23 November 2017

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Nola Regan

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

This is the last major newsletter for 2017. Many thanks to parents, community members and staff who have contributed to it over the year keeping us well informed of the inspiring achievements and learning experiences of our students.

At this time of the year, I must also thank our School Board who contribute in a huge way to our students. On your behalf, they are supportive and hard working for the benefit of all students. Our staff are also outstanding; they all give over and above expectations so your children can achieve their best.

We have been affected by funding cuts and certain of our extra programs and classes have had to be curtailed for 2018. We assure you that we will continue to provide the best education possible for your sons and daughters. Our staffing processes have also been modified and we are working our way through the changes.

Our Year 12 students have completed all their attendance requirements and we wish them well in the upcoming ATAR examinations. We have imminent examinations for Year 11 and Year 10 students to complete their 2017 school year.

We are delighted that staff member Judy Gauci is a finalist in the WA Secondary Teacher of the Year Award. Judy is outstanding as a teacher of technology and in addition coordinates the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award activities in the school. We look forward to her achieving the highest accolade at the ceremony in late November.

Our tour group has returned safe and sound from their trip to Japan during the previous vacation. We hear yet again that their behaviour was impeccable and that their experiences were memorable.

Our goal for athletics this year was to perform well enough to remain in the A division carnival in 2018. This we did coming seventh out of nine schools. Well done to all involved, especially our younger students who entered events above their age group in order to score points for their school.

Congratulations to all involved in our Year 12 Graduation Ceremony on November 10. Students, staff and parents work together to support, teach and encourage the students and it is a wonderful experience to join together in celebration at the end of their secondary education. Many thanks to the members of our community who made donations towards the Year 12 awards.

Chris Booth

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

The recent graduation, and the end of exams marks the end of a journey for our Year 12 cohort; and the beginning of the rest of their lives. Our thanks and gratitude to each of you for your unique contribution to the culture and the history of our school. Special thanks also to Hannah and Niklesh, and the rest of the Year 12 student councillors for their strong leadership and representation of the student body.

I had the pleasure of attending the Year 12 ATAR Art Exhibition; I was truly bewildered by the quality of artwork on display. Thank you to the students that contributed the exhibition and to those students and staff that hosted the event, you are great ambassadors of our school. As is the custom, the Board purchased four pieces and donated these back to the school. Congratulations to Cynthia Toh, Aashka Bhavasar, and Charlie Yong for being awarded this honour for 2017.

This year has not been without significant challenges. Recent changes to the way the school is funded has resulted in a $1.7 million reduction in our budget for 2017/18. The Board continues to support the school as they strive to continue to maintain the same high level of education and pastoral care and accommodate these cuts. School leadership have had the extremely difficult and unenviable tasks of having to find the necessary savings. It saddens me to say that this includes the loss of many high quality staff currently employed on contract. We wish them the best in their future endeavours and thank them for their dedication and commitment to our school.

Tele Tan and the Partnerships Committee constantly seek out, and facilitate opportunities to enhance our school. The school gardens initiative being driven by Charmaine Smith is a great example of this. The committee also continues to facilitate greater involvement of institutes of higher education to assist our students and teachers to achieve expanded learning and teaching outcomes through mentoring and professional development.

On behalf of the Board I wish everyone a safe and peace filled break. Thank you to our students for upholding the values of the school and being such model citizens in our community. Thanks to the teachers and school staff for their enduring commitment to our kids. Thanks to Chris Booth and the executive for constantly striving to provide the best possible educational opportunities for our kids. And, finally a massive thanks Helen Wong for keeping us all sorted all the time.

Simon Lappin Board Chair

GENERAL

CONGRATULATIONS

YEAR 12 ACADEMIC AWARD WINNERS

THE ARTS

ENGLISH

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES

LANGUAGES & EALD

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY & ENTERPRISE

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TRAINING

CONGRATULATIONS

ROTARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Di Tuxford

Di Tuxford has been a teacher in the Health and Physical Education Department at Willetton for nearly 20 years. Our school is part of a family dynasty for her. Two of her three children have graduated from the school, her mother recently retired as Head librarian and her mother in law still works with us as a library officer.

Originally a State League Basketball player for Rockingham and Cockburn, Di has a love of all sport and has spent her teaching career transferring this love to her students.

There are many strings to her bow, she has coordinated the Health Education program, been a lead teacher delivering Vocational Education Certificates and taught ATAR courses, as well as the many years spent coaching students in many sports after school.

One of the latest roles Di has undertaken is the coordination of the Willetton Athletics team. Over the past two years Willetton has moved up to A division in the interschool competition and maintained its place in that division under her leadership.

Di is enthusiastic and motivated and still taking on new challenges within the ever changing education environment and is currently planning and training to take Willetton students on a trek to Vietnam early next year to assist them to achieve their silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh award.

This award serves as a great acknowledgement of a successful career.

GOOD SAMARITAN INDUSTRIES SCHOLARSHIP

Congratulations to Melissa Jefferyes and Matthew Repper who have been awarded Good Samaritan Industries student scholarships to assist them achieve their employment goals.

Goodbye

MARIELA FUENTES

Our much loved First Aid Officer has left us and returned to Melbourne for family reasons, hopefully on a temporary basis.

Mariela has been with us for seven years firstly as a parent volunteer and then in a variety of positions on staff. From 2013 to 2017, Mariela, a qualified nurse has been our First Aid Officer.

Mariela has been caring and approachable and she will be missed by staff and students alike.

PIPE BAND

Congratulations to our Pipe Band for a superb performance at Graduation and their dedication to the Pipe Band throughout 2017.

Front Row from left: Navleen Kaur, Jasmine Kaur, Parveen Kaur Gill, Sean Lee, Dakyuung Lee, Haarsini Harish Perumal
Back Row from left: Shauna Bruce, Judy Gauci, Matilda Gardiner, Prabhdeep Singh Gill, Milasi Amarasingha, David Kuppers, Sashini Liyanage, Evan Redford, Jack Killoh, Jack McKay

CUPCAKE FOR A CURE

A big thank you to all who donated and ate cupcakes for a worthy cause Cupcake for a Cure.

We donated $382 towards charity which is a great deal of cupcakes when they were a $1 each.

The event was organised by the dynamic team of staff on the Student Well-Being Committee, our student representatives plus the Year 8 counsellors.

Donna Gardiner Manager Student Services

ZERO TO HERO

On October 16, students celebrated Zero2Hero Day which is a WA-based association dedicated to increasing the understanding of mental health issues and mental health services among children. It is celebrated annually, and students were able to dress up as a hero of their choice.

At both recess and lunch, there were many events for students to participate in as well as the chance to communicate with others. There were many interactive events such as writing on a hand about people you trust and go to for assistance - a thoughtful reminder that we will always have support - which we then pegged up.

Overall, it was a very successful day to kick of Willetton's mental health week.

Trinyce Tong Year 8

INTERACT CLUB NEWS

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The Willetton Interact Club has concluded another excellent year of service, fundraising and volunteering to support people in need, both locally and overseas.

As we wish the Year 12s farewell and best of luck in their new pursuits beyond school we give a big thank you to our departing President: Jasmine Beck, Vice President: Hannah Page, Treasurers: Jennifer John Britto and Luke Howson, Publicity Officers: Tressy Jimson and Josephine Groen, and all the other Year 12 Interact members for their remarkable effort and commitment throughout 2017.

Going forward this year, Interact will be donating $1000 to the Esther Foundation to provide support for struggling young Perth women, and a further $750 to Living Child to aid mothers and babies living in remote areas of Papua New Guinea.

Our commitment to supporting maternal and infant health in remote PNG has blossomed into a semester long project, where Interact has received hundreds of donations of babies’ items from students and staff at Willetton. This project culminated in a packaging session where Interact members gathered to coordinate, pack and wrap baby items that will be distributed in Papua New Guinea in the weeks to come.

A big thank you to the interim executive team who have stepped up to fill the places left by our graduating Year 12s, and also to the rest of the Interact team for their passion and commitment to making the world around us a better place.

We welcome new members next year as always and we hope to see you join us for a year filled with passion, change and above all, supporting people nearby and around the world who need our help the most!

Mihan De Silva Year 10

Bundles of love: Living Child representatives Sara David and Julie Baleu accept 40 ‘baby bundles’ prepared by Interact Club, using items donated by WSHS staff and students. They are pictured with Interact Club members Mihan De Silva, Kelvin Poulraj, Duli Jayalath and Jae Brieffies

Interact Club students packing baby bundles to send with Living Child to Papua New Guinea

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

UNIFORM CONCEPTS TRADING TIMES

HUMANS OF WILLO

Many thanks to Andrew Tan Year 12 on whose initiative our Humans of Willo column originated. Andrew is a talented journalist and we congratulate him for his hard work and his perceptive interviews and writing. We wish him all the very best for his future.

CHARLIE YONG

When I start out drawing, I enjoyed it and did it well…but then I started to lose interest and the quality started to go downhill. To motivate myself I’ve tried to start with interesting subjects that I enjoy drawing, mainly old people. The texture of their skin is really interesting to draw and they just look wise in their photos. Also, when looking at people, I like to draw happy things, people interacting (something that I don’t do very often) and humour. Most importantly, I want to spread happiness through my artworks because I believe that happiness is the most important thing. Anything related to current events is also an important message that we can spread. But I don’t believe spreading happiness and a message are separate. In art, you can combine happiness and personal messages too.

DIANA MONTOYA DELGADO

I used to be in the special science program in my old school and we’d go out on excursions to do special stuff. We’d get samples, catch frogs, measure them and weigh them. But now, I’m into dancing and music, and it’s been going pretty well. I’ve been doing dancing since I was four and at this school the dance classes have been really good and fun. It has good teachers, nice people and overall it’s pretty interesting. The instrument lessons are probably my favourite though because you get to play the instrument and learn songs. Since I play the clarinet, I’m also in the senior band and we go Thursday after school. It’s pretty interesting because we get to play very different styles of songs and we do sectionals sometimes where you play within your own groups. I’m pretty sure the band has performed outside school but I haven’t yet because I only just got here. By being in the band, I’m hoping to achieve a higher understanding of playing an instrument because I’m hoping to go to WAAPA in the future to study music. Music brings happiness into people’s lives and it’s a good way of bringing joy.

JADE (DANTE) WATSON AND THEO THILLAINATH

DANTE: For next year, I’m picking Literature. Aside from getting an ATAR, I’m hoping to get a Certificate II for Digital Technology …it’s basically animation. I want to get straight into a university like Notre Dame. During the Career Expo, I felt Notre Dame was easily the best one out of all of them. The most welcoming and everything. I’d like to point out the nurses’ office as well for something the school has done well, the ladies in there are really nice and accepting. You can go in there not just for physical injuries but for mental injuries too.

THEO: I’m doing Chemistry, Physics and Methods next year and I want to get a university degree in Physics and a doctorate. The school has a very good program for special needs kids, for example the Resource Unit, the EAs and the funding too … which is really nice. We have a place to go and people to talk to when we have anxiety attacks. They’re really accepting of people who are different. The RU is just really awesome.

HIMAL PANDEY

Over the holidays I did an internship in a laboratory of a Nobel Prize Winner. That was quite a life-changing experience. It showed a lot of what is happening in Perth, because it’s not just the small city people say it is, there is actually quite a lot going on in it.

The prize winner’s name is Barry Marshall and he discovered these bacteria called helicobacter pylori which are the cause of stomach ulcers. He did that by testing on himself and putting his life at risk, and by doing that he ended up curing it and proving his hypothesis.

I just happened to meet him during one of the dinner programs my dad was invited to, and I knew he had a lab, so I asked him if I could intern. I suppose this internship could take me to a medical and research fields. A lot of the equipment and the procedures they use are top-notch and it gave me a feel of what it’s like to work in a lab. I’m not sure entirely if this is what I want to do, but I’m trying out lots of different things and figuring out what it is I’d like to do.

GIFTED AND TALENTED

BUILDING AN EGG CAPSULE – YEAR 10 GIFTED AND TALENTED SCIENCE

During the course of their physics studies, students have been investigating about the impact of car collisions and safety features of cars. They were required to build a capsule for a hen’s egg and then test their capsule by dropping it from a height of 4.90m.

L to R: Jae Brieffies, Janice Tan and Duli Jayalath putting final touches to their egg capsule

Thomas Laing-Hughes with his finished product

L to R: Nikhil Kannachel, Nicholas Foster and Zakhar Pugachev trial their capsule

CLOCKWISE: Safiyya Aljuneid, Jarrod Fong, Theo Thillainath, Brian Lee (absent) in the preliminary stages of constructing their capsule.

This group of four students also earned a Certificate of Excellence in Science Teachers’ Association of WA’s annual Science Talent Search competition for their project entitled, A Sticky Situation, wherein, they investigated the efficacy of plant glues.

Mita Munshi Science Teacher

WILLETTON’S FINEST GIVE THE STATE’S CHEMISTRY TEACHERS A LITTLE TLC

Three of Willetton High School’s very talented Year 10 Gifted and Talented Program students, Brielle McKinlay, Leesha Dias Siriwardana Samaraweera, and Sepehr Kimiaei will be presenting a workshop to science teachers at the 2017 Future Science conference, on thin layer chromatography and its application to teaching the Year 11 ATAR Chemistry course.

Science Achievers

These students have found an economical way of using thin layer chromatography to accurately measure the amount of a substance that is present in a sample. This means that schools and organisations with limited resources can economically measure the amounts of materials under basic field conditions.

For example, if a patient falls sick while being treated with a heart medication, a remote clinic could use the techniques developed by these students to quickly check to see if the medication they were using was genuine, or whether it was counterfeit.

Chromatography is a curriculum point in Year 11 Chemistry, but schools don’t usually have the money to purchase and run the traditionally expensive equipment. Using the techniques that these students have developed schools now can run quantitative thin layer chromatography experiments and give their students access to real data that can be obtained in about 10 minutes.

In summary, these students will demonstrate a range of techniques needed to make thin layer chromatography work. They will teach and share these with delegates, using cheap household materials such as talcum powder and a mobile phone.

This is a big thing. To our knowledge, it is the only time that high school students have presented technical information at a teacher professional learning meeting. These students are awesome. They have worked so hard on this, and in doing so applied a large number of skills from a broad range of disciplines. People tend to see STEM as just playing with robots, but these students have applied STEM principles to solve a rich and complex set of tasks. They have spent many hours working on this, learning how to manage setbacks, frustrations and difficulties. Finally, after solving many problems, they have produced quite an extraordinary achievement. Willetton can be proud of their efforts!

Their project on TLC has also been nominated by the Science Teachers’ Association of WA to enter BHP Billiton’s Big Science Competition. We are awaiting results so watch this space.

Leon Harris Science Teacher

YEAR 9 HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS STUDIES

Does branding influence purchase decisions?

Branding has a place in our mindset when it comes to purchasing specific items on a shopping list. It may influence which products we buy, but the best-known brands are not necessarily the best choice.

In the Year 9, Gifted and Talented Program HaSS classes, we tested whether popular brands were a better buy than lesser known brands. Our group tested three brands of good, fresh, original orange juice and compared them in price and taste.

Brand 1 was a well-known brand, being a big producer of milk and yoghurt, while Brand 2 was a relatively unheard-of brand, and Brand 3 another popular brand, producing varieties of milk, yoghurt and some cheeses.

To find which was the best value for money, we compared prices: one cent could buy 2.25 grams of either Brand 1 or Brand 2, or 1.5 grams of Brand 3.

To prevent any biased decision, we blindfolded each test subject and handed the cup of orange juice carefully to their hands. Each test subject tasted and rated every brand.

After testing, we took the blindfolded off the test subjects and to their shock, they realised the least popular sample sold at the highest price. Brand 1 seemed to be the preferred choice of every respondent, followed by Brand 2 and lastly Brand 3 (which some referred to as diluted cordial).

In our study, the most expensive brand was the least preferred, but in the mind of a consumer, it could be perceived as a good choice because of its mass advertising and price. Overall, branding does affect a customer’s perception of a product but these decisions may not be the best value for money.

Ashwin Vijay Year 9

Testing the products

SECONDARY SELECTIVE ENTRANCE PROGRAMS

Testing for the Gifted and Talented Program for Academic, Arts and Language Programs beginning in 2019.

Willetton Senior High School hosted an information evening on Wednesday October 18 for Year 5 students and parents interested in applying for the Gifted and Talented Programs provided by the Department of Education in WA. These Programs must not be confused with extension programs that our school provides for students. The Secondary Selective Academic Program is run by the Department of Education and successful students are able to cross school boundaries to attend the programs. Willetton SHS has an Academic Gifted and Talented Program that is centrally funded and supported. Willetton SHS plays no role in the selection of students for the approximately 60 places offered each year. Student’s preferences and their score from the test are used to select students for the various programs.

Year 5 students who wish to enter the Gifted and Talented Program in 2019 must apply on-line to participate in the testing that takes place in March 2018. Enrolment for testing opened on October 9, 2017 and closes on February 11, 2018. No applications will be accepted after these dates. Testing takes place in a number of different venues across the state, including Willetton SHS. Students sit tests in reading comprehension, imaginative writing, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning.

Students who have missed out on a place in the Program in Year 7 are able to sit a top-up test for the limited places available in Year 9, 10 and 11. Applications need to be made on-line and be submitted by the due date.

Follow the link to find out more information about the programs and apply to sit the test:

Please contact the Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Darren Hamley for more specific information about the Program at Willetton SHS and tours of the school:

darren.hamley@education.wa.edu.au.

ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY

2017 CHEVRON FOCUS ENVIRONMENT COMPETITION

Thank you to all our talented Year 9 photographers who participated in the 2017 Chevron Focus Environment photography and caption competition. The quality of the entries was high and we encourage everyone to participate again in future.

The competition focuses on Western Australia’s biodiversity and encourages students to engage with the topics of conservation and environmental stewardship. The competition is open to Western Australia school students up to Year 12. This year the focus was on the following categories:

• WA’s native species
• WA’s habitats and ecosystems
• Sustainability in WA

Congratulations to Claudia Tirta who has been selected as one of this year’s winners. Claudia has been awarded second place in the Years 7-10 age group in the WA habitats and ecosystems category. Her entry is entitled Nature’s Window, and focuses on the biodiversity and diversity of landscapes of Kalbarri National Park. Well done, Claudia!

View the winning images via the following link:

Joy Fourie HaSS Teacher

GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM ROTTNEST EXCURSION

We may have woken up Saturday morning with sore legs, sunburnt skin, and memories of the 35 kilometres of riding up and down the roads around Rottnest, but know that we shared and enjoyed the day and now have this memory of our time together. For most of us, it was our first trip to the iconic island just a bumpy boat ride away. We cycled, walked, played mini-golf, beach cricket and soaked up the history and relaxed culture that is Rottnest. Our challenge, besides the cycling, crazy golf and children’s climbing frame, was a competition to take the best photographs of people, animals, birds and landscape. This trip marks the end of our three years together as part of the lower school Academic Gifted and Talented Program and the beginning of new experiences.

We loved it!

Char Min Ng Year 10

THE ARTS

DANCE SHOWCASES

A cacophony of colour, movements and sounds is being heard in The Arts buildings as our wonderful students prepare for the final showcases in the coming weeks.

Performance is an important element of The Arts curriculum in which all students participate in the lower school showcases. The students are presently engaged in rehearsing and preparing for these events. Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students are creating, making and developing their performance personas. They would appreciate an audience to applaud and encourage them during the performance. Please book tickets through trybooking and enjoy an entertaining evening supporting the Arts.

Monday November 27- Lower school Drama showcase 6.30 to 8.30 pm
Wednesday November 29 - Dance Showcase 6.30 to 7.20 pm

NIDAWORKSHOP

Over the previous holidays, I won a scholarship to attend two National Institute of Dramatic Art Open courses at Subiaco Arts Centre. I was fortunate to spend a week with a group of very talented young actors and learn more about acting techniques. Thanks to Mrs Venter and all the Arts staff for their support. It was a wonderful opportunity and I learnt a lot.

Marnie McKenna Year11

MUSIC NEWS

Term 4 has been flat out in the Music area, with senior school performance exams, ten weekly ensemble rehearsals and around one hundred instrumental lessons each week.

Music students enjoyed the thank you breakfast held recently to recognise the many hours of hard work our students put into rehearsals and instrumental practice, and the time they give to the school when performing at school functions. The school’s catering students did a lovely job of preparing and serving the breakfast.

All ensembles are preparing for our end-of-year Music Showcase, Wednesday November 22.

Senior Band has said a sad farewell to their bass clarinet player, Lucas Fuentes, who has moved interstate. The band hopes to see him again soon.

Lucas Fuentes(Left) with the Senior Band

With plenty of end-of-year performance opportunities coming up, a number of small ensembles that are regularly rehearsing will be kept busy.

The successes of our graduating Year 12 music students were celebrated at our recent Music Valedictory night.

Success in Music: Year 12 Music ATAR students Sota Inoue, Julian Harrison, Alicia Seet, Vanessa Lim, Xin Ru Lim, Jason Wang and Kristina Muru at the recent Music Valedictory night

The audience was treated to some very accomplished performances from our ATAR Music and Certificate III Music students.

Original talent: Bodie Frost-Kelemete performed an original composition accompanied by Year 11 student Chris Thong

Contemporary: Certificate III students Anthony Moreschi, Caleb Mader and Bodie Frost-Kelemete, performed an eclectic cover of All-Stars

Each student could invite their family and a teacher. It was a lovely opportunity for students to exhibit the skills they have developed over several years at Willetton.

INSPIRED – ART EXHIBITION AT SOUTHLANDS SHOPPING CENTRE

The Willetton Arts Department teamed up with Burrendah Primary and Castlereagh Schools to put on an exhibition at Southlands shopping centre this month. The work was a combination of drawings, paintings, sculpture and textiles and featured work from students from Year 7-10. The students enjoyed being able to show off their work to their parents and friends and appreciated being able to view works from other years, giving them a sneak peak of what may be ahead of them in years to come.

I really enjoyed seeing other people’s original, creative art. I also liked seeing the other schools and year group’s art. – Emily Year 7

I really liked being able to see older students work and my work on display. I also liked seeing the primary schools work. – Sienna Year 7

I enjoyed seeing other people’s fantastic art and art from different year groups. – Vaness Year 8

I really enjoyed showing my dad and brother the really creative work from Willetton Senior High School. – Sophie Year 8

ENGLISH

MORE SUCCESS FOR THE WILLETTON PHILOSOTHON TEAM

Five students competed in this year’s Philosothon at Trinity College:

Reyes Loh - Year 8
Louis Kuppers - Year 9
Jae Brieffies - Year 10
Ryan David - Year 11
Divya Raj - Year 11 (reserve)

The four topics for discussion were:

Is it moral to create a donor baby?
Is the mind a physical thing?
Is privacy important?
Will machines ever be human?

In elite company, our team was placed third overall. This is a great result for our school as many of the students who compete have many more years’ experience in Philosophy and Ethics.

Louis Kuppers won the gold medal for the second year in a row for the best philosopher in his year group. We can be very proud of the skills and efforts of this team and the results are a fine reward.

Don Munro Philosophy Teacher

Divya Raj, Louis Kuppers, Reyes Loh, Mr Munro, Jae Brieffies, Ryan David

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

JUNIOR BASKETBALL FINALS

On the September 19, the State Champion Schools Basketball Grand Finals were played at the Bendat Basketball Centre. Both of our girls and boys teams made it through to play against Woodvale SHS and Warwick SHS respectively.

To make it through to the grand finals we had to play in two qualifying carnivals at Cockburn and Kalamunda stadiums. We trained during many lunch breaks to learn our offensive plays and defensive structures. This extra work paid off as both of our teams were able to work really well as a team.

GRAND FINAL RESULTS

Girls: Willetton SHS 74 defeated Woodvale SHS 29. Grand Final MVP Chloe Napolitano

Boys: Willetton SHS 74 defeated Warwick SHS 21. Grand Final MVP Roosevelt Williams

A special mention to Ms Smith and Lara Scarcella for coaching the girls and Mr Forsyth and Ben Johnson the boys.

GIRLS TEAM (CHAMPIONS)

BOYS TEAM (CHAMPIONS)

Chloe Napolitano and Roosevelt Williams Basketball Leaders

LANGUAGES

THE MLTAWA OF PRINCIPAL’S AWARD FOR COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT OF LANGUAGES

Congratulations to Chris Booth for winning the 2017 MLTAWA Principal’s Award

Mr Chris Booth and Mrs Kate Reitzenstein (President MLTAWA)

The Modern Languages Teachers’ Association (MLTAWA) Inc. values the important role that principals play in advocating for Languages. This award acknowledges school leaders who have shown long-term commitment to their Languages program and promoted Languages within the wider school community.

Chris Booth was nominated by the Languages staff, and this was seconded by the School Board, who recognise the importance to a child’s overall education of a quality languages program. Board members and teachers attended the presentation evening recently.

WAATI EXAMINATION

In Semester 2, students in Years 10-12 were encouraged to take the opportunity to participate in the state wide WAATI examination.

It provided the students with extra vital practice in sitting exams and consolidating the work they had been doing in class. It also provided them with valuable information about how they performed against other students from throughout WA.

Unlike the WACE exams, only the top 10% of students are invited to proceed to the Oral component. The following students are congratulated on achieving this step: Year 12 Hannah Pitts , Year 11 - Josephine Santoso and Year 10 – Jae Brieffies, Kelvin Lim and Sarah Singho.

Mrs Bianca Petale Italian teacher

ZOO EXCURSION: MAKING POSTERS AND VIDEOS

The zoo was such a great experience! To continue with our zoo learning’s we made animal posters or videos. Our group decided to make some posters; we had to include photos and descriptions of two animals we saw at the zoo in French. It was so much fun making posters and was also educational at the same time!

Hareny Puganeswaran Year 8

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES: A TASTE OF FRANCE!

At the end of Term 3, our class indulged in some crêpe making antics. After splitting up into two teams, we stuck into mixing up a batter for our crêpes. Though our crêpe making skills left much to be desired, we powered through the turmoil and churned out some respectable and rather tasty crêpes, later adorning them with a choice of Nutella or jam. After working hard and devoting ourselves to honing our craft and increasing our French knowledge this term, this lesson was a greatly appreciated way to finish off the term and relax into the holidays.

Thank you, Mr Heimel!

David Barry Year 10

READING AUTHENTIC FRENCH RESOURCES

During the last two lessons, we reinforced on our reading skills. We were asked to have a look at some French magazines, which are authentic resources. These resources can help improve our French as it allows us to be exposed to more vocabulary and sentence-structures in comparison to normal French text books which are made to cater to our level of French. I picked a magazine, which talked about the Incas and Machu Picchu. I picked that because I love learning about history and I once did a research on Machu Picchu. It was sometimes hard to understand what they were talking about as when I tried to search words in the dictionary they were not there. But Mr Heimel was here to help us understand and translate it. It allowed Mr Heimel to share some knowledge on the French culture, which widened our horizons. Overall, even though the task was challenging, it was really fun as we got to have a look at what French magazines were like and it also exposed us to harder French, which is great for our knowledge.

Parveen Kaur Year 10

YEAR 12 JAPANESE WACE PREPARATION DAY

As part of our role as a Teacher Development School, in partnership with the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of WA, our school hosted our annual Kaiwa Day on Saturday September 16.

Nearly 130 students from public and private schools all over WA participated in the program. The aim of the day was to provide Year 12 ATAR Japanese students with the opportunity to practice their conversation skills; obtain WACE practical exam hints and clarify procedures with experienced examiners.  Japanese language teachers who are not teachers of Year 12 also joined us on the day as part of their professional development.

Students were divided into small groups, according to their speaking ability and had the opportunity to work with at least four different teachers throughout the day, covering each of the main areas of the Japanese ATAR course.

I acknowledge the excellent work of Willetton Japanese teachers Mrs Haruko Nomoto and Mrs Erina Araki who presented the one hour WACE TIPS 2017 session. Together, they ran through a briefing of the practical exams and provided a range of tips and strategies for success. Thanks also to our Japanese language assistants for participating on the day and running individual sessions for students – Yumi Sales, Asuka Jackson, Hiromi Murakami, Shiori Kitano and Toshie O’Brien. The teamwork amongst our staff is so valuable.

Nathan Harvey Head of Languages

WELCOME TO OUR NEW JAPANESE PRAC TEACHER

Alistair Smith

Hello,

My name is Alistair Smith. I am a second year language student studying Education at Murdoch University, currently on practical experience at Willetton Senior High School. I am working with the Willetton Japanese teachers and the rest of the language department to improve both of my Japanese and teaching capabilities. I value the capability of speaking a language and see it not only as an interest, but also as skill which can open doors later in life. Learning a language completely changes how you view the world and being able to use it is a great experience.

I have been impressed by both the politeness and competencies of the students at Willetton Senior High School. The level of Japanese spoken by students is very impressive and it is evident that this is a school which values language. It is more than clear to me that this is an excellent place for any young person. Learning to teach is daunting but Willetton has made this experience very manageable. I would consider myself blessed to work in a school like Willetton in future.

CONGRATULATIONS TO WING-YI CHAN

Mrs Haruko Nomoto with Wing-Yi Chan

Wing-Yi Chan from Year 12 has been selected for a very prestigious tertiary scholarship for Japanese language students.

The School of Education, supported by the Dr Haruhisa Handa Scholarship Fund, offers a scholarship for a student who will be studying Japanese programs at Curtin University. The objective of the fund is to enhance Australian scholarly interest in Japanese studies, especially by the medium of Japanese language, and to contribute to sustaining and extending general Australian interest in Japanese studies.

Wing-Yi’s scholarship of $5000 per annum of full time study may be used to cover HECS fees, books and materials, and other costs related to study at the University. Wing-Yi will be studying a major in Japanese throughout her course.

Congratulations also go to Mrs Haruko Nomoto, Wing-Yi’s Japanese language teacher, for encouraging and supporting Wing-Yi through the process. This is the third year in a row a Willetton SHS has won this scholarship.

おめでとうございます

JAPAN TRIP

We left for Japan on September 23 and what an experience it was. The trip consisted of two parts - a two week homestay with students from the sister school and a week to travel as tourists to places like Tokyo and Hiroshima. Living in Japan was certainly an entirely different experience compared to what we were familiar with, but despite that we all made new friends and formed unforgettable memories together.

During the two weeks of homestay, we went to school with our hosts, who we’d previously hosted in Australia. While majority of the lessons were in Japanese and thus difficult to understand, it was interesting to see a school system so different to our own. On top of that, we had a four day autumn vacation during which our hosts took us to places such as Universal Studios and a Japanese sweet making workshop. We also took part in the school’s sports day and while we rarely came anything but last, it certainly was fun. We learnt that while we weren’t good at any of the sports, at the very least, we were good sports.

We became part of our host families for those two weeks and leaving was extremely sad, but we all left with more than we came, with new fond memories to look back upon.

Following the homestay we journeyed to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo. We saw some of the famous attractions such as the Golden Pavilion and Kiyomizudera which, while extremely crowded, were very beautiful. We spent two days in Kyoto, one day in Hiroshima and another two days in Tokyo and despite walking about ten (or more!) kilometres every day, it still wasn’t enough to stop us gaining weight from all the great food we had been exposed to. There wasn’t nearly enough time to see and do everything we wanted to, but by staying together we all grew a lot closer, even with our teachers.

The three weeks we were away were some of the best times of our lives. We experienced Japanese culture first hand - the food, history and just day to day life. Together with our friends and family in Japan we made many memories together and while the trip was expensive, experiences are truly priceless. Would I go again given the chance? Yes, yes and yes again.

Andrew Lee Year 11

BONJOUR PERTH FRENCH FESTIVAL

On Saturday October 21, I enjoyed a day of French culture during the Bonjour Perth French Festival at Subiaco where many of our students went with their families and friends. It was a great opportunity for them to be part of the French community and to be exposed to authentic traditions, music, food and art that represent different regions of the French-speaking world.

Monsieur Heimel Teacher of French

Attending the Bonjour Perth French Festival was an amazing experience. It is so incredible to immerse yourself in a completely different culture. Even just for a day is very special. I used my French knowledge to communicate, listen to the culture, watch amazing performances and even try new foods. Macaroons are amazing! I definitely recommend this event to everyone whether you are learning French or not!

Georgia Barry Year 11

Participating in the Bonjour Perth festival with my fellow French class members was definitely an experience to remember. The amazing performances, delicious food and various stalls provided an interesting and enjoyable atmosphere in which we were able to discover new and wonderful aspects of the French culture. I would definitely recommend it!

Shamim Mostafaei Year 11

KOREAN

불고기 ( Bulgogi) and 김치 (Kimchi)

The two most popular Korean dishes among Koreans are bulgogi and kimchi. Bulgogi is typically made with beef or pork, and it is frequently served on any special occasion. Bulgogi tastes so good that everyone loves it. There are many different types of kimchi, but the most common kind of kimchi is made with cabbage or radish, hot chili powder, garlic and other ingredients. The hot chili powder makes kimchi a little spicy but as time passes the cabbage ferments and that makes the kimchi tastier. Kimchi is a very healthy food as well. Kimchi can be prepared in various ways including kimchi stew, kimchi fried rice, kimchi pizza, and kimchi hamburger.

음력 (Lunar) and 양력 (solar calendars)

People use both the lunar and solar calendars in Korea. A long time ago, they used only the lunar calendar, but since 1896 they have used the solar calendar as well. The lunar calendar follows the phase of the moon. One month can be either twenty-nine days or thirty days by the lunar calendar. It was very important in agriculture and fishing long ago.

All the Korean national holidays follow the solar calendar. However, some traditional holidays (New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day) follow the lunar calendar. And many people follow the lunar calendar for their birthdays. Therefore, Korean calendars usually have both solar and lunar dates.

Stella Sung Korean teacher

MATHS

ICAS

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, known as the ICAS competition, were held on Tuesday August 15. We had 346 students from Years 7 to 12 participating.

Our students again performed amongst the best in the state, with 117 receiving distinction, 24 receiving a high distinction with one of our Year 7 high distinction winners receiving a medal. A medal is awarded to any student who achieves the highest score in his or her age group. Congratulations to Ian Pinto who accomplished this fantastic result.

Ian Pinto achieved the highest score in Western Australia

Congratulations to the following students who received a high distinction.

CHOOSEMATHS AWARDS

Congratulations to the team of π Rate Studios who were awarded a High Commendation for the 2017 Choose Maths Awards Competition. Each student in the team received a $100 gift card, certificate and medal in recognition of their achievement.

Award Winners
From L to R: Christopher Chivers, Daniel Roach and Andrew Lee

AUSTRALIAN INTERMEDIATE MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD

The Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO) is conducted in schools on the same day across Australia each year. It is a problem-solving competition designed for mathematically talented students from Years 7 to 10. The students are given ten high order problem solving questions which they work on individually for a total of four hours under test conditions without the use of calculators or electronic devices.

This year we had 21 participants. All students were given the same set of questions and were judged against other students in their own age group.

Our students performed exceptionally well, with six being awarded a Credit and two a Distinction. Congratulations to all students for both participation and success.

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD

On Saturday October 28, a team of 28 Year 7, 8 and 9 students came together to represent Willetton SHS at the inaugural WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad at the University of Western Australia. After 100 mins of individual competition consisting of 12 problem solving questions, students then gathered to compete for a further 45 mins in their school teams.

Our students performed very well, competing against 476 of the top students in the state.

Jonathan Chivers and Hang Yi Law both received an excellent score of 20/25 for their individual competition finishing in the top ten Year 9 students and Allan Wu received an outstanding score of 22/25 which earned him fourth place amongst the Year 7 students. All three students were recognised with a prestigious merit award.

WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad Winners

SCIENCE

AURECON BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION, SCITECH

From L to R: Aryan Chugh, Someshwaar Ganesh, Ze Yi Lim
Not in photo: Kah Chun Chan, Saul Menendez

Year 9 Extension students participated in this year’s Aurecon Bridge Building Competition at Scitech. Students were challenged to build a bridge with materials supplied from Aurecon over an allocated time at school. Two groups entered this year’s competition, Group A, Someshwaar Ganesh and Saul Menendez’s bridge sustained a weight of 8 kg. Group B, Ze Yi Lim, Aryan Chug and Kah Chun Chan’s bridge sustained a weight of 6.5 kg.

Mrs C Haning Science Teacher

NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM 2018

In January 2018, we will be attending the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Year 12 Program. NYSF is a not-for-profit organisation that runs a number of residential programs to encourage young people in their passion for science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM). The Year 12 program is designed to give students a broader understanding of the diverse study and career options available in STEM and to encourage them to continue their studies in these fields.

During the two week residential conference, we will visit science and technology related laboratories and facilities, go on site tours, listen to lectures, take part in workshops, go to social events, and participate in group activities that improve communication and presentation skills. In order to make the most of this opportunity, the Western Australian representatives gathered at Perth Modern School for an orientation where we were briefed about what to expect at the conference in Brisbane and Canberra.

Furthermore, through this opportunity, the Western Australian representatives were invited to the Governor’s reception. Her Excellency, the honorable Kerry Sanderson, congratulated us on our acceptance to the program and emphasised the importance of STEM in the improvement of our society.

We thank Ms Hamilton and Mrs Munshi for endorsing our NYSF applications and supporting our participation in the program. We look forward to attending the conference in January.

Josephine Santoso and Hui Yen Siaw Year 11 Chemistry

Josephine and Hui Yen with the Governor - honorable Kerry Sanderson and other National Youth Science Forum scholars

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

ALL HANDS ON DECK AT ACTIV BENTLEY

Students John Wong, Kane Choong and Matthew Repper are working at ACTIV Bentley as part of their transition from Willetton. Their work varies during the week and includes the project area where labelling and collating takes place, the airline area where packaging cutlery and refurbishing headsets is completed and the timber area where bed bases are constructed for a local bedding company. The pressure is on, especially in the airline area as the rush for air travels intensifies approaching Christmas. Students have been assisted in the transition by Ms Linda Burrows and Ms Sonya Evans.

Two surprising encounters included catching up with former student Yeang Tio who had worked with Mrs Jenni Hood and Mrs Jackie Chadwick whilst at Willetton. Another student, Deanne Stammers works as a supervisor at ACTIV. At Willetton, Deanne completed a Certificate II in Education Support at TAFE through the VET programme and since leaving Willetton has completed a Certificate III in Educational Support, a Certificate III in Individual Services and a Certificate III in Disability Services. She currently is responsible for the supervision of 33 employees at ACTIV and also takes on the role of Assistant Employee Coordinator. She is passionate about her work, ensuring that everyone in our community gains dignity with an opportunity to contribute to society through work.

We wish John, Kane and Matthew well with their transition from Willetton.

Opportunities to learn do not necessarily stop during the October school holidays.

Maheesha Dias worked at the Adventist Residential Care in Rossmoyne with supervisor Barbara Higgins. He was keen to explore some future career options in the medical field. Working with residents up to 103 in age!! was definitely a learning experience for him and Maheesha’s efforts, with all aspects of his work were valued and appreciated by staff and residents.

Song Yi Loo also stepped up with work at Bankwest in Murray Street in the software engineering department. Song Yi has appreciated:

The unique open plan work environment

The proactive stance taken by Bankwest in supporting work experience for students

Appreciated the AGILE methodology: where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organising cross-functional teams…… which is similar to that used at Curtin University where Song Yi worked during the April school holidays

The work place pressures of deadlines

Ruth Barratt Work Experience Placement teacher

YEAR 11 CAREER AND ENTERPRISE JOB INTERVIEWS

The competition was HOT!

The pressure was ON! Could the questions posed by the job interviewer be answered well? Was the handshake firm with good eye contact and a gentle smile? Were questions asked of the interviewer? Was the interviewer thanked?

In term four, all 61 Year 11 Career and Enterprise students attended mock job interviews after preparing a cover letter, resume and portfolio for a job located from various sites which could realistically be applied for in the next 6 to 12 months.

Our interviewers were Natalie Brown, Terri James and Joshua Farmer. All interviews were recorded for assessment purposes. Students received feedback from the interviewer immediately following the interview, a written evaluation and teacher comments.

The learning curve was there to be conquered.

Thoughts from our students of their experiences:

• You will have a real experience which will prepare you for real interviews in the real world
• It’s important to learn how to write a resume and cover letter
• It’s important to learn what SAO is in selling yourself in the interview
• Helps to identify areas of weakness to work on for a real interview
• You can learn to be more confident in an interview
• I learned what an interviewer may be like

Final thoughts from our interviewers reflecting on their experiences of working with our students:

Natalie offers…. the best advice I can give is;

• to be prepared with some examples that demonstrate your abilities
  always have questions to ask
• most importantly let your personality shine through by remaining
  calm and remember to SMILE!”

Natalie was kind to offer also…. Reflecting on my experience hosting mock interviews, I realise that this process was a learning curve for me as well as the students……. I believe this process would be advantageous to all students as it is invaluable in helping instil confidence and motivation…..

Joshua offers….

• Research the business, know its values or guiding principles…..then link them to your own skills and experience to show you’re a perfect fit for the job and business
• Practice and prepare answers
• Prepare questions to ask
• No matter how nervous you might be work to show the interviewer that you can work confidently under pressure.
• Show your confidence by nailing the nonverbal clues such as looking the interviewer straight in the eye, sitting up in the chair, giving a firm handshake, smiling and keeping an open body position
• Show the interviewer your enthusiasm for the job

And of the candidates, our students, Joshua commented… In my opinion, the students I interviewed would have been, in all cases, hired for the jobs for which they applied. Students were friendly, professional, punctual and had done plenty of research and preparation…

Students however also seemed nervous when the interviews began and slowly became more confident as the interview progressed…. these problems are easily fixed through practice ……..”

Terri offers….

• Be YOURSELF in the interview, know yourself and what you have to offer
• Be confident in answering the tell me about yourself question
• For entry-level jobs or retail jobs the key is to be engaging, and appear enthusiastic to learn. At 15, 16 or 17 you are not expected to have ALL of the skills and knowledge for the job.
• Employers will expect nerves at interviews. However it is important to maintain manners and sense of self supported by a strong handshake, smiling spontaneously, sitting up straight and not fiddling!
• Ensure you understand what the job is asking of candidates
• SMILE!!

Ruth Barratt Career and Enterprise Teacher

YEAR 11

FROM THE YEAR COORDINATOR

Important dates for next year. Please mark in your diaries.

Friday March 9 2018, School Ball
Friday November 16 2018, Year 12 Graduation

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHARMAINE SMITH

A huge thank you to Charmaine Smith who replaced me during my recent long service leave. Her support, professionalism and patience were much appreciated by the students and Student Services staff.

JASMIN ELY

Congratulations to Jasmin Ely who has been chosen as a representative at the National Schools Constitutional Convention

The National Schools Constitutional Convention held annually in Canberra, seeks to promote understanding and informed discussion amongst young Australians about the Australian constitution and system of government.

Approximately 120 students from government, independent and Catholic schools from across Australia, covering metropolitan and country areas attend.

CHRISTOPHER CHIVERS

As a result of his outstanding performance in recent Informatics contests, Christopher has been invited to be a member of this year’s Australian Informatics Olympiad Committee (AIOC) Informatics School of Excellence. The school will be held at Burgmann College, Australian National University, Canberra from Thursday December 2 to Sunday December 12.

JORDAN HOFFMANN, ERIN STRLE, NIKITA TCHERKASHNEV AND SOPHIE DORAN

These four students have received Rotary awards. Each student along with their parents received acknowledgement and certificate from Rotary. The students were selected based on their ability in the following categories of Academic, Arts, Sporting and Community.

Rotary Award Winners
Arts: Erin Strle, Sporting: Sophie Doran, Academic: Jordan Hoffmann, Community: Nikita Tcherkashnev

JORDAN HOFFMANN AND HIMAL PANDEY

Thank you to Jordan Hoffmann and Himal Pandey both Year 11 Councillors who assisted at the recent Year 12 Graduation Ceremony.

CHARLIE WATT

Congratulations to Charlie who visited Scotland earlier this year, a Scottish Premier League Club has accepted him and he will be leaving us to join them at the end of the year.

SHAUNA BRUCE AND DAKYOUNG LEE

Both these students performed in the Pipe Band at the recent Year 12 graduation ceremony. After many hours of rehearsals and commitment they are to be congratulated.

As we are moving into our students’ final year please ask them to let me know any achievements through the year. I don’t want to miss out on knowing what they have been up to.

Thank you for your support in our Year 11 journey. Take care and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Stefan Brand Year Coordinator

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Information and nominations for parent and staff representatives to the School Board will open from early February 2018, and the Board’s AGM will be held on Monday March 19, 2018 at 5.30pm in the staff room. Members of the school community are welcome to attend.

WA SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP

It is with great pleasure that we announce the recipient of the WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship for 2018 is Angela Thompkinson.

This scholarship recognises a student who shows strong leadership skills, showing them to be a proactive member of the school and wider community, respecting the needs of others and having a sense of self-worth and future direction.

We also congratulate the following students who were shortlisted as finalists for this scholarship – Brandon Buckley, Dylan Newman and Jade Woods. We hope you continue to make the most of the opportunities offered to you at school.

RECOGNITION OF WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY

With the support of parent volunteers and the Interact Club, the School Board is recognising and showing appreciation of the work of teachers and staff by hosting a special morning tea on November 24. Staff will be treated to an array of delicious foods whilst the Interact Club students have made cards, each acknowledging or thanking the teachers for the significant impact they make on their education.

A special thank you to Tanya Picen, Tina Mahesvaran, Sam Phipps, Serene Kwan and Lyn Hilton for, their support for this special event.

YEAR 12 VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION

Board members were most impressed by the student artwork when they attended this exhibition recently.

It made it extremely difficult to choose the winners but after much discussion, the Board was very pleased to purchase artwork from three very talented young artists – Cindy Toh, Aashka Bhavsar and Charlie Yong. These pieces of artwork will remain at the school, for the school community to admire and enjoy. We congratulate this creative cohort on their outstanding work and wish them all the best for the future.

School Board Chairman – Simon Lappin with Charlie Yong, Cindy Toh and Aashka Bhavsar

Cindy Toh with OfficeMax representatives, Simon Lappin - School Board Chairman and Chris Booth - Principal

SECOND-HAND BOOKSHOP

Year 11 and 12 students wishing to sell their textbooks may bring in their books to the second-hand bookshop during trading hours or drop them off at the School Board office. Please ensure the required bookshop form is completed before the books are dropped off. Forms are available from the front office, School Board office, and bookshop or may be downloaded from the school website.

Students are encouraged to bring in their books as early as possible, in order to have them catalogued and on the shelves ready to be sold when the demand is highest. Please do not bring in books that are no longer on the booklist.

We also have a large range of Year 11 and Year 12 syllabus textbooks and study guides which make excellent resource material at greatly discounted prices. We also stock a range of second hand supplies including dance shoes, scientific and graphic calculators, class pads, Math-O-Matts, language dictionaries and lower school resource material.

Current Year 10 and 11 students are invited to visit the second hand bookshop to purchase Year 11 and Year 12 booklist requirements for 2018. Many of the textbooks are half to two thirds the price of new textbooks.

For further information, please contact the bookshop on 9334 7282 during opening hours.

The second hand bookshop and uniform shop are open for additional trade as listed below. Please note that credit card and eftpos facilities are not available. Payment by cash or cheque only. Cheques should be made payable to Willetton Senior High School Council, and include your driver’s licence details on the back.

SECOND HAND BOOKSHOP TRADING TIMES 2017/2018

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SHOP TRADING TIMES 2017/2018

SCHOOL BOARD THANK YOU

We would like to acknowledge and thank the wonderful parents, grandparents and community members who have volunteered their time to help the school with various projects; much could not have been achieved without your wonderful support. Special thanks go to the members of the Willo Parent Group, the bookshop and the second hand uniform shop volunteers. Your faithful contribution to the school is recognised and very much valued.

FAREWELL CLASS OF 2017

We wish our Year 12 students a fond farewell and wish you all the very best for your bright future ahead. We encourage you to remain connected to the school through the alumni, by registering your details on. Watch this space for upcoming information on alumni merchandise!

HOW TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE

To find out more about the School Board or how you might get involved, please contact Helen Wong, School Board Executive Officer on 9334 7217 during term, or email helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au.

The School Board would like to wish all members of our school community a very special Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. We look forward to working together with you again in 2018.

WILLO PARENT GROUP

MENTAL HEALTH LAW CENTRE

At their last coffee morning, the Willo Parent Group had an informative insight into the world of the Mental Health Law Centre. Daniel McDonald, Lawyer and Christie Waldek, Paralegal captivated their audience with facts, statistics and stories and demonstrated their compassionate understanding of the world of mental health law.

Their webpage welcome reads:

• We are a state-wide community legal centre providing free legal advice and representation to people who experience a mental health illness.
• We provide free legal advice and representation on matters covered by the Mental Health Act 2014; and
• Subject to resources, we also provide legal help in other areas of law, particularly criminal, guardianship & administration and criminal injuries compensation
• We also have a Telephone Advice Line to provide quick legal advice.

The Mental Health Law Centre is located at 55 Hay St, Subiaco, Phone 9328 8012