31 March 2021

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates

From the Principal’s Desk

A shortened term 1 with the students only spending 8 weeks on site. It seems so long ago when we were in lockdown for the first week. We have 130 students enrolled as well as a few on the waiting list. I hope every parent/caregiver has had the chance to talk to their son/daughters teacher. Everyone should have copies of their child’s IEP/ITP’s. It was great to see so many community members involved in this vitally important process. Stay up to date with your class Connect page for things happening in your child’s class.

The seniors camp at Busselton, Interschool Bocce Carnival, Harmony Day and Fun Day have all taken place since the last newsletter. I hope everyone has seen these events' fantastic photos on our website, Facebook or Instagram pages. Thanks to all our staff who organised and participated in these events. The school has subsidised these events heavily - thousands of dollars. We would greatly appreciate it if parents/caregivers could pay their school contributions. Remember that senior school students have charges, and these need to be paid. Reminders have been sent out to all families.

The first day of term 2 is a pupil free day. Staff will be participating in series of professional learning activities. Mental health, calming children, managing challenging behaviour, risk management and aboriginal history and culture will be the main topics. Originally the day was to be held at the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre with our peers from the Education Support South Network, but alas, the guest speakers could not meet quarantine arrangements.

Our senior campus has had some repairs done recently. The ceilings of part of the old enterprise wing have been fixed, as have the toilets. The gym, a shared resource with Sevenoaks Senior College and Cannington Community College, is still not available. It seems likely that it will be unavailable for the remainder of the year. We have booked the Leisureplex and organised other activities as a result of its closure.

The School Board meets on April 1st to go over the school business plan and review our targets and milestones. We welcome Mrs Eleanor Wilkins to the Board. Mrs Wilkins is the secretary of the RSL and has worked at our school in the past. She will be a welcome addition to our existing Board. Mrs Bonnefin steps down as Chair, and we thank her so much. She will continue as a member with the Chair being taken by Mrs Blake.

Best wishes to Miss Baker and Mrs Law, who have recently resigned from our school as education assistants to further their careers as teachers. A lot of study and hard work and we wish them all the best.

I would like to wish everybody in our school community all the very best for the holidays. To the staff, I would like to acknowledge all your efforts this term and your dedication to providing our students with the best possible opportunities. Enjoy some hot cross buns, Easter eggs and recharge for next term.

Andrew Wilson

End of Term Assembly Awards

Merit Certificates

2021 Student Councillors

Fun Day

Yay! It’s Fun Day!

On Friday in week 9, all students went to Cockburn ARC for fun day. The students had a fantastic time and could use facilities including the 50m pool, 25m pool, water playground, and basketball courts.

The slides were the biggest attraction and were exclusively available for our use. Many students had fun venturing down the Pipeline, Rocket and Tumbler, which were not for the faint-hearted! We could not believe how many of the teachers enjoyed the slides as well.

The students were provided with lunch, which consisted of hamburgers and a two sausage hotdog. Ms Janes also wandered around with a drinks trolley full of iced water.

It was a fantastic day full of fun and plenty of energy. There were even a few students who nodded off in the bus on the way home.

Judi Janes

Class Updates

7C

As we head to the end of our first term, our class is settling into our daily routines, working hard and making friends.

One of our topics for this term is “Living Things”, and the students have been learning about different types of native animals and where they live. They enjoy matching different animals with their habitat and classifying them into different groups.

The class has also been looking at what is, and is not, an emergency around the house as part of our focus on first aid this semester.

The class has also been working with Ms Goodin, art teacher, to create some awesome art that ties in with our habitats and solar system HASS themes this semester.

Brendan Cunnane

7M

Wow, term 1 has flown by, with students having an eventful and exciting start to the year. We eagerly await our Fun Day at ARC water park this week, in what will be an excellent way for our students to experience a social event together!

In week 7, we participated in Harmony Week celebrations, where we talked about what “Harmony Week” means and why we celebrate it. Students enjoyed the chance to purchase canteen orders of different cuisines from around the world, including; Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Australian.

We are finishing the last of our comprehensive diagnostic testing in the classroom, and our cross-curricular Ignite and ASDAN programs are now in full swing. I have enjoyed watching our students grow in confidence and settle into their new surroundings.

A big thank you to all our parents/carers who have kindly returned permission slips, immunisation forms and Harmony Week orders - I appreciate your time and support. Finally, I invite our parents/carers to stay updated via our class Connect page 7M and our newsletter, and I would like to wish all families a happy and safe holiday break.

Ricky Mitchell

Enjoying the gym

Independent Living

STEM Challenge

8JS

How quick has term 1 gone. As I write this article 8JS is extremely excited for the school Fun Day at Cockburn ARC. This term, we have been doing a lot of testing for our numeracy and literacy as we all show improvements from last year. We have started to learn about the body and healthy living, including short but intense morning fitness every day. For enterprise, the students have started to create a worm farm and are in the process, with Mr A’s help, to design and sell a product. Although short, it has been a hectic term, and hopefully, the students rest up during the break and are ready to go for the 11 weeks of term 2

Jacob Sands

8SS

Time has flown by so quick. It is hard to believe that term 1 has nearly come to an end, and the term break is only a few days away. Though this was a short term, both students and staff are looking forward to the holidays as we have been on the run from day one. This term, we welcomed our new education assistant, Mrs Alam, to our classroom team. She works with us on Thursdays and Fridays.

All our activities in and out of the classroom are going on in full swing. We have started using our new Fitbit for morning fitness, which we sign out in the morning before we begin our fitness session. We estimate our steps before the start and then compare them with the actual steps to see how close our guess is. We are all getting better at our estimation now. We can also read our heart rate, body temperature and other helpful information using our Fitbit. In the coming term, we will be collating all the information and using the data to draw graphs and make comparisons during Maths lessons. We will also be linking this activity with our HASS lessons to cover the distance between major cities in Australia. The details of this activity will be shared in the coming newsletters.

Showing off out Fitbits

For Literacy, we are continuing with the weekend recount on Mondays, focusing on writing correct but straightforward sentences. We are also continuing to practice form filling, which includes basic essential details. In Health, we are learning about personal hygiene, emotions and protective behaviour. During a health lesson for the boys' group, the boys had the opportunity to look at personal care and hygiene products they could use and shared their views with the teacher.

Friday of week 8 is Fun Day. It is a whole school day out at Cockburn ARC. Since this is our first significant excursion after commencing secondary school, we are super excited about Fun Day and look forward to it. Some of us have already packed our bags and are counting down the days. We will be sharing all the details of the day in our next newsletter.

Enjoy a fantastic break, and see you all in term 2.

Susan Solomon

9M

We have been extremely excited towards the end of this term, bursting at the seams with anticipation about attending Fun Day. We have been researching Cockburn ARC, looking at photos and watching YouTube clips to check out the beautiful facilities. During a writing session, Mrs Martlew asked us to write about what we are most looking forward to doing on Fun Day. It was abundantly clear that we are all looking forward to trying out the slides the most. We might even be able to get Mrs Martlew to join us.

As part of Indigenous Studies, we have constructed a timeline of historical events. We then each researched a fun fact from the timeline. Jaimie found out that dingoes originally came from South East Asia and Winston found out that the Tasmanian tiger's real name is a Thylacine. As a class, we learnt that Lake Mungo is one of the longest continual records of Aboriginal life in Australia, dating back at least 50,000 years. We are also still reading ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’.

Our class enterprise, “9M Germ Fighters Laundry Service”, is going gangbusters. We are busy washing for IBO, breakfast club, the canteen, the sports department and Agrifoods. We are swiftly developing our folding skills. Thank you to all those people who have already utilised our services. We appreciate it.

The entire year 9 cohort has implemented a new program this year, mentoring 7 students. We are calling it “Peer Support Group” or “PSG” for short. It has been fun getting to know the year 7 students and providing them with a friendly older face.

Not only are we super excited about Fun Day, but we are also looking forward to a well-earnt break.

The class of 9M

9S

It was a very successful term 1 despite the initial hiccup of a lockdown week. Students didn't miss a beat! They knew the routines and expectations and were safety champions with their masks and usual hygiene processes. Well done, 9S!

We continue to work with year 7 students in our Peer Support Groups (PSG), and our students are developing quality friendships during these sessions and at break times. PSG is an integral part of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Bronze), and students are progressing towards fulfilling the service component. We recently had a lot of fun playing scavenger hunts and finding miscellaneous items around the school. Spending time with the year 7 students is an excellent way for our students to develop their leadership skills and support a safe and inclusive school model.

A great success for 9S is using Connect regularly at school and for many students, also at home. Using Connect allows parents/carers to see the students' fantastic classroom learning almost live with regular posts and inclusions such as photos and other work. Students are progressing towards independence with many digital tasks, including uploading documents, photos and videos.

We are learning to use Key Word Sign for an Acknowledgement of Country, and this is how we begin our Indigenous Studies session each week. Students are interested in learning about First Nations People's histories and rituals, and it is great to see students researching topics in their spare time. Once again, the class extends their welcome to indigenous and non-indigenous members of our school community who might contribute their skills, knowledge, stories and other resources.

Gardening continues to be a focus, and thankfully, the early morning starts have allowed us to miss the hot weather. Students have been very busy tending to the vegetable patches, had their first staffroom sale, and will continue to sow, harvest, and sell during the year. The latest items to be planted include heirloom zucchinis and garlic. The zucchini seeds sprouted before seven days! If you want to be a VIP customer and receive quality products at reasonable prices, please contact me. This offer is open to all parents/carers in our community.

The gardeners

Working hard

Zucchinis

Our class welcomed Mandy in the middle of the term, and she has settled in well and is a very helpful member of our team. Daelen has moved to Mrs Martlew's class, and reports are positive for him too.

The hottest ticket in town was the Fun Day. Students were so excited that it had been put back on the calendar, and they had such a great day spending time with their peers and enjoying the facilities. What a great way to end a term.

See you in Term 2.

Pat Spadanuda

10J

Food Science

The students have enjoyed the Food Science course this term. Each week they take part in both theory and practical lessons, making an array of different meals. It is a valuable experience as they learn to follow a recipe and measure out ingredients. Some of the recipes have included: muffins, pizza, kebabs, Chilli Con Carne, and apple crumble. This week the class was excited to make pizza wearing the new Food Science aprons.

Year 10 visits Bunnings!

Last Friday, the students visited Bunnings as part of their ASDAN Work Right unit. They looked at the different types of roles that are available when working at a Bunnings store. We could not believe the different types of products and services that are for sale. So many of our students expressed a genuine interest in working part-time at Bunnings as a future job.

Judi Janes

10W

This term has undoubtedly rushed by! It has been a busy term getting to know each of our new students and settling into a new routine.

I had the pleasure of meeting with a representative from each family during the ITP meetings. Each child now has a completed Individual Transition Plan that is central to our classroom planning.

We had three Work Right industry visit excursions – one to the Cannington Leisureplex, one to Hambley’s IGA and most recently to Cannington Bunnings. These excursions present the students with valuable opportunities to look at different job roles within different industries. Following the excursion, we complete worksheets that highlight different jobs and requirements that have been observed.

In Recreational Pursuits, the students have been attending Zone Bowling each Wednesday morning for a game. The following day, they graph their scores into a column graph, and this gives each student a visual representation of their progress over the nine weeks. Next term, we are investigating the possibility of learning lawn bowls. This will allow the students to make a comparison between two similar yet different sports.

Recently Charlotte and Ebony represented our school with students from other classes at an Interschool Boccia Carnival. They returned to school with a bronze medal as our team came third overall. Well done, girls!

During Business Management and Enterprise, each student has had an opportunity to care for the plants hired out through “Fanzy Pantz Hire” – they visit each office that has a plant every week and measure each plant's moisture levels watering as necessary. They have discovered that homemade mayonnaise is excellent for polishing and cleaning leaves, and even though it often smells like garlic, this is very good for the plants and helps them resist pests.

In ASDAN e-safety, the students have been looking at keeping safe when they are online. They have been learning about what constitutes personal information, what to do if they are chatting online, and someone starts to make them feel uncomfortable, and how to use a search engine safely.

Community Service this term has been focussed on learning about what community service is and what it can look like for various situations. Next term, we will start spending time in the Adopt-a-Spot Program, where we have adopted Charles Treasure Park opposite the school on Wharf Street. We are looking forward to making a difference to our community through this project and others as opportunities arise.

As the term hurtles to a close, I know each of the students in the class is ready for a short break and will return ready for another busy program next term.

The class of 10W

11LG

In week 6, the senior school went to Camp Grace. We stayed for three nights, and we did lots of activities. The students all had their favourite moments, and these were:

Staff and students of 11LG

11G

This term has been a whirlwind! The students have been extremely busy working through ASDAN, English, Maths, HPE, Keys4Life, Life Coaching and DFES.

Most students attended camp in week 6 and had a fantastic time – they were not moving very quickly when they got off the buses on Friday afternoon!

We had the Boccia carnival in Rockingham during week 7, as well as Harmony Day celebrations. All students had a great time on Harmony Day, visiting the stalls and taste-testing food from different countries. Two of our talented students key word signed the National Anthem.

Speaking of Key Word Sign, Amihan and Jasmine have visited a mainstream year 12 science class teaching the students Key Word Signs. Feedback from the teacher and students has been very positive. This will continue throughout the term.

The students are looking forward to Fun Day this week and the bstreetsmart excursion next week – and I’m sure the holidays the following week!

Enjoy the holidays – you all deserve it!

Cindi Griffin

12B

This term has been action-packed and full of events; the students have been working furiously to complete all their set work.

Week 6 was spent preparing for and attending the Busselton Senior Camp. All students who attended reported that it was an extremely fun camp. The campsite was a great place to relax and get to know students in other classes.

In week 7, we celebrated two important events – Harmony Day and Kayleb’s 17th birthday. Kayleb enjoyed his birthday by performing his song, Covid-19, for us at the Sevenoaks Senior College Harmony Day event. Thanks, Kayleb; we all enjoyed this immensely!

Also, during week 7, our star boccia athlete, Reuben, attended the Boccia Carnival at Rockingham, where our school gained the Bronze Trophy! Well done, Reuben!

The class is looking forward to Fun Day at the end of week 8 and hosting the school assembly in week 9. Read below to find out more about what we have been learning in each subject:

Stephanie Brown

Good impression, bad impression

Agrifoods – in the garden

Pathways H

It’s great to see many smiling faces as we are gearing towards the Easter break.

The students are up to date with their OLNA and PAT testing.

During HPO and Rec Pursuits, our students played soccer, basketball, darts, water polo and visited Block 10. This group of kids are a social bunch, and it is fantastic seeing the wonderful smiles and bond-building along the way. They have also been updating their reflection journal at the end of each session.

Pathways H AFL Challenge has commenced! The students will be picking a winner each round (tipping competition) and updating the classroom AFL ladder each week. This will be an excellent opportunity for students to build on their social and numeracy skills.

The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves whilst attending the senior school camp at Busselton. They had a fantastic time visiting the Ngilgi, Mammoth Cave, Yallingup Maze, Busselton Jetty and Forest Adventures high ropes, to name a few activities.

ASDAN - Living Independently

The students are working towards investigating individuals who experience debt problems. So far, the students have been brainstorming the number of ways money can be misused. They have also looked at their spending by creating a personal weekly budget in class.

ASDAN- Careers and experiencing work

The students have been brushing up on their knowledge of preparing for a job interview. It has been pleasing to see many meaningful discussions of appropriate ways to conduct oneself before and during the interview process.

Mustafa Hussein

Pathways G

Pathways G students have all made a positive start this term, and we had most of our students attending the Busselton Camp in week 6. This was a busy affair that challenged students. Some of the efforts at the Forest Adventure high ropes course were fantastic. Students were able to overcome their fear of heights and keep progressing to the more difficult stages.

In ASDAN, we have started investigating job roles and responsibilities. This has created many debates and heated discussions. Students also researched universities in Perth and created PowerPoints, and presented their findings to the rest of the class.

All students have commenced ADWPL, and attendance has been pleasing as they understand the importance of committing to their placement.

The new internship is going well with students learning about their personalities and what jobs they are best suited to. This has created some opportunities to examine other industries and consider different roles.

Agrifoods joined Chorus for their first day of volunteering and working on different job sites. It was great to see them work safely and use their new skills to make a difference in the community.

It is exciting and stressful to see some students changing job placements; however, sometimes, a change can be beneficial. Students learn that although a new workplace is unfamiliar and challenging, it can also be rewarding and exciting.

Dwayne Griffin

Design and Technology

Enterprise 7C

The students are making recycled paper briquettes from old newspapers. They prepare the paper by ripping it and adding sawdust from the school workshop to create a longer burning briquette. A press, made from an old car jack, is used to form the briquettes in the mould and squeeze the water out of the mix. The pressed bricks are then dried in full sun for two weeks before they are packaged for sale. Following a vote, the students have chosen ‘EVERBURN’ as their business name. So EVERBURN Briquettes will soon be available for sale in a pack of four!

Enterprise 7M

The class of 7M is the 2021 collection agent for “Containers for Change”. Their first delivery netted $145.00 towards their chosen charity. The students would like to thank Camel Tea Rooms for donating their eligible containers. The students have chosen the name ”UcanWecan” for their enterprise business name. The students collect all types of eligible containers, so there has been much work sorting containers and crushing cans.

Logo designed by Sam

Year 8 Woodwork

Woodwork students have started making a model Spitfire aircraft. This model involves the use of templating skills and cutting out shapes using a scroll saw. It was great to see all of our year 8 students prepared to have a go at cutting out the wings and fuselage. Once the shapes are cut out, a drum sander is used to smooth the edges. All the parts need a light sand to get them ready for the final assembly process.

8JS Enterprise

8JS has become worm farmers! We inspected our farms this week and found that the production of nutrient-rich castings has begun! While we have been waiting for our farms to swing into production, we have been busy choosing a business name and designing a logo that can be used on our business cards and packaging. Each class member submitted an original design, and voting was held to choose the final design.

Logo designed by Wah Sa Lay Paw and Oliver

8SS Enterprise

Students have been busy choosing a business name, designing a logo and experimenting with making different types of fresh pasta to determine which style is best suited to make, package and sell. The class has been using their maths skills to fine-tune the batch size to match the packaging containers and reduce wastage. There will be 100 gram containers of fresh homemade pasta for sale soon!

DFES Cadets

Year 10 DFES Cadets have been learning how to prepare for cyclones, and the role volunteers such as the SES play during natural disasters. Students have also started learning to tie a range of knots like the reef knot and the clove hitch. Being able to tie reliable knots is a great life skill that can be applied to many situations. Recently, students put their new skills to the test by building stretchers and transporting each other.

Tradestart

Students have begun a project called “Backyard Blitz”. This project allows them to create a backyard using a range of different materials such as two types of timber, synthetic grass, acrylic, blue metal, leather and rock, to name just a few. Students learn about following building codes and regulations as they add patios and water features. Water features are cut out using a handheld router. A range of seven handheld power tools is used to make this model, giving each student experience and confidence with DYI tools.

Mark Arrantash

Backyard Blitz sample

Workplace Learning

What a short term! It has been super busy with camp and Fun Day in the mix for the term as well.

Although it was such a short term, the students managed to come back this year and pick up where they left off pre-COVID. Our year 11 students have settled in well and started their work placements or work readiness.

Congratulations to the students who have been attending the ACTIV Internship. The people running the course have taken the time to contact us and inform us of what wonderful representatives they are for our school. This program is an opportunity to begin new experiences, and the students will benefit from the extra work readiness and placements when they begin next term.

Well done to the students who have successfully started their TAFE Skills Set Courses. Jason Petoe will be our hospitality guru, while Wade Robinson and Charlotte Brims will excel with any warehousing needs.

We hope that you have a happy Easter and a safe holiday.

Carollyn Pears and Vera Edwards

Harmony Day

On Wednesday, 17th March, the students at our senior campus celebrated Harmony Day. Students were given the opportunity to participate in various cultural activities such as face painting, henna tattooing and stress ball making in the colours of flags from around the world. A feast of multicultural foods was also offered for tasting, from our very own Aussie BBQ to Asian curries and rice.

Jasmine and Amihan rocked out the Aussie anthem in Key Word Sign, and several students volunteered to perform in an improvised African drumming performance on the big stage.

A big thanks to all the students and staff who participated, performed and helped man the stalls, contributing to a great sense of belonging for all.

Katherine Athanasiou and Justin Van der Westhuizen
Student Services, Senior School

A Word from the School Psychologist

Hi everyone. How fast has this term flown by!? With the holidays coming up, I feel that April's calendar fits perfectly and will give you a couple of ideas for the holidays to get outdoors and become more active!

In April, we're encouraging you to get active, get outdoors and take care of your body! Let's reap the benefits of getting our bodies moving and breathing more deeply due to exercising, laughing and even singing! We don't all need to run marathons - here are simple things we can all do to take care of our bodies - for example, unplugging from technology and getting outside.

Happy holidays and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone back next term.

Luwandi Perera

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 payment plan. Please contact the office to arrange a payment plan. All charges for years 11 and 12 students are compulsory. If charges are not paid, the school cannot subside your child’s excursions. Our bank details are BSB 016 270 A/C 340822406 (when using online banking, please remember to state your child’s name in the details box; otherwise, we cannot identify the relevant student).

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. 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 get in early before the buses arrive.

Visiting the School

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

Tanya Buchan

Please click on the link below to learn about and purchase the 2021 Entertainment Book.

Friendship