28 May 2020

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

From the Principal’s Desk

“Necessity is the mother of invention” - Plato. Written a long time ago but certainly still true and even more relevant. It seems so long since the last newsletter with so much happening. In that time staff learnt more about distance learning and prepared a variety of packages for students learning at home. Every class now has a Connect page and we are using WebEx and Microsoft Teams regularly as a matter of course. Even though nearly every student has returned to school we will still put what we have learnt to good use.

I would like to commend our school team for the high levels of professionalism, poise and commitment they have displayed over this challenging period of time. “The strongest steel comes from the hottest fires” and we will be a better staff as a result of this experience together.

To our community, thank you for communicating regularly and letting us know how things were going. I understood many of your concerns and we tried to meet them when and where we could. Let’s continue to work together as partners. I know many of you enjoyed working with your child at home and that many of you are happy that they are back at school and settling into routines. The students themselves have displayed remarkable resilience but there are some who are struggling to adapt to all the changes. Our student services team has proactively been “checking-in” with all the students.

Our campuses are regularly cleaned, with extra staff being employed to disinfect high traffic areas. Staff are still practicing physical distancing and everyone is maintaining good hand hygiene. As the state government further reduces control measures we will keep you up to date via our website or social media. Assemblies, excursions, workplace learning and sport are areas we hope to get further information on as soon as phase 3 is implemented.

Our therapy centre on the middle school campus is complete and we are in the process of furnishing the spaces. The two smaller therapy rooms are nearly kitted out and we are working with our consulting therapists to develop our sensory room. All therapy provision during school hours needs to go through our student service managers Mrs Cave and Mrs Athanasiou. Some therapy providers were asking for a staff member to be with a student during tele therapy sessions - this of course, is not feasible. We are working with the providers to maximise collaboration and the best use of time. Incorporating NDIS and therapy goals into IEPs and ITPs is a school priority area.

Whilst things are not normal, the school feels back in the groove. As long as we don’t get complacent and continue to follow health department guidelines I am sure we have seen the worst of this pandemic. Take care.

Andrew Wilson

Class Updates

7JS

It’s been great to have everyone back at school this term as we start to get back to our regular routine. The cold weather has started to kick in, so we have adapted our morning fitness to suit. We have been starting our mornings off with some Jump Jam and Just Dance to get our bodies warmed up before we continue to develop our literacy and numeracy skills before recess. The wet weather has also meant we have had to get creative on how we learn to play basketball this term for PE. When the weather is good, we are on the courts, but when it has been wet, we have practised our shooting skills playing ‘Trashketball’ in the class. During health and independent living lessons, we have started to look at our hygiene processes, in particular, our teeth brushing ability. During enterprise, we have begun to make Pearler Beads so look out for those when 7JS put them on sale. I would like to say thank you to all the parents and carers for their support at the end of the last term and the start of this one, let’s hope for a smooth end to term 2.

Jacob Sands

Designing and creating pearler beads

Summer playing basketball

Trashketball

7S

The end of term 1 and the start of this term have been very different for all of us due to COVID-19. The staff in 7S are very proud of the students for coping so well and adapting to the changes caused due to the pandemic. It was good to see majority of the students access Connect and use the resources efficiently when they were unable to attend school.

We have had a good start to this term with staff and students being extra cautious in following good hygiene at school. We have been washing our hands with soap and water frequently, keeping our desks and personal belongings clean, wiping our iPads and computers before and after use. Other than hygiene, we have also been trying to manage social distancing as much as possible in and out of the classroom.

On Mondays, during our literacy and HASS lessons we have been using WebEx to communicate with our friends who are learning from home. We thoroughly enjoy this session as it gives us the opportunity to see our friends, communicate with them and give them an update about what we are doing in class.

Some of our normal routines had to be modified slightly to adjust to the change in weather and the COVID-19 situation. One of them is our morning fitness, for which we have started using Jump Jam in class. The program is run on the Smartboard and we follow it together. We are all enjoying this fun fitness program which we will continue to use more often this term, especially on rainy days when outdoor fitness activity is not possible.

Our literacy and numeracy lessons are split into small groups and we are all working hard to achieve our IEP goals.

Susan Solomon

Washing hands

Jump Jam for fitness

8MT

Term 2 has had a very different start to it. Some of us were just beginning to sink our teeth into home learning when it was time to come back to school. We welcomed the majority of students back in week 1 with 77% returning. That changed again in week 4 with 100% attendance. We are very impressed with the way that the students have returned to school. With a lot of uncertainty going on around them, they have displayed fantastically mature attitudes.

8MT are working hard and enjoying our very messy art, Ignite and ASDAN sculptures. No sneak peaks until the final product we’re afraid. We can, however, tell you that they depict something that is wet, slimy and has big eyes.

Face to face teaching is full steam ahead with everyone back on deck. We are reading a new novel ‘Shiloh’, by award winning author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. It is evoking deep discussion and debates regarding problem solving and animal mistreatment.

We also continue to constantly revise the PATHS control signs. We have even started playing a game to see who can match up all of the signs correctly. The fastest group so far has been 18 seconds. We will endeavour to chip away at this. Strategies for making new friends has also been paramount. We are participating in role plays assisting us to further develop our conversational skills. Sometimes we deviate off script and it can be very amusing.

With social distancing prominent in our minds, we are participating in dance for physical education. This is allowing us to still be physically active whilst maintaining our own personal space. Everyone is loving learning the “Jump Jam” routines. Mrs Martlew has also sourced some great hip hop routines. We have even had a dance off between the students and the staff practising ‘The Wake Up Song’. The staff would like to think it was, at the very least, a draw. However, the students have another opinion.

Mrs Thomas has sourced and made up some fantastic task boxes for the students to try. Many of these allow the students to develop essential life skills. One box in particular lets the students practice tying shoe laces. We would like to congratulate Jayden for his efforts, as he is now able to tie the laces on the shoes in the box.

Charline Martlew and Carissa Thomas

8S

8S students returned from home learning and their breaks with little apprehension. They didn't miss a beat. It was great to see students fall back into routines and recite the "classroom values and expectations" with minimal prompting. Some significant changes have occurred in our class, including the replacement of student desks and chairs. Students are becoming accustomed to the new layout and it seems to be working a treat.

Our class enterprise project “Squeaky Clean Laundry Services” continues and students were impressed to learn that they raised over $100 for term 1. The forecast for this term is particularly good and we are projecting at least $200 profit. All students are progressing with their skills in using the washing machine, dryer and folding techniques and it is great to see their enthusiasm in developing these independence skills. I hope parents and carers are seeing these skills transfer to the home environment too.

Lachlan inspecting the filter on the dryer

A new addition to our weekly routine is a physical fitness activity of boxing and dancing. Students have excelled in their techniques and enjoy learning from some virtual international masters. It's wonderful to see students engaged in staying healthy and enjoying building up a sweat.

Having fun with “Just Dance”

Congratulations to the students who have used and continue to use Connect outside school time. It's a great resource and will allow students to consolidate classroom activities and extend learning for other students. We use Connect at least once a week in class and students enjoy the many aspects of this tool. Please let me know if you would like any specific resources or have any ideas to improve Connect.

Thanks again for another great start to the term.

Pat Spadanuda

Daelen and Dylan potting plants

9C

Students graphing results of can collection for year 9 recycling project

Brendan Cunnane

9W

What a crazy beginning of the term it has been. It has been wonderful to welcome over 70% of our class back by the end of week 2 and 80% by week 3. Mrs Whelan is incredibly proud of the way the we have responded to the hygiene requirements during the pandemic, and have adopted this as our new normal.

During term 1, and the beginning of this term, we have been looking at forces in Science. This week, Mrs Whelan has introduced us to a construction set of Gravitrax and we have had a lot of fun experimenting with putting it together. The first day we were given it, she gave us no instructions and we spent an hour figuring it out. The next day, Mrs Whelan asked us to work as a team and construct one big structure – this was part of our English session, and we had to employ a lot of interpersonal skills including listening and speaking with each other. The end result was an amazing structure that we could all take credit for.

During English lessons we have started reading “A Fortunate Life” by Albert Facey. So far we have learned about the hardship of the early 20th century in Australia and how water in the Goldfields had to be made fresh using a condenser and then carried for over a mile back to Bert’s house. This has made us very thankful for living in houses with running water.

Our garden has continued to grow through the pandemic and we had a massive harvest of vegetables and some fruit last week. Next week we will be planting some vegetables for a winter crop, including potatoes, which we love to harvest when it is time. We are also working on getting the worm farms up and running again to provide soil conditioner for our vegetable gardens.

The Covid-19 situation has also changed the way that we do some of our classes. During the home learning period, Mrs Whelan would video herself reading a story to us from the PATHS program and upload the link onto Connect. Now that most of us are back at school, she is still doing this and we get to listen to the story on our iPads and then answer the questions on Connect. It is great because if we miss school for some reason, we can always catch up on what happened to Shiloh when we get back to school, or even from home.

Rhoda Whelan

Listening to Shiloh via Connect

10H

GSI On-line Training has started!!

This term we are so fortunate to have GSI Industries present and deliver their courses on-line. There are 11 students who will be completing courses in either retail or warehousing. The courses are held on Wednesday and Thursday and run for 4 weeks. The students have been given two comprehensive work books to complete over the next 4 weeks.

It is also fantastic to be joined on-line by Leeming SHSESC. This has certainly been a great way to meet other students from another school. Students who successfully complete their course will receive a certificate. We would also like to thank Dani Congdon who has organised these courses.

Judi Janes

10J

I think we can all agree that the start to term 2 in 2020 was like no other! Only 6 months ago, the idea of having to teach all students remotely was inconceivable – laughable, even. Yet, that’s exactly what we did for the first 3 weeks. In a space of a few weeks, teachers learnt faster than they ever have! All of a sudden they were using Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and WebEx conferencing systems… whilst some students “learning from home” had a baptism of fire in WebEx and self-directed learning via Connect Classrooms – which they handled like absolute champions.

I want to use this opportunity to say a big thanks to all my students for managing this unusual, scary, and incredibly disrupting situation with resilience and strength! I would like to acknowledge Charlotte Brims, in particular, who was extremely dedicated to her studies in home-isolation and attended 100% of her WebEx lessons. What an amazing effort and she even caught up on work that we all missed at the end of term 1 due to the developing COVID situation.

We have turned our focus to cyber bullying this term. All students have learnt about the concept of bullying using technology, what this looks like, and what to do about it. We have used Connect discussions, made visual mind maps, and created posters/flyers and even designed social media “stories” to demonstrate our learning.

All students have chosen new “leisure skills” to learn this term as part of their recreational pursuits course. The original plan was to go bush hiking, however due to the current bans on school excursions and public gatherings, we had to be flexible! Students have chosen to learn new skills including crochet, Minecraft for Education, water colour painting and coding.

For community service, students in 10J have made dog toys from strips of old towels and for work place learning students have engaged in a lot of reflection activities aimed at getting to know their own interests and strengths. We have also watched a range of videos to see what various industries “look like” to support our understanding. We’ve also been looking at some more “everyday” independent living skills, like making breakfast, preparing hot and cold drinks (such as smoothies or hot milos) and taking more responsibility for the cleanliness of our class (hygiene a priority!).

I have tried to choose photos that best capture our learning environment over the last few weeks to reflect the most unusual teaching and educational context I’ve ever been in involved in. If you take anything from these photos, I hope you see the amazing adaptability of both students and staff and their enduring commitment to teaching and learning.

Rachael Jones

Miss Jones and the gals

Group 1

What a strange time we have been having lately! Like most classes, Group 1 had a fairly unconventional start to the term. We enjoyed navigating the world of online learning and felt it was a good practise run for future online learning. All of the students have demonstrated high levels of resilience and strength during this time. At the beginning of week 4 we returned to ‘normal life’ with every student and staff member back at school, resuming our SCSA courses and endorsed programs. Here is a summary from the students about what we’ve been learning this term so far:

English: We have been improving our listening and speaking skills while completing first aid role plays. We were given a scenario and had to administer first aid to a classmate.

Maths: We have been learning about time – telling digital and analogue time and working out elapsed time.

HPE: We finished off some work on hygiene from last term and started learning about relationships and bullying.

Driver’s education: We are learning about choices and consequences and how to be a good passenger.

DFES: We learnt about what equipment to include in a bush survival kit and researched cyclones in Western Australia.

WPL: We completed a Smartmove Safety certificate and have been learning about our own skills and qualities.

Community Service: We are improving an area of the school by cleaning it up and planting different plants.

Stephanie Brown

Community service

Group 2

It has been very pleasing to see our fellow students in D9 returning to school. I am sure everyone would agree, it’s great getting back to class and sharing countless stories with one another. Our students have been accessing and learning how to submit activities online. The students are quite keen on completing their work on the computer as some students have mentioned in the past how tiring writing can be.

We have also been conversing online using the WebEx application with the students to broaden their understanding of using IT devices.

The students were encouraged to share their greatest achievements by either bringing items to class or talking about them. The students have certainly embraced the idea and have shared memorable stories with their peers. We are very much hoping to make “show and tell” a regular as it promotes positivity and learning a thing or two from one other.

Mustafa Hussein

Show and tell

Group 3

This term our class has enjoyed returning to the routine of school and we are happy to be a full class again. We were excited to see that Joseph entered the design a t-shirt for AIR Bear competition and was an award winner and received a gift card.

In English we have learnt about risks and how we limit the dangers associated with risk taking behaviour. The students have produced some art work that typifies how they feel about risk and it was very interesting to see the creative side of our class. We are about to start resumes and learning about the rules of completing a successful job interview.

During health and physical education classes we have learnt about healthy behaviours and we have created our own posters about healthy eating programs. Some students have started learning an exciting new game called Finska that is great fun for everyone.

During maths we are learning about place value when dealing with large numbers and how to count in groups. During breaks in lessons we have regular UNO games and Kahoot quizzes that help with our concentration, counting and turn taking.

Some of our students have signed up to join Sevenoaks social groups such as the Chess and Anime clubs and it will be exciting to see how these groups develop and possible new experiences and friendships that may eventuate.

Dwayne Griffin

Talent!

Pathways

What a crazy start to term 2!! Pathways students have arrived back to school full of enthusiasm and gusto! It was great to hear all the stories about what everyone had done during ‘lockdown’ and the school holidays.

Amongst other things, we have been continuing to work on our teamwork skills this term. One activity we did was make a casing for an egg using only straws and sticky tape. The students had to work together using skills such as negotiation, compromise and problem solving. Unfortunately, not all the eggs made it!!!

Cindi Griffin

Design and Technology

Years 7-10

It has been a different start to term 2 in the workshop due to a staggered start that has meant fluctuating and varied attendance. Students have been learning about the engineering principles of bridge building. All classes from years 7 to year 10 have been using a combination of tooth picks and meat skewers to make truss bridges while attendance numbers have been building up. It is expected that the normal woodwork program will recommence as from Monday, 18th May. The year 10 students have recommenced their Bi Plane project this week and have been busy turning their aircraft fuselages on the wood lathe.

Bridge building

Year 9 Enterprise

The enterprise for 2020 is the collection and recycling of aluminium cans. (every aluminium beverage can purchase made in WA is suitable, including those that previously contained a percentage of alcohol). A meeting of our student marketing team has determined that the donation of cans was going quite well until the combination of the term ending and the virus of 2020 decimated their supply chain. The students would like me to ask all parents and students to look after the environment and support our recycling enterprise by donating cans by placing them in the green bag in the garden area at school.

In our best week last term we processed 350 cans donated by the CCESC school community. This is a great result as the students are recycling on average 300 cans per week that usually end up as landfill.

Casey using his muscles

DFES Cadets

Year 10 DFES students from Miss Jones’s class have been cooking up a storm using camp stoves, billies and toast frames to create a range of quick and easy camping meals. Over the last few weeks students have cooked breakfast, lunch and a main meal. The ingredients and method have been chosen because they require little or no refrigeration, taste good and there is minimal washing up at the end. Students have been keeping records of menus, methods and the equipment they used for future reference as the information will be needed for their “Plan a Weekend Away” assignment coming up soon. DFES students in year 10 are about to start a series of lessons on map reading and navigation in the next few weeks which will involve interpreting satellite photographs and using grid referencing to find locations.

Yummy!

Tradestart.

Tradestart students have been busy from the commencement of term 2. Students were asked to install 3 totem poles and a concrete yarning circle in the garden area for a group of year 9 students who will complete the project as a part of their indigenous studies. Students and staff worked hard to dig the holes for the totem poles as there was a thick mat of twisted tree roots to cut through for each hole. The concrete yarning circle was formed by using fibro cement as formwork. Students used a concrete mixer to mix 10 concrete packs for the circular slab. As attendance has increased the normal workshop program has recommenced. Students have completed an introduction to the use of oxy/acetylene equipment and have begun to make a folding camping shovel from steel.

Mark Arrantash

Tradestart oxy

Academy – Semester 1

Academy is a middle school program offering students the opportunity to participate in fun activities of their choosing. This semester these activities include dance, sport, leatherwork, scootera, scratch coding, Italian language and culture and international foods. These fun activities provide opportunities for students to learn skills while socialising with their peers from across the different year groups.

Benevenuti. Mi chiamo Signora Spadanuda. Welcome. My name is Ms Spadanuda. During our classes, students have made huge progress with their Italian language skills and are enjoying learning new words and phrases. It is great to hear students communicating in Italian during recess and lunch. Well done students! Bravi!

Having fun in Italian

Scratch Coding offers students the opportunity to use a variety of coding platforms to develop critical thinking skills in a fun, safe online environment. Students learn to use simple graphical drag and drop interfaces using programs such as Scratch, Minecraft (Education Edition), Sphero and Lego. These programs are student centred and encourage students to be creative and problem solve. Digital technology encourages students to collaborate to achieve common goals and improves communication between students using a shared computing language.

Scratch coding

Leatherwork is run through a series of workshops by Mr Arrantash, with students learning to make leather trinket boxes and keyrings. The workshops present students with the opportunity to use various tools and stamp machines to imprint and decorate leather pieces they cut out for their designs. While threading the needle for sewing is tricky for some, a huge effort is made in learning how to sew the leather pieces with the right sides together!

Honing our leatherwork skills

Students learning to cook international foods has led to some awesome aromas being emitted from the kitchen on Wednesday afternoons!! Thanks to Mrs Whelan, students have learnt to cook Zarda, an Indian dessert rice, Thai chicken salad, Cantonese fried rice and Singapore noodles. While students get to cook and wash up their dishes they are also able to try the foods they cook!

On Wednesdays the basketball courts play host to both the sports and scooter activities. Students can be seen shooting hoops and playing small team games with lots of healthy banter on who can score the most baskets. On rainy afternoons, students can choose to complete various gym activities.

Through supervised instruction, the scooter riders can practice new scootering skills and share their knowledge on the jumps, hops and tricks they can do. With helmets, knee and elbow pads in place and following safety rules, the students can race a few laps of the courts with their friends.

Students participating in the dance classes are presented with the opportunity to learn some serious dance moves. Dancers start with stretching and warm up exercises in readiness for a variety of short dance routines.

Enjoying dance

Workplace Learning and Mental Wellbeing

Senior School

This term the senior school students have experienced some disruption to their workplace learning placements. Rather than focus on the negative, students have been presented with a wonderful opportunity to focus on some fundamental work skills as well as mental health and wellbeing. Let’s see what they have to say about their experience and new found knowledge in these areas.

Carollyn Pears and Katherine Athanasiou

School Chaplain

It has been a great start to term 2. I have enjoyed getting to know all the amazing students from years 7 to 13. I’ve especially enjoyed reopening Block 10 at recess and lunch where a range of students enjoy proving their skills in air hockey, table tennis, foosball and the other small games provided.

Breakfast club will continue to run in classrooms until further notice, but I have enjoyed working with Mrs Gale in providing a pancake brekky every Wednesday morning. All those years 7-10 students keen on a pancake in the morning, please listen out to the beats in the undercover area outside Room 2.5 … I’d love to see you there.

Here is an awesome quote from Helen Keller “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye” You are an influential person. Whether you know it or not, you can be a mentor to somebody around you, stand tall and be proud of who you are and the achievements you have made. Keep smiling. See you at school.

Justin Van der Westhuizen

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 charges for years 11 and 12 students are compulsory. Please arrange payments as soon as possible. If charges are not paid, then the school can no longer subsidise your child’s excursions. 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 two visitor bays 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 excellent effort our community has made in following good hygiene and health practices has enabled some social restrictions to be lifted. While this is a great start, it will be some time before we will see all restrictions lifted. This means we will still be spending more time online using our phones, computers and other internet connected devices. Recognising this situation, and the opportunity to instil good habits when children are using internet connected devices, the eSafety Commissioner has published an excellent quick reference to help children stay safe online. These tips include:

• Explore together — ask your mum, dad, carer or a trusted adult to play new games or apps with you at first.
• Stay close by — when you use a phone, tablet or computer by yourself, make sure your mum, dad or carer is nearby so you can get help if you need it.
• If you see something online you don’t like — show your mum, dad, carer or a trusted adult immediately.

For the full list of 10 tips, please refer to the following site:

Stay safe and I’ll catch up with you again in the next newsletter.

Pete Bazen

Enjoying friendships at school