mrs Buchan for a staff amenities order

Kalability Basketball Carnival

Division 1: Our starting line-up consisted of Henry, Lochlan, Isaac, Oliver, and Dylan, who got us off to a great start each game. Then our subs Nathan, Alando, Casey and Jaxon finished the job. They set up a 2/3 zone defence which restricted the opposition and then caught them out on the fast break scoring easy layups.

Division 2: Although our division 2 team didn’t win the division, they managed to win all their games. I think Ryan Grant’s field goal percentage was 100% - well done, buddy. I was marvelled by the team’s ability to share the ball and get everyone involved. Our starters and benched played their part, and that’s all you can ask for—well done, Miracle Fue, Germano Masino, Edmund Dann, Hugh McDonnell, KoopA McFarlane, Patrick Kargbo, Reon Gill, Ryan Grant and Ryan Wallace.

Division 3: The girls' team, known as the “SPARKLES”, gave an outstanding performance. They dominated their first two games, easily beating their opponents (mixed teams consisting mainly of boys). They narrowly lost their final game against Kenwick due to a last-minute three-pointer. The girls showed great sportsmanship and were fierce competitors. Best of all, everyone had a great day: a huge effort, girls.

Please see the following comments from some of our competitors:

Mustafa Hussein

Please click the links below for information on West Rise Basketball Competition – an all-abilities basketball competition.

RAC Incursion at the Senior Campus

On Tuesday, 7 March, the senior students had the opportunity to learn basic car maintenance skills from RAC mechanics who visited the school. The RAC showed students how to check the oil, water and brake fluid under the bonnet of a car and where to look to know what the tyre pressure should be for the car (found on the sticker on the inside of the driver’s door). The students were shown how to check the tyre pressure, learnt about the importance of looking after car tyres so that they are inflated to the correct level and how to check if the tyres are correctly aligned so that the tyres are on the correct angle as the car drives. The session was very successful and allowed staff and students the opportunity to ask questions from experts about all their car-related issues.

Jenny Lockyer

Therapy Information

This term, I have focused on the year 7s - to support their transitioning at Cannington ESC. Getting to know the lovely year 7 students and staff has been a pleasure. We have several Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device users in year 7, and it brings me great joy to see that more staff are advocating for the students. The journey of using AAC is never a magical process that happens overnight, but we celebrate every little step of achievement along the way. I am excited to be part of this wonderful journey and can’t wait to share more with you all.

A service request form has been sent out to all staff, and if you have any AAC enquiry, I am here to support you! I look forward to meeting more of you and empowering everyone to communicate freely across environments.

Cadence Bok, Speech Pathologist

I can’t believe Term 1 is almost over already! I’ve had a great term getting to know the staff and students better. I have collaborated with staff this term to understand their students’ sensory needs and find creative solutions! I am running a series of ‘Sensory Workshops’ for our teachers, which covers what sensory processing is, why it’s essential and what we can do to maximise our student’s engagement at school. Please reach out if you are interested in collaborating.

Grace Carter, Occupational Therapist

Student Services Update

An Introduction to our School Psychologist

My name is Vanithamani Pillay, and I am your new provisional school psychologist at Cannington Community ESC this year. I work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Some aspects of my role include the following as listed below:

• Identifying and supporting students who need extra assistance.
• Assisting students, families, and teachers to support students to get the best out of school life.
• Supporting the school to maximise learning, mental health and well-being and social and emotional well-being outcomes for all students.
• Helping children and young people to achieve academic success, mental health and well-being, and social and emotional well-being.
• Providing whole-school programs, psychoeducation for teachers, psychological assessments, assessment of a student’s coping skills, counselling and support for students.
• Using the Positive Psychology approach, promoting and strengthening school staff capacity to develop and maintain a positive mental health culture and climate, and student connection and engagement within the school environment.
• Creating a safe place for all students, especially those experiencing mental health problems, to voice their difficulties and seek support.
• Impacting positively on students’ mental health and well-being, behaviour, social-emotional learning and educational achievement.

I aim to positively contribute to Cannington Community ESC and the community. I look forward to collaborating with all school personnel, parents, caregivers and other agencies to help improve students' mental health, learning and behavioural outcomes.

If Parents and Caregivers would like the school psychologist to be involved with your child, please talk to your child’s teacher to activate a referral.

Yours sincerely
Vanithamani Pillay
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, 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 subside your child’s excursions if charges are unpaid.

Please note our bank account details:
BSB 066-040 Account Number 1990 6619 (Commonwealth Bank of Australia)
When using online banking or payment via our website, please remember to state your child’s name in the details box; otherwise, we cannot identify the student for payment

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 down the side of 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

ABSTUDY support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students

We’d like to ensure families know about how ABSTUDY can help support high school students. This includes families whose children live at home and may not know they’re eligible. When students live at home, eligible families can get support with school fees and materials like uniforms, textbooks and stationery.

It’s not too late to claim ABSTUDY support for the 2023 school year.

Please share our ABSTUDY for students living away from home post on your school Facebook accounts.

You can download the ABSTUDY high school eKit from our website and both:

• print or share by email the ABSTUDY payments when students live at home factsheet
• use the ABSTUDY PowerPoint presentation to help families learn about the ABSTUDY support available.

You can also:

• go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/abstudyproviders for more information for education providers about ABSTUDY
• follow us on facebook.com/ServicesAustralia to see future posts about ABSTUDY; we would greatly appreciate your help sharing.

ABSTUDY, Services Australia

Friendship