14 December 2016

NEWSLETTER 8: SPECIAL EDITION

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Nola Regan

STOP PRESS!

Willetton Senior High School won the inaugural McMahon Shield for the best performing school across the Champion Schools’ Competitions in 2016.

The award is judged by participation and placement in competitions. Our score was 59 points with the second school, Darling Range Sport Specialist School, with 48 points.

Congratulations to both teachers and students in our Physical Education Learning Area and to other teachers who have given their time to coach teams.

We celebrate your achievement

Our wonderful Physical Education Staff

Award Presentation (L to R) Peter Smith - Manager School Sport WA, Wayne Baseden, Chris Booth and Ian McMahon – Life Member of School Sport WA

LANGUAGES

Year of the Monkey

In both Japanese and Chinese cultures, 2016 has been the Year of the Monkey. This is said to be a year of adventure, discovery, questions and answers, when luck can strike at bizarre times and fortunes can turn in the blink of an eye. Risk, strategy, learning, change and progress feature prominently in a monkey year. It's an era of building, creating and forging ahead. This certainly sums up 2016 for Willetton Languages students and staff.

You will see photos and articles about the huge range of activities and programs that the team has provided for our students. I am very grateful to the teachers and assistants for pulling out all stops to make students successful; the results speak for themselves. As the Teacher Development School for Languages, we have also provided a wide range of professional learning events to teachers from throughout WA, as well as interstate visitors. The teaching team continues to assume more responsibilities and challenges and this flows on to our students.

Former students have continued to support our current students with Club Venn in its second year, as well as a number of ex-students returning as guest speakers to share the stories of how they have benefited from language learning.

As we move into the Year of the Rooster in 2017, we wish our many hard-working Year 12 students the very best for their future beyond Willo. It has been a privilege to teach you all.

Learning a language is not just about preparing for an exam, it is preparing to change your life for the better.

Nathan Harvey Head of Languages

Ready?Set?Plan! Australian Curriculum for Languages conference at Willetton SHS

Executive Directors from the Department of Education,
South Australia visiting our school.

Past students speak to Year 12 languages students

Korean

(from left to right): Mr Harvey, the director of the Korean Education Centre and Mrs Kim

Students enjoying the Korean culture at Willetton SHS

On June 21, around 20 people from the Korean Society of Australia came to Willetton to show the Years 7, 8, and 9 Korean classes some Korean culture. After an introduction, there were presentations of Taekwondo, K-Pop dance and Korean traditional drumming. After that, we made gimbap (which is like Korean sushi), did some K-Pop dancing (side note: Hudson can bop like a pro), and played the Korean traditional drums. To conclude, we played some traditional Korean games, such as throw-the-stick-in-the-pot and play-kick-ups-with-a-not-shuttlecock. Thanks to Mrs TJ Kim for organising this incursion. It was great!

Jack Myers Year 9 student

2016 Korean Government Invitation Program

Congratulations to Merci Tuivai’I from Year 9 who was selected as one of four Australian representatives to travel to Korea. As part of the Korean Language Program, the Korean government invited excellent foreign students who have potential to become leaders in their home countries, to deepen their understanding of Korea and provide motivation for future study pursuits in Korea, through education and cultural experience programs.

Sixty high school students from throughout the world were selected. The 11 day study tour gave students the opportunity to participate in activities such as special lectures, visit universities, cultural historical sites industrial facilities, home stay. The government of Korea paid all costs for students.

Tae-Jung Kim: Teacher of Korean

Participating students with the program banner at Everland

There is so much to love about Korea. The people are lovely. They are well mannered, respectful and patriotic. The culture is rich in history, yet at the same time embraces modern society, heavily associating family and respect towards the elders. I am so grateful to the Korean Government for the opportunity to experience Korea and to Chungbuk National University for being amazing hosts. I owe everything to my tutor Miss Kim for her encouragement and for showing me what I am capable of by putting my name forward for an amazing experience to further my Korean studies.

Multicultural Week

Sari Experience

Teachers and students trying on saris

Along with some enthusiastic Year 8 students, Mrs Anthony and Ms Driver, we spent recess times to plan and organise this event, which was worthwhile because we got to experience a different culture with our friends from different countries.

It was a great experience since everyone, the helpers and the students who tried on the saris, really enjoyed themselves. For those students who migrated to Australia, Multicultural Week brought them memories about their culture; it made them feel at home again when they’re missing some things from their background.

Thanks Mr Harvey and the Languages learning area!

Meng Yee Yuen and Megan Koh
Year 11 EALD students

Stall of Handmade Bracelets

(from left to right): Abigael Stipp, Mrs Gray, Min En and Lycia Liew.

I would love to thank all the lovely students who volunteered to run the stall selling handmade bracelets during the multicultural week. A West Australian woman taught the local Guatemalan women how to make bookmarks, bracelets and Christmas decorations on a loom to help raise them out of poverty, improve their life skills and education. We raised $120 for this worthy cause.

Mrs G Gray EALD Teacher

Calming Down and Socialising

Mrs Gray relaxing her students before an EALD class.

Sometimes when we come into class it takes us a while to settle down so we do calming exercises for a few minutes. These include meditation, brain gym, group massage and Pilates. From a class survey, we like meditation and the group massages best.

Joel Yap Year 8

Being an EALD student at Willetton SHS

EALD is definitely not just any ordinary class. With excellent teacher support and a positive environment, this class has been really useful to help us achieve to the best of our abilities. I feel privileged to be at Willetton Senior High School as they offer such a wonderful EALD program that makes us feel at home when it is a far cry from our home town. I would like to think of EALD as a structure of a bigger picture where we are able to have the basic platform in order to build our masterpiece. The class doesn't just consist of essay writing, book reviews, and oral presentations, but also offers more imagination-building days with library sessions to expand our horizons. The language skills are beneficial for other subjects as they are in English. Not only does EALD assist us in our school but also with our daily lives. Some of us even have to step up by taking a role of a translator for our families.

The small number of students in class allows everyone to have a chance to get to know each other and even learn each other’s cultures. It makes us one united family; where we challenge each other without any judgements. With good friends, our language barrier struggles seem to be lifted. English plays an important role in Australian culture and we can learn many important life skills through our improvement in language. The marvellous teachers really push us to aim high and be more confident in ourselves. The support we get is exceptional, and this gives us the opportunity to express ourselves freely and know that we aren't alone. I really appreciate the teachers who have made sacrifices in time and effort in order to get to the best out of us. The best part of being an EALD student is being about to have the best of both worlds by having the culture of Australia and our home country, both inside and outside the classroom.

Lycia Liew Year 10 EALD student

Burrendah Primary School Visit

EALD students with Burrendah Primary School students

In August Mrs Gray's Year 8 EALD students visited Burrendah Primary School to read their entertaining picture books. The pre-primary students enjoyed listening to all the original stories. The EALD students loved sharing their stories and they received a lot of really nice comments as well as many questions.

Year 8 EALD Classes

Italian

Il Programma Assistente Linguistico / Italian Assistenti

2016 Dante Alighieri Speech Competition: Il mio viaggio in Italia (My trip to Italy)

Da Willetton all’università del Western Australia (UWA)

External Exams

Hannah Pitts, Shi Mei Li, Chloe Henderson and Kelsey Grant

Term 3 – Students in Upper school classes sat for the WAATI and Dante state wide external exams.

Da Casoli a Willetton

Italian students from our sister school ‘Algeri Marino’ in Casoli, Abruzzo

The Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi, welcoming the Casoli group to Perth

WAATI / Intercultura Italian Exchange

Part one: HOSTING….

Lidia, Marnie & friends

Part two: Sending….

Our Sending students to Italy are, Madeline Edmett, Cherralee Clark, Bellsye Illman, Chloe Henderson, Hannah Pitts and Claire Tho.

Bellsye Illman, Madeline Edmett, Hannah Pitts, Chloe Henderson and Claire Tho

And a SCHOLARSHIP winner!!

This year, one of our Willetton students, Cherralee Clark (Year 11) won the scholarship. Congratulations! Cheralee will join Madeline, Bellsye, Chloe, Hannah and Claire for the two months exchange in Italy.

Cherralee Clark

French

The Importance of the French Community of Perth

The teachers of French, Mrs Gloria Alkins, Mrs Sharee Seeburuth, Miss Édith Moreau, Mr Matthieu Heimel and the Year 9 cohort at the cinema Paradiso in Northbridge

We believe that students can extend their knowledge and practise of French if they have the opportunity to interact with the local French community. This is why we engage French students in activities such as the Alliance Française (AF) High School Examination and the AF Poem Recitation Competition.

Another highlight of our school year is our traditional participation to the Alliance Française French Film Festival of Perth. On Wednesday March 23, 2016, the teachers of French and the French students of Year 9 embarked on an excursion to the big city to attend the Alliance Française French Film Festival, where we watched Avril et le monde truqué, or April and the extraordinary world. Here is a reflection on our excursion at the Cinema Paradiso from one of our Year 9 students, Amos An Choo:

I found the excursion very fun and delightful! It was wonderful to go out into Perth metro with the French cohort and see a great film like Avril et le monde truqué. The movie was captivating, and spread over a good two hours of sit-back, relax-and-enjoy. The dialogue was entirely in French, so it gave us a good dose of the language itself, and there were English subtitles, so we could understand every line. It was a fun, pleasant day.

Édith, our French Assistant

Miss Édith Moreau is our French assistant from the Cognac region in the Southwest of France. She is part of a program with the Department of Education where she has worked at Willetton for one year. Édith is passionate about her cultural heritage and loves building genuine relationships with students from Year 7 to Year 12, three days a week, during classroom sessions as well as the French and Drama clubs.

(Left photo): Mr Nathan Harvey (Head of Languages) and some students enjoying a classroom decoration workshop during the French club

French drama club with Miss Moreau, Mr Hughes (practicum teacher from UWA), Mr Heimel and students in French from Year 7 to Year 10

Extra Support for Year 11 and Year 12 Students

Various strategies are developed by the Languages Learning Area to dramatically increase the learning of the Year 11 and Year 12 students. For instance, Carole Métrot and Florence Spears are our two local French native speakers who work every Monday with Mrs Sharee Seeburuth (French Teacher) to support the senior school students and improve their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. In addition to the four hours of French each week, the languages department also offered free one on one tutoring sessions (one hour) once a week to each Year 12 student in order to practice for their stimulus and speaking exam.

Showing Leadership in Languages

(from left to right): Year 12 students, Natasha Gould, Ashlyn Kaur, Namitha Sara John, Ebony Bernard and Kezia Antahputri who volunteered to support beginner students in French this year

On behalf of the students and staff of the French Department, I thank Natasha Gould, Ashlyn Kaur, Namitha Sara John, Ebony Bernard and Kezia Antahputri for volunteering so generously during the past school year. We know your time is valuable, and your willingness to contribute some of that valuable time to us shows your commitment to the French subject and the well-being of our students. The contribution you have made by supporting beginners in French every Wednesday morning at recess has really made a difference in our students’ educational experience this year. We are so happy you shared your talents with them.

Thank you again, and we wish you all the best for your future endeavours.

Monsieur Matthieu Heimel Teacher of French

Japanese

Japanese Cultural Activities

Yumi and Toshi teaching calligraphy

Mrs Araki with Japanese teacher assistants

Year 6 Japanese Academic Extension Program

Year 6 Erina Araki

In 2016 Willetton SHS again offered the opportunity for Year 6 students to join the Japanese Academic Extension Program. The program is a full year course and takes place on campus at Willetton SHS where students can access our specialist facilities and the expertise of the Japanese language teachers. Selected Year 6 students from Burrendah, Rostrata and Willetton come to us for one hour each week to take part in the academic extension program.

Our program is the only one of its kind in WA and supports Federal goals of increasing the number of students graduating from secondary school with competence in an Asian language. The positive outcome for students is that they gain additional intellectual stimulation and have the benefit of an accelerated pathway to excellent results in Year 11 and 12 Japanese. This will give students advanced standing compared to those students who are not offered this opportunity.

I am really pleased with the students’ motivation and success.

Mrs Erina Araki Japanese language teacher

Onigiri Making

Year 8 students making Onigiri with Mrs Onishi and their Japanese assistant, Rina Nagae

It was a fun and delicious way to end the semester.

Imogen Bloxham, Amy Mercer and Hana Lont Year 8 students

Japanese Tour 2016

The tight friendships that were built in three thrilling weeks of travelling from Tokyo, to Kyoto, and to Hyogo will surely remain a major highlight in the participating travellers’ lives.

Japan welcomed us with drizzly humid weather, and fascinating sights of busy train stations packed with returning workers. A majority of us were without luggage, due to a brief scare at Perth airport with a mix-up of flights and so, a visit to a convenient store was a must. There, we found ourselves rapt by the variety of food, drinks, and daily essentials which were available at the 7/11. Then at last, our home for the first four days, Citadines Shinjuku Hotel, was found — so was our need for sleep.

Japan’s railway systems have always seemed impressive, notably the Shinkansen (bullet train). Being within the network of people filed in neat lines ready to board trains, made the fact that we were in Japan really sink in. The crew went to Harajuku and Shibuya; two famous shopping zones in Tokyo, and Meiji Shrine. Like all nights prior to home-stay, we were given the privilege to roam the streets and find something to eat.

Appropriately, it rained all day at DisneySea. Despite the inconvenience, the rain honestly added to the experience. The next day we approached Akihabara; Asakusa; the 634 metre tall Tokyo Skytree; and Pokemon Centre. From the tall multi-storey buildings covered in billboards to the magnificent shrine gates, all the beautiful sights really impressed me.

Tokyo to Kyoto via Shinkansen was impressive knowing that we were reaching the speed of 300 kilometres per hour. Our visit to Kiyomizudera (translating directly to ‘pure water temple’), was again accompanied by rain. We then proceeded to the traditional Japanese style hotel: Ryokufuso Ryokan. This hotel embodied the feel of Japan through the tatami (woven straw) mats, futons, yukata, onsen, and Japanese breakfast. For the last two days before the much anticipated home-stay, we went to Nara, Todaiji Temple, Kinkakuji, Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum, and Nijo Castle. Stories of innocent children never being able to make it home due to the atomic bomb fueled the need of a ban on nuclear weaponry, and world peace.

To top the amazing travels from week one, home-stay was still to come. The High School of University of Hyogo’s students were on autumn break for a week, allowing hosting students to reunite and hang out. Most of us went to several group outings such as Universal Studios, Himeji Castle, Osaka Aquarium, and karaoke.

In my opinion, the most rewarding experience in the whole trip was staying with my host family, who like many others (I am sure) are extremely kind and generous. There will be no other time like those two weeks where we all met and got to know our host families, lived in a Japanese household, went to a Japanese high school and had delicious bento boxes — all for the first time. That being said, one of our school days was cut short, due to the typhoon warning.

One of the most memorable experiences had to be the day of kimono wearing. It was exciting to see the girls and three lucky boys get fitted with the traditional clothing. To wrap the entire look together, photos were taken in the beautiful Japanese garden; Tatsuno Park.

Then the final day arrived. Ending our school experience with a sports carnival proved to be wonderful. All good days come to an end, this day included. As expected, our farewell was heartfelt. It is never easy to say goodbye but there’ll always be another time when we will meet in the years to come.

Thank you to everybody for the unforgettable memories. Thank you to our supervisors who put up with all 22 of us in the first seven days of travel; Ms Nomoto and Mrs Onishi. Thank you very much for the best three weeks!!!

Isabelle Tan Year 11