11 April 2019

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

End of Term Assembly Awards

Congratulations to the following students for achieving their awards:

Merit Certificates

2019 Student Councillors

Congratulations to the following students who are our student councillors for 2019

From the Principal’s Desk

Term one is traditionally always the busiest and this year was no exception. The focus is all about getting to know the students, their strengths and vulnerabilities. The relationship between students and staff are key success indicators for growth and development. The quality of the relationship takes time and involves our families. When everybody is on the same page it’s amazing what can be achieved. It has been very pleasing to see so many parent/caregivers attend IEP or MAP meetings. We had a good turnout for our therapy information session as well as the last assembly. We appreciate and need your support.

Staff have also been hard at work developing our business plan for the next three years. A draft was presented to our new School Board at its last meeting. At this meeting terms of reference and code of conduct were signed off as well as the school budget, board training program, draft annual report, school audit and the delivery and service agreement - a very productive meeting indeed. At the end of the year the Board meetings will be open to the public - if you are interested please come along – details to follow. The Board acknowledged the extra efforts the staff goes to in areas such as workplace learning, camp and excursions.

I was delighted to have attended our school’s first showcase day as part of Music Rocks. It was held on Saturday 6th April at the Rosemount Hotel. A real pub with lights, smoke machine, and black curtains. We had three acts in total and it was truly amazing to watch the students put on a show. They were all rock stars. Check out our Instagram account. Thanks to those staff who attended.

Monday 29th April is a student free school development day. We will be preparing for our school review visit, reviewing our therapy programs and moderating SCSA senior school programs and ASDAN programs. Moderating student work is very important as it enables the school to ensure that standards are being met and that assessments are fair. We offer a very broad curriculum to our students and staff are always looking for innovative ways to teach the students the skills, knowledge and attitudes we all aspire to.

We are a Mentally Healthy school and have spent a lot of time researching evidence-based practice in the area of Mental Health. We have adopted the Be You framework for professional learning and health promotion as well as utilising Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) as our preferred social emotional curriculum. Stay tuned for further information.

Andrew Wilson

Class Updates

7MST

7MST has been very busy since the last newsletter. Our IEPs have been finalised and we are starting to make some great gains towards achieving our goals. We are looking forward to starting classroom rotations next term to further assist us in this area.

We have particularly enjoyed in term swimming. Even though not all of us passed our certificates, we made tremendous gains. Some of us had never participated in swimming before and are now displaying a growing confidence in the water. Well done to those students who successfully completed their certificate.

Charline Martlew

7WS

The students of 7WS have continued to settle into the regime at their new school extremely well. It has been a very busy time for the class. The students recently completed two weeks of swimming lessons at the Cannington Leisureplex. They all did extremely well which was evident from the certificates earned. Well done everyone.

With the term 1 holidays fast approaching, the students are looking forward to a well-earned rest and to get ready for term 2.

Michael Smith

8C

Learning about healthy food choices during cooking as part of the ASDAN certificate

Building a water powered racing car during Lego Club

Having fun learning footy skills with the West Coast Eagles

Brendan Cunnane

8S

We have been super busy. It is hard to believe how quickly the time has gone and that we are nearly at the end of term 1.

We have been focusing on our functional literacy and numeracy goals and working very hard during our English, Math and other option classes from Monday to Thursday but Friday has been a totally different day for us this year. On Fridays we split up into groups based on a roster and engage in different jobs linked to Enterprise and Community Service as part of our ASDAN and Ignite Awards. Accompanied by a staff member, one group walks over to the office of Bill Johnston (Member of Legislative Assembly, WA) to maintain the plants in his office; another group goes to the Hambleys Supa IGA to buy ingredients for Community Service cooking and the third group stays back in the classroom and participates in cooking.

Each Friday afternoon, one student along with a staff member, walks over to the Seventh Day Adventist Church opposite our school to deliver the cooked food for the less fortunate people in the community. Engaging in these activities has been a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate and gain confidence. We are learning to read a travel plan, to be responsible and behave appropriately in the community, show love and care for underprivileged people and learn basic shopping, cooking and gardening skills.

Susan Solomon

8W

This term has been busy with lots of activities and a couple of excursions. We can’t believe it is over! 8W has made a good start on their volunteer hours for the IGNITE award by completing four hours of clean up Australia Day in the vacant lot on Cecil Avenue behind the school. The students found this challenging in the humidity but managed to pick up six big trolley loads of rubbish.

We have recently started attending the local IGA and learning to shop with a list. Each week on Thursday, two students walk to Hambleys Supa IGA with a list of ingredients needed for the independent living activities on the next day. After the students have returned to school they pack the ingredients into appropriate storage.

The vegetable garden enterprise is up and running. We have already harvested 15 cucumbers and sold them to staff for 50c each. The students researched the market price of small Lebanese cucumbers at Coles and Woollies and then decided on an appropriate price after working out the average weight of the cucumbers. We are also enjoying watching the zucchinis grow - we started these from seeds in the classroom and then transplanted them into the vegetable garden when they were big enough. They should be ready to start harvesting in the next week.

Rhoda Whelan

9RJ

Term 1 was busy for everyone and 9RJ was no exception! Some of the highlights for us included a trip to the Sculptures by the Sea (at Cottesloe Beach) where students responded to different artworks by trying to interpret their meaning and values; something that we have been looking at as part of Key Steps program.

In Math we are developing our ability to recognise and use both larger numbers (up to 6 digits long) and partial numbers (decimals and fractions). We have focused specifically on looking at the meaning of place value to understand the true “value” of numbers. We have also looked at properties of 3D shapes and are learning to measure items to the nearest mm. Some of us have also learnt about angles and how to plot map coordinates on the Cartesian plane.

Our laundry enterprise is going well. Each week the students wash and fold laundry for the College’s sports department, student services and canteen. The students came up with the name “Laundry R Us” and they are currently designing a business logo as part of their 2019 business plan. Next term we will learn some additional business skills, such as using an Excel spreadsheet to track expenditure.

Everyone LOVED our fun day at Adventure World! Apart from the obvious thrill of the rides, it was a lovely opportunity to strengthen relationships and bonds with peers and staff. 9RJ students had the pleasure of listening to their teacher utter a blood curdling, piercing scream as she fell down the dark abyss of the Kraken. I’m sure the sound continues to ring in their ears…

Rachael Jones

10S

Like all the other classrooms, term one has been a busy time for 10S. The students have started to complete the endorsed programs they are enrolled in for the year, allowing them to participate in some exciting and beneficial activities which included getting dressed in their parade uniforms for DFES cadets, learning to bait and tie hooks during recreational pursuits, maintaining the school's plant hire enterprise program and community service program. This is only a taste of the amount of work that has been done in 10S this term.

Jacob Sands

Group 1

Group 1 students and staff have had an extremely busy term! Some of our highlights have been going to Rottnest Island for camp, going to workplace learning, Monday afternoon sports (swimming, basketball, table tennis or cycling), enjoying Cottesloe Beach, participating in the Sevenoaks Senior College Harmony Day, earning class rewards with AIR tokens, playing cricket at the cricket carnival, Friday option activities (Community Service, Trade Start, Visual Arts, Music Rocks and cooking), settling in at the senior campus and making new friends.

The best part of Term 1 has been:

Zac Bonnefin: I am looking forward to going to Adventure World and I am really happy that the West Coast Eagles won on the weekend.

Luke Marshall: I love going to work each Tuesday at Work Power in Bibra Lake. I dress appropriately at work which includes wearing a safety vest and closed in shoes. I catch two trains and three buses as part of my travel plan.

Joseph Martin: I am excited to go to Adventure World. I have enjoyed playing table tennis each Monday afternoon.

Chey Newton: I am looking forward to Fun Day. I want to go on lots of fun rides at Adventure World.

Kevin Samadhi: Term 1 has been great. I have enjoyed the Rottnest Camp and fixing bikes on Fridays.

In the last weeks of term and the school holidays we are looking forward to visiting Shelley Beach and Adventure World, the Music Rocks performance at the Rosemount, taking part in the school assembly and remembering Easter and ANZAC Day during the holidays.

Jenny Lockyer

Group 2

The second half of term 1 has seen our students in demountable 9 delve into the senior curriculum. Our year 11 students have been focusing on the safety aspects involved in the workplace, which is essential as the majority of our students are out at work placement during the week. The students have also been working on their health and wellbeing by partaking in HPO/HPE. We have had some great discussions such as comparing good stress vs bad stress.

Social time always brings a lot of laugher in our classroom. The students have shown a keen interest in Monopoly and Uno. The pleasing part about observing the students from a distance has been their ability in apply strategic tactics and respecting one another as they’ve demonstrated great sportsmanship.

The highlights for the students this term have been the Rottnest Island camp, the school ball and taking part in Harmony Day activities. I think it is fair to say that all of the students are looking forward to our annual school fun day at Adventure World in Week 9.

Mustafa Hussein

Group 3

We have had a positive start to the term and it was great to meet all the parents and stakeholders at the MAP meetings and discuss the student’s goals and plans for the upcoming year.

In the classroom we are busy completing resumes, learning about beach safety, learning about sexuality, completing mathematics tasks, selecting our footy tips and filling in our journals.

Outside of the classroom we have attended a camp at Rottnest Island and shared many fun experiences including attending a disco, boat rides, fishing, mini golf, bike riding, fun parks, swimming, movies, dinner at a restaurant and sleeping in dorms with our friends.

We have also had students learning about basketball, water polo, table tennis, darts, fishing, kayaking and mountain biking this term and it is pleasing to see most students learning new skills.

The inaugural interschool cricket carnival gave a number of our students the opportunity to compete against and meet new students from other schools. It was a hot, tiring day and all the students were fantastic and represented our school with distinction.

It was pleasing to see Courtney named student guild member and we are all looking forward to the upcoming fun day

Dwayne Griffin

Group 4

The students in Group 4 have continued to have a busy and productive term. We have had some special events such as: MAP meetings, the Rottnest Island camp, an excursion to Shelley Beach and a First Aid course. In addition to these special events, the year 12 students have been working tirelessly on updating and revamping their resumes in English, planning for fun day in Mathematics, investigating the lifestyle of a chosen celebrity in HPO and finishing off their beach safety unit of work in DFES Cadets Level 3. The year 11 students have been updating their resumes in English, learning about measurement in Mathematics, learning about earthquakes in DFES Cadets Level 2 and designing a fitness program in HPO.

All students have earned a well-deserved break this term. Be safe over the school holidays and remember to be active!

Stephanie Brown

Art

Over the past couple of weeks, classes 7MST, 7WS and 8S have been designing and creating artworks inspired by the recent ‘Sculptures by the Sea’ exhibition.

They have been busy making tin foil figurines, set against two different backgrounds – a cast shadow and coloured sand. The results have been sensational. Keep up the great work!

The year 7 students are also still hard at work, going through the process of creating Papier Mache cakes, based on their own individual designs. I’m really looking forward to seeing the final result. Watch this space!

Carissa Thomas

Design and Technology

Year 7

Students have been making a finger car in woodwork. This project has introduced them to cutting wheels using a drill press and belt sanding for the first time. Due to the new noises and the size of the machines, these processes can be challenging for some. The cars were finished using a wood dye for the wheels with a paint finish for the car’s cabin. The next project will be a robot puppet with all of the body parts threaded together using nylon cord.

Year 8

The year 8 woodwork students have been making a pot stand. This is a popular model that teaches students about accurate cutting and measuring. All students are about to start making a jewellery box or a treasure box which will have a hinged lid and a hasp and staple clasp which will make the box lockable. Some of the students are working on recycling plastic bottle tops. This involves identifying and sorting the different types of plastic, cutting and chopping lids, followed by recasting the plastic into new items.

Year 9

Students are busy making a wooden money box truck and have been introduced to safely using 1/3 sheet sanders and cordless jigsaws which have been used to make components for their models. The money box truck has acrylic headlights and taillights and a plastic grill which exposes students to working with a variety of tools and materials. The money box trucks have a hasp and staple fitted so they can be locked. Students are being encouraged to use the trucks to save a few coins for that special something they would like to have.

Tradestart

Tradestart students have been busy learning about house design and have begun to construct an A3 size, 3 dimensional model following their own floor plan. Construction is well underway and walls are being stood up in routed footings. Students are also preparing for a demolition job for our school on the last day of term. This task will require them to remove a counter and a low single brick wall. Students have poured some concrete blocks, waited for them to cure, then used an industrial Hilti hammer drill to practice stitch drilling so they have the skills needed. It is great to be working with students who are keen and excited as they look forward to undertaking this job for the school.

Mark Arrantash

Key for life Program - Senior School Driver Education

Students participating in the Keys for Life Program have been learning about reaction time and emergency braking using the school’s hill trolleys. Students who were behind the wheel were also given other tasks to do while they were driving. They were asked to demonstrate their hand signals or to avoid a basketball that came rolling out onto the road. Students learnt that it takes times to react when conditions change and the faster you travel, the longer it takes to stop. Drivers also learnt that they wobbled all over the road when they were distracted.

Mark Arrantash

Workplace Learning

Middle School

What a great start to workplace learning! The year 10 students have done work readiness activities during the term and in the last three weeks we have been travel training to different locations using public transport. Some students will start workplace learning in term 2 and the others will visit some different places to identify areas of interest in preparation for workplace learning in term 3.

Cassie Banks

Senior School

Wow! What a great term! The majority of students have attended every workplace learning day and are displaying fantastic employability skills.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the employers who offer so many varied experiences and support our students. We have had many successes this term but we would particularly like to congratulate Panthi Patel. Panthi has worked hard to impress her employer who has offered to support her through a Certificate III in Hospitality. Well done Panthi.

We also commend Elvis Lewis on his presentation speech which he delivered to his peers at his Certificate II in Warehousing. It is a skill that a lot of people find difficult and Elvis did a great speech which was both interesting and very informative.

Well done to Ethan Barbatano for beginning a Skills Set from Certificate II in Construction and starting to travel independently to and from the course which is in Rockingham!

Eugini Paesu and Lakesha Long have started a Skills Set from Certificate II in Hospitality. They are both now travelling independently to the course. Well done ladies.

We have had several students who are also becoming more independent. Well done to Brandon Corby who is now travelling to school and his workplace independently and Jayden Stevens who is well on the way to becoming independent, travelling to and from school and work.

Well done to all students for your efforts this term.

Carollyn Pears and Vera Edwards

National Education Initiative

In 2018, Cannington Community Education Support Centre was one of three hundred (300) Western Australian schools selected to receive additional funding to promote student wellbeing and provide opportunities for students to develop mental health knowledge, skills and competencies.

As a funding requirement, staff at the school investigated a number of ‘evidence based’ programs to help support the mental health of our students. Based on our research, we devised a scope and sequence outlining the various program recommendations at each year level as well as recommendations for how best to support our wider school community including parents and caregivers.

One such program is ‘Drumbeat’, which is a social development program that explores relationship issues. Students in years 9 and 11 currently have the opportunity to participate and initial feedback from the program is very pleasing.

We look forward to reporting on the progress of some of these programs and ideas as the year progresses and welcome all feedback.

Katherine Athanasiou

Parent Information Session

This term our school hosted a parent/carer information session to inform them of the work of therapists employed by the school this year. Currently we have an occupational therapist and a speech therapist from the Independent Living Centre, as well as a physiotherapist from Wize Therapy, working on strategies to support our priority programs for students.

Parents learned about Key Word Signing and Talking Mats and their importance as a tool to support communication. It was great to see people practicing the techniques and learning ways to support their student.

The physiotherapist outlined some of the strategies she is assisting staff to implement to encourage better physical health for our students, including fitness and movement.

Thank you to the parents who attended. It was nice to hear your positive comments about the school and its programs.

Bernardo Dewey

Fun Day at Adventure World

On Friday, 5th April, the whole school participated in our annual fun day at Adventure World with over 100 students and 60 staff enjoying the sun, poolside and scary rides. Some students spent the day swimming and relaxing in the main pool while others couldn’t get enough of the Abyss and the Kraken – riding them over and over again.

The Rapids, Tunnel of Terror and slides were very popular and as the day became warmer, the Kahuna Falls big splash bucket wasn’t quite as chilly as when the day started.

Students enjoyed their healthy lunches made in class at school and there were definitely some tired teens on the way home.

The whole school had a fantastic day and we are grateful to be part of such an awesome school community that offers this day out.

Angela Whittington, Deputy Principal

Key Word Sign – using our hands to talk!

This year Cannington Community ESC is introducing Key Word Sign (KWS) throughout the middle school and would love everyone (students, staff and family) to take part. The more people who take part in this fun and valuable project, the more our students will learn and become immersed in it.

What is Key Word Sign?

This is when we use some signs from Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and natural gesture alongside speech to help add something visual to our words.

Why are we introducing this?

KWS helps people understand when others speak. It can also be a way of supplementing other communication attempts.

How are we doing this?

Each week, all staff and students will be given a new sign to learn along with information on how to make the sign, a link to a video, and how we might use it in our everyday conversations. This will become the ‘Sign of the Week.’

What do we want everyone to do?

Have a go!

Try using signs and gestures you know when you talk. Every time the word comes up, try to use the sign at the same time you say the word.

What are we expecting of students?

We would love it if students learned and used the signs in their everyday conversations. We know that not everyone is going to be comfortable or able to use the signs straight away. We can provide opportunities to use signs and invite students to use signs, but they will never be told to use them.

A common concern

Speech is the fastest and most efficient way of communicating in our society. Alternative and supplementing ways of communicating don’t replace speech, but can relieve frustration when speech isn’t getting the message across. Signing (and other alternative forms of communication) can help take the pressure off having to “talk”, whilst still letting that person interact with their world.

Get involved

We would love all parents to get involved in this exciting initiative. If you have any queries or comments, please contact Carissa Thomas (Carissa.thomas@education.wa.edu.au.)

Helpful Resources

Auslan Signbank Dictionary:

Key Word Sign YouTube Channel:

Carissa Thomas

School Chaplain

Looking after your inner spirit—
7 Ways to cultivate your inner strength

Our life is always a series of ups and downs. Challenges come. The one constant is you, and how you deal with them.

1. Know who you are - Understand who you are and how you function best. The happier you are with yourself, the more you can know peace.
2. Spend time in silence - Take time to renew. Unplug everything - no emails, music, TV, just reconnect with nature and your thoughts.
3. Set a routine - Control what you can, so you can focus your efforts and brainpower on the things you can't control.
4. Create the right circle - Build your world with others who are strong inside, who celebrate you and feed positive energy into your life.
5. Gain control of your body - Eat well, exercise, and dress in a way that makes you feel good. Then, you'll start the day feeling powerful.
6. Give yourself a good home - Get your house in order. If your relationship is bad, work on it. Let your home be a safe haven.
7. Connect with the source - You can gain inner strength by connecting with your spiritual source, through prayer, meditation, mindfulness.

Remember, whether things are going well or going poorly, the stronger you are inside, the more you accomplish.

Edgar Reyes

Office Information

Payments

Thank you to everyone who has paid their contributions. Just a reminder you can pay your contributions by EFTPOS, direct debit or by a payment plan. Please contact the office to arrange a payment plan. All contributions for years 11 and 12 students are compulsory. Our bank details are BSB 016 270 A/C 340822406 (when using online banking please remember to state your student’s name in the details box otherwise we cannot identify the relevant student).

Middle School Parking

We have new parking bays for 2019. 2 visitor bays are now located at the school entrance. Please note that parking is not permitted in the drive way as indicated by the ‘no stopping’ markers and yellow line, as this causes a traffic jam on Wharf Street and is dangerous for students. Your cooperation would be appreciated. Parents are welcome to park down the side of the school near the bus bays.

Visiting the School

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

Tanya Buchan

Star Tech

The following is a useful guide for parents when their children are using the internet.

Ravi Bheemul