15 August 2018

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Nola Regan

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Two thousand and eighteen began a year which continues to show the results of our plans for education at Willetton Senior High School through our strategic planning, our community relations and, most importantly, the professional practices of our staff.

News from the Department of Education: our former Director General, Sharyn O’Neill, recently moved to become the Public Sector Commissioner — a well-deserved promotion. We thank her for many years of dedicated leadership of our education system and look forward to seeing the directions of our new leader for the future. Meanwhile, Jennifer McGrath will act as Director General until the completion of the selection process.

Further news from the department informs us that, in 2019, a new form of internal school review replaces the Independent Public School external review process. A letter from the Acting Director General says, This new approach to school review is part of a commitment to develop ongoing assessment practices to strengthen the performance of our schools.

In order to expand the education potential for our students, we plan to offer a Curtin University, UniReady course at our school as part of course selection. This program fills a gap for those students whose ATAR scores pose a problem for reaching university entry level, or who wish to add a university entry course to their VET (Vocational Education and Training) studies. UniReady currently runs directly through Curtin University but now is offering the program to certain schools. If completed successfully, means that a student becomes eligible to apply for a range of Curtin University undergraduate courses.

We congratulate Darren Hamley for his recent award from the Royal Society — the world’s oldest academy dedicated to promoting science. This award for outstanding contribution to science education has been awarded to only one secondary teacher, and occurs only every four years. We consider this award well deserved by Darren for his continuing enthusiasm in advancing the scientific knowledge of his students. His award has also resulted in him being asked to serve on the Royal Society’s Board.

The new software package, SSO, which enables the electronic selection of subjects by students and parents, seems to have worked well. I have also channelled some extra funds to give support to learning area leaders for this busiest time of the year, as well as to the VET team to follow up VET students’ programs and assist them to complete their certificates.

To help prepare for next year’s classes, experienced teacher Brett Clark has joined our IT team three days a week for the rest of the year, reworking our courses for Years 7 and 8, and our specialist courses, as well as, enhancing the ATAR computing program. Welcome, Brett.

Finally, we say farewell to Robyn Travers, a HASS teacher Acting HOLA and teacher of students at risk, who retires at the end of her long service leave. We wish her well in her retirement.

Chris Booth

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

Welcome back to the second half of the school year.

Willetton Senior High School continues to strive to nurture all students in their pursuits. We have students with outstanding abilities across a range of disciplines. This was evident at our recent Academic Awards Ceremony on August 1 with a great turn out from the families of award winners. While we celebrate these amazing achievements, we also recognise the many individual achievements and personal goals that students have worked hard to achieve throughout first semester with the support of our school’s dedicated teachers, loving parents and caregivers, and the broader Willetton community.

This time of celebrating achievement also extends to the talented staff of Willetton Senior High School. Darren Hamley was awarded the 2018 Doug Clarke Education Advocacy Award Medal from the Royal Society of WA for his contribution to science education. Most remarkable was that he was competing against expert scientists (including university professors in the field). The recognition and high regard for Darren’s expertise has also seen him invited to join the council of the Royal Society, the premier society of scientists in WA. Chris Booth also received the WA Secondary School Executive Association award for Outstanding Educational Leadership. Most notable is that this nomination was by an anonymous group of his peers. As a school community we are fortunate to have great leaders, mentors and aspiring future leaders across all levels of our school, including our children, who together help foster each other to take the next step towards their own goals.

Whilst we celebrate educationalists, I was also fortunate to attend an evening event with Mathematics teaching sensation and Australia’s Local Hero Award of Australian of the Year Awards of 2018, Eddie Woo. He is quite a passionate, inspiring and engaging individual. I also heard from the mathematics teachers who were fortunate enough to attend his professional development sessions earlier in the day summed up by “He was excellent, so charismatic!! Loved it!!” We especially thank Tele Tan (School Board, Curtin University) and Colin Marshall for making this opportunity possible.

Dr Tele Tan, Dr Paola Chivers, Mr Eddie Woo and Mr Peter Lee

This time last year we acknowledged the new partnership with OfficeMax who have been continuing to support the school’s Book Club. Kimberley Atkinson and the students have gone from strength to strength with OfficeMax recently facilitating visiting author, indigenous writer Jasmin Herro. We thank OfficeMax, Kimberley Atkinson and Colin Marshall for nurturing this great program.

As mentioned in our last newsletter, the Board offered prizes for the payment of voluntary Board levies. We are pleased that this was successful in encouraging more families to make this payment, which help fund many projects around the school that benefit our students. We especially thank our donors: anonymous parent donation, Uniform Concepts, Collins Booksellers and Chatime. Before our last Board meeting the winners were drawn and they are listed below.

Frist prize winner Kosala Aluthjage

I wish everyone a great second half of the year and wish our Year 12s all the best in the final preparations for their end of year exams. Remember, rest to refresh, eat well to power up, and exercise to energise AKA a good night’s sleep, healthy breakfast and a walk/ride to school before an exam is a great way to begin.

Dr Paola Chivers

All young people are loved and safe, have material basics, are healthy, are learning and participating and have a positive sense of identity and culture.’ ARACY The Nest vision.

HEAD BOY AND HEAD GIRL REPORT

We have undoubtedly had a great start to Semester 2 with the academic award ceremony, Interact fundraising stalls and numerous other events coming our way.

The academic award ceremony proved just how hardworking the students at our school are and gave many of our talented students recognition for their successes during Semester 1. Nonetheless, everyone should be proud of their efforts throughout Semester 1 and should keep striving to do their best during this semester. Most importantly we’d like to reiterate the importance of being kind to yourself. In the midst of all the homework, assignments and tests, we remind everyone to ensure they’re making time for the little things they enjoy, whether it is playing a sport, baking, gaming or reading.

In weeks 2 and 4 Interact held a Hot Chocolate Stall to raise funds for the Charity One Girl. One Girl is a not-for-profit organisation which raises funds to educate girls in Sierra Leone and Uganda with the aim to reduce child marriages and poverty. Many of our Interact members have been coming to school at 7am to prepare the variety of hot chocolate flavours, ranging from cinnamon to salted caramel which proved to be very popular, particularly, on rainy mornings. We’d like to congratulate all Interact members for all of their efforts and the success of this fundraising event. On August 20, our very own Head Boy, Nikita, will be shaving his locks to raise funds for The World’s Greatest Shave. This event will be raising funds for the Leukaemia Foundation to give Leukaemia patients the emotional and practical support they need.

The Year 11 councillors are currently planning the second student parliament under the guidance of the Year 12 councillors. The forum will be held towards the end of Term 3. We are looking forward to seeing the Year 11 councillors take over some of the current school projects and hopefully plan a few new ones.

We wish everyone good luck for the rest of Term 3!

Josephine Santoso and Nikita Tcherkashnev

GENERAL

CONGRATULATIONS

SEMESTER 1 – AWARD WINNERS

YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10

YEAR 11

THE ARTS

ENGLISH

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES

LANGUAGES & EAL/D

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGIES

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING

6 A GRADES

YEAR 12

THE ARTS

ENGLISH

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES

LANGUAGES & EAL/D

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGIES

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING

6 A GRADES

CITIZENSHIP AWARD WINNER - GEORGIA BARRY

This award is given to a student who works to help others and is interested in helping society to improve. The award is known as the Citizenship Award and is kindly donated by Julie Grbvac.

Georgia Barry, Year 12, has been an important member of the student Wellbeing Committee, which was formed last year to develop initiatives to raise awareness around the school for students’ mental health. She also has attended the Zero to Hero camp, as well as, the Halogen Leaders conference, which assists students to become young leaders in raising awareness for mental health and other areas amongst the students. Georgia has also been involved in Relay for Life for many years with her family and friends raising money for such an important annual event on the calendar.

Georgia has also assisted with Drama Club for many years helping teachers in developing warmups and skills, volunteering and giving up many hours of her time. Students have loved her energy and enthusiasm. She is a well-deserved winner of the Citizenship Award.

Stefan Brand Year 12 Co-ordinator

Georgia Barry and Julie Grbvac

BIBBULMUN TRACK

During the July holidays, 13 Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh participants took on the Bibbulmun Track. We hiked almost 80km with full-sized backpacks over the course of the five days. We had to wake up before the sun came up each morning to cook our breakfast and pack our tents and sleeping gear. We used trangias to cook both our breakfast and dinners. Even though it was freezing at night, during the day, fortunately the weather was great. While hiking, we would walk and talk to pass time, distract us from our blisters and get to know one another. We learnt how to read maps and use compasses to find our way to each campsite. Our leader from the Bibbulmun Track Foundation, Trish, taught us about the history and flora and fauna of the Bibbulmun Track and important conservation tips to help prevent dieback and the spread of other diseases. We climbed Mount Cooke, Mt Vincent and Mt Cuthbert and enjoyed the amazing views from each peak. It was quite unexpected how all 13 of us became close so quickly. We all cooked dinner at the same time and shared our food. By night we told riddles, roasted marshmallows and had night walks. We hit our tents quite early because of our tiredness and the cold nights. A huge thank you to Ms Gauci and Mr McLean for all of the time they spent organising the camp and giving up five days of their holidays to supervise us.

Elaine Wu and Milasi Amarasingha Year 10
Youth Award Leaders and Silver Award Participants

Interact News

The Interact Club has been warming up the chilly mornings with our hot chocolate fundraiser. Thanks to the support students and staff who enjoyed a range of flavours - salted caramel was the favourite - we have been able to raise much-needed funds to support the international charity One Girl. One Girl works in Uganda and Sierra Leone to provide education to girls who otherwise would not have access.

Further exciting fundraising projects will be announced soon.

As always, we welcome any students to join Interact Club. Our aims are to raise funds and awareness for great causes and to provide our members with opportunities to develop individually and to help others. We meet Thursdays at recess in F13.

Choc on a chilly morning: Interact members have been warming up the cold mornings selling hot chocolate to raise money for One Girl, a charity working to provide girls in Uganda with the chance to go to school

ROTARY YOUTH PROGRAM OF ENRICHMENT (RYPEN) SEPTEMBER CAMP 2018

Applications are now open for the RYPEN camp, to be held from September 21-23, 2018 at the Serpentine Camping Centre in Jarrahdale.

The camp is open to students aged between 14 to 17 years of age, and who are:

• Wanting an opportunity to develop and challenge themselves
• Looking to develop their self-esteem and confidence
• Interested in developing skills including leadership, teamwork, communication, goal setting and problem solving
• Wanting to build a network of young people and to make new friends
• Excited for a weekend of fun

Cost of attending the camp is $300, but participants only pay $50 each, thanks to the generous sponsorship of $250 per student offered by the Rotary Club of Willetton.

This is a fantastic opportunity, with past participants full of praise for their experience.

The application form is available from the School Board office or by contacting helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au and must be returned with $50 payment to the School Board office by Friday August 31 for processing. There is a limit of 10 students to be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Willetton, so applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. If making payment by cheque, please make this payable to the Rotary Club of Willetton.

Students who have participated in RYPEN previously may not attend again.

Please note that this is not a school based event, but a program offered by Rotary.

SCHOOL TOURS

Get an insight into Willetton Senior High School with our school tours. Bring your walking shoes and meet some of our dedicated staff and take a first-hand look at our fantastic facilities. Bookings are essential and can now be booked through the school website.

GIFTED AND TALENTED

ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH PRESENTED AT SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY

In June, Darren Hamley presented research findings to the annual conference of the Astronomical Society of Australia at Swinburne University in Victoria. This conference focuses on academic research from universities across Australia and this was one of the first times that a presentation was made by a secondary school teacher.

Darren presented research, carried out by his Year 8 Science students in the Gifted and Talented Program, which focused on the emissions from radio galaxies which do not follow the expected pattern of brightness to frequency ratio. The group was able to access the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) installation in the North West of WA. The MWA is a joint project between an international consortia of organisations to construct and operate low frequency radio array to study deep space. Through a contact at Curtin University, Darren Hamley was able to negotiate access to the installation so that students could conduct their research.

The paper was well received by academics at the conference. It is an amazing achievement for students to be able to conduct research using real data and collate their findings to be presented to such a prestigious group.

We congratulate Darren and his Year 8 Science students.

YOUTH ANZAAS INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FORUM IN MELBOURNE

During the second week of the July school holidays I had the opportunity of attending the Youth ANZAAS International Science Forum in Melbourne. For five nights we stayed at the beautiful campus, Ormond College, at the University of Melbourne. I had so many amazing experiences on this trip, visiting a variety of significant science research establishments, including the Department of Defence Research, RMIT, the Royal Society of Victoria and Monash University. I was also a part of behind-the-scenes tours of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne Museum and the Australian Synchrotron. Participating in all of these fun, yet informative, lectures and tours really gave me clear insight into what a future in a scientific career could look like and inspires me to continue my studies in this field. The future of science is definitely in our generation’s hands! Not only was my knowledge and confidence enhanced by these activities, I also made lifelong friends from all over Australia and New Zealand. I am so grateful to the Willetton science department for presenting me with this opportunity and also Mr Hamley and the Gifted and Talented Program for making it all possible. It was a truly enriching experience that I won’t forget!

Brielle McKinlay Year 11

WHAT A CHALLENGE! WHAT A RESULT! WHAT AMAZEMENT! WONDER AND AWE!

Students of Mrs Fourie’s Year 9 Gifted and Talented classes stepped up to research battles of World War 1. One goal, using researched information, was to create a model of the battlefield and its terrain. Students delivered an oral report about their researched battle, using the model to illustrate their discussion.

The students met the challenge both in terms of depth of research and resulting understandings of strategies and characteristics of fighting on the battlefields of World War 1 from 1914 – 1918 but also skill and ingenuity in the way attention detail was met with various model building methods.

Battles which were modelled include:

• The Third Battle of Ypres
• The Battle of Amiens
• The Battle of the Somme
• Gallipoli
• The Battle of Messines

Mrs Fourie Geography and Earth and Environmental Science / HaSS

WHERE IS THE PLAN FOR THE CATAPULT CONSTRUCTION? IS THERE A 3D PRINTER WE CAN USE TO MAKE IT EASIER?

Robin Hood, King John, the Feudal System and bows and arrows all come to mind when we think of Medieval England. Important at the time was to provide bigger and better defence systems. The catapult was just such an invention.

Our Year 8 Gifted and Talented student used pop sticks, glue, ingenuity, creativity, research, elastic bands and heat guns to create their best catapults. On their journey they learned about problem solving, working together as a team, the depths of catapult construction and the joy of achieving the greatest length of catapult flight.

Jennifer Chow Hass/ Economics Teacher

WILLO HASS EXHIBIT CURATORS

The Year 7 Gifted and Talented classes in Humanities and Social Sciences were given the task of preserving and celebrating Ancient Roman histories and legacies by creating display pieces that might be used in a museum setting.

Armed with their knowledge, resourcefulness and imagination, students collectively created an exhibit celebrating many significant aspects of Ancient Roman society. Exhibits representing architecture, culture, key events and warfare accurately reflected the time.

Anita Joyce HaSS/ History Teacher

HISTORY COMES TO LIFE

What an amazing experience we had at the end of Term 2. Our Year 10 Gifted and Talented students engaged in a History Mysteries assignment that did its best to mimic university-style assessments that included a 90 second sales pitch, the use of ethical referencing and EndNote, annotated bibliographies, student peer reviews and digital presentations submitted online.

Events and personalities in history can be a mystery. Here are the mysteries researched by the Year 10 students:

• Ashwin Vijay presented Ghandi with skilled cinematography and engaging camera angles.
• Dorothy Jong explored the role of Watergate in history with a creative Powtoon presentation.

• Louis Kuppers discussed the U2 aircraft before being rudely interrupted by a loud dog.
• Imogen Bloxham examined Eleanor of Aquitaine and women's role in the man's world of politics.
• Jordan Sheng investigated the assassination of Julius Caesar with an expressive avatar of himself.
• Jasmine Woods expertly presented the confronting and controversial Pinjarra battle/massacre.
• Kai Wen Yeo skilfully researched Laozi and his contribution to religion and philosophy.
• Dimitrije Komnenovic captivatingly presented Boudica's rebellion with the visual aid of a mesmerising orange spiral.
• Nathan Prosser made an interesting connection between Confucius in ancient China and global trade in the modern day.
• Leah St Clair questioned the morality of Winston Churchill allowing Coventry to burn.
• Laila Al-Absawi utilised surprising, jump cuts to interesting, unusual positions when discussing Tsar Nicholas II.
• Kate Graham explored the historical inaccuracy of Shakespeare's Richard III while sporting a stylish, suit jacket.

Guests to our class were:

• Dr Paola Chivers who taught staff and students alike to use EndNote and to share libraries. This skill alone is a significant preparation for university and often a great source of angst for first year students and
• Jan Bishop (Ex Chief Examiner for Modern History and the creator of History Mysteries) was able to join us to celebrate the top, mystery exposé. Her insight and support of our curriculum was both generous and valued.
• Mr Hamley, who joined us for one of our EndNote sessions, proving that being a teacher means that you are a perpetual student.

To report and share our discoveries of these mysteries:

• A Citizen Reporters’ page was opened in the discussions pages of Connect where significant contributions were made by Nathan Prosser, Kate Graham and Amy Mercer – along with Ella Angus who was interviewed about her project, and
• A discussion page was opened where students sought help with IT issues, including navigating EndNote and file formats for presentations. Jonathon Chivers was the most significant support for both classes and Justin Moro contributed also.

Congratulations to Lisa Nguyen and Kate Graham for creating the most amazing sales pitches about their mystery research.

Ms Bettermann History/HaSS Teacher

The 10 SEG_2 class winners with Ms Bishop

Good job all

THE ARTS

MUSIC NEWS

UPCOMING DATES

Semester 2 is a busy time for the Music Program, with plenty of performance opportunities and important dates to remember.

Letters will be sent home to students of Junior Band and Junior Strings with further details of the upcoming festivals. Permission will be through Consent2Go.

DRAMA

Looking for a night of side-splitting laughs and kooky characters? Look no further than the Year 11 Drama ATAR production of Cosi by Louis Norwa. With the help of Year 12 Drama ATAR and Year 10 students, Year 11 Drama ATAR is bringing the famous play to life. Cosi is a thrilling play which follows the journey of a fresh-out-of-university drama student and first-time director, Lewis, and his struggle to direct a play inside a mental institution. With assistance from the patients and crew, they produce a show with a bedlam of chaos as they prepare and rehearse. Cosi is filled with humorous one liners, coarse language and absolute mayhem. Cosi is being performed on Friday August 24, with tickets costing $10. Tickets are available through the link below.

Jess Banks Year 11

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

INTERSCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

On Wednesday, July 25, two junior teams set off to Warwick Stadium to compete in the 2018 Junior Champion Schools Volleyball Competition. Both teams were graded in the Black 'B' Division and both played four other schools. Coached by practising student teacher, Miss Renae Hudson, the boys team, were undefeated in their matches. Thus they were named the overall winner of their division. The girls team lost two very close matches to take out fourth position in their division. A huge thanks to Mr Paul Tucek for his valuable coaching assistance. All students did themselves and our school proud with their exemplary behaviour and sportsmanship.

Diane Tuxford Health and Physical Education Teacher

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

HUMANITIES TOUR SYDNEY AND CANBERRA 2018

The Willetton Senior High School, annual Humanities Tour commenced on June 27, 2018, with 20 students and three teachers flying out to the Eastern states of Australia. Our first stop was none other than Australia’s oldest and most-populated city, Sydney. Many of us experienced for the first time the beautiful attractions of this place, including visiting the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Jewish Museum. After an intriguing, day trip came to an end, we were off to the nation’s capital, Canberra, which we explored for five amazing days. Not only did we venture to the city’s famous attractions, such as Parliament House, High Court, and an array of national museums, we were exposed to the unique history embedded in Australia’s diverse culture. We stayed in comfortable accommodation and enjoyed the company of our teachers throughout the tour. Despite the cold weather encountered and unintentional treks to unknown destinations, for many of us this trip highlighted the importance of building trust, friendship and respect towards one another. Sadly, our week’s trip ended as we flew back to Perth. The tour was a memorable experience which helped us as students to grow and bond with many of our other peers and teachers.

Kristina Joseph Year 11

I absolutely loved the Canberra tour. Being able to explore the nation's capital and learn about our nation's history was amazing. Getting to spend time with, and make new, friends was also great, having snowball fights and singing on the bus together were some of my favourite memories of the tour! I'd absolutely recommend this to everyone.

David Barry Year 11

We all created friendships and bonds with people we hadn’t talked to before the trip. We definitely created unforgettable memories.

Tiffany Fung Year 11

They say that experience is the best teacher and to say that I learnt many things during the trip is an understatement. Being able to see and feel the places that serve as pillars for a whole country is as impressive as it sounds. It opens your mind and makes you wonder at just how much people can achieve.

Mutia Daruso Year 11

Having the opportunity to take part in this year's Sydney and Canberra Tour along with the other Year 11 students was such an amazing experience! I think we can all agree to say that we were able to make many friends along the way. I think the highlights for me were truly the cruise in Sydney, as well as the snow day and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The cruise allowed us to see such a beautiful view of the city that you otherwise cannot, and the strong breeze was very refreshing and energising. The day spent in the snow was particularly special because I had never seen snow prior to that day, and we were able to have so much fun making snowmen, having snowball fights, and tobogganing down the snow hills! Also, the trip to the Australian War Memorial was definitely worthwhile because we got to see the many soldiers who had died serving the country, and the history that has been etched into everyone's hearts.

Liane Chua Year 11

WAS ANCIENT ROME GREAT?

Ms Barratt’s Year 7 class were posed this question after an intensive study of various aspects of life in Ancient Rome: its empire, the advantages of its location in the Mediterranean Sea, its trade around the empire, foods eaten — including flamingo and the free bread for the poor provided by the government of the day — banquets and lying down to eat, being waited upon by slaves, wearing togas, hairdressing tips — which included the use of a mixture of oil and earthworm ashes massaged into the hair to stop greying — formal education for boys and NOT girls, the patriarchal nature of the society and limited job choices — if your father was a senator or a glass blower, you would be a senator, or a glass blower.

Students worked together to present strong arguments for the question, with evidence and details. Some presentations were role plays where the plight of slaves was clearly seen. Group members dressed in togas (sheets or table cloths) and also wore wreath headdresses, some of which were made using leaves from the family garden.

Some arguments presented included:

• Togas displayed a person’s wealth and position in society…but togas were heavy and uncomfortable to wear
• Slaves helped the Roman empire to grow …but work for slaves was hard, they were the possessions of their owners, bought at an auction and did not receive any pay
• Food in Ancient Rome contained little fat and sugar and focussed on bread, olives, olive oil and cheese …. but there were limited amounts of meat and fish.

One student, Armani Lowe, dressed in a toga began with these words: Bene mane ad populum Australiae. Iulius Caesar sum which translates into ‘Good morning people of Australia. I am the great Julius Caesar’.

Conclusions varied between Ancient Rome being ‘great’ or 50/50 ‘great’… and history came to life!

Ruth Barratt HaSS Teacher

LANGUAGES

LANGUAGES BIG DAY OUT – TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL

This year is the seventh year in which Willetton SHS has been the Department of Education’s Teacher Development School (TDS) for Languages. As the TDS, Willetton languages staff provide professional learning and advice to teachers of all languages from kindergarten to Year 12 in WA public schools.

The first day of this term was a school development day and nearly 200 languages teachers came to Willetton to participate in professional learning. Willetton staff worked with languages consultants and staff from the SCSA to deliver sessions on the WA Curriculum: Languages and student diversity. It was a very collaborative, productive day.

Hospitality students did a tremendous job of serving tea and coffee throughout the morning, as well as preparing morning tea for the 200 visitors. The guests were very impressed with the standard of service received from our students. Year 12 students in the Certificate II in Creative industries provided technical support such as sound and lighting in the theatre.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this event – it is another example of how we can achieve great things through team work.

Nathan Harvey Head of Languages

Big Day Out

MODERN LANGUAGE TEACHERS OF WA STATE CONFERENCE

Again this year, Willetton language teachers were asked to present seminars at the MLTAWA State Conference. Mrs Nomoto and Mr Harvey worked with former student Denise Chionh to present a session about Club Venn. This is a project, initiated five years ago, where Year 12 and ex-students mentor and support younger students who are learning Japanese. The initiative has gained momentum and grown over the years. As an example of empowering students through language learning, the story of Club Venn was shared at the conference, in the hope that other schools might consider similar initiatives of their own.

Haruko Nomoto

Reflections from past student, Denise Chionh:

I'm so happy to hear that our presentation went better than anticipated and all the positive comments that we received after the presentation on Friday and Saturday really touched Melissa, Claudia and me. It was absolutely lovely seeing how supportive everyone was about Club Venn and I think it just wants to make us work even harder to improve what we're doing.

We've been doing this out of our passion in Japanese and helping younger students, but I think after presenting in front of so many teachers, it has really shown us the difference that Club Venn has made in school. Melissa and I were surprised but so thrilled when one of the panel members mentioned us.

However, we know that your support as our teachers and now, as people who we work with to provide this experience to younger students, is something that has helped us push and challenge our limits. Your guidance and emotional support have been invaluable in making all of this happen and I'm so glad that more teachers now know about Club Venn. I would really like to thank all the language staff and express this appreciation on behalf of the Club Venn members for this opportunity you've given us to share our work.

YEAR 9 GYOZA MAKING

In Japanese classes we do a practical, cultural activity at the end of each term. At the end of Term 2 the Year 9s had been learning about money, restaurants and shops and how to talk about food and drink preferences. To apply some of this new language, we learnt about the culture of gyoza (Japanese dumplings).

While gyoza have been eaten in Japan for centuries, they became truly popular following World War II, when Japanese soldiers returned home from Manchuria and brought back with them an appetite for crispy Chinese dumplings and plenty of tasty recipes. Although the appearance of gyoza and cooking methods are similar to Chinese dumplings, the flavours have changed over time to suit the Japanese style.

Year 9 Gyoza making

BON GIOURNO

Hi everyone!

My name is Laryssa, and I'm your Italian Assistant Teacher for this Term 3.

I'm currently studying Languages, Civilization and the Science of Languages at 'Ca Foscari, the University of Venice. I am from Rio de Janeiro, originally, but Venice is my place to be! I LOVE ITALY! And I hope to be able to teach all of you how to love it, too, sharing all of my experiences.

I am very happy to be here in this amazing school! Willetton is being so inspiring to me, and I hope that our time together will be useful and enriching for all of us.

Laryssa Bonazza Italian Assistente

VISITING PRACTISING TEACHER

I’m Alice, a prac student teacher from Murdoch University currently studying the Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education, and I have previously completed my undergraduate degree in Politics and Japanese. Over the past few weeks, I have been teaching the Year 7s and two Year 9 classes in French. It has been wonderful teaching here and seeing the enthusiasm of the languages department, the teachers, and of course the students. It’s amazing to see how Willetton SHS celebrates languages and the multitude of opportunities learning a second language can bring. With the Year 7s learning about school subjects, the Year 9s looking at Fashion, and the Year 11s diligently working on Technology and Travel, the French program here at Willetton is certainly varied and diverse.

Overall, I look forward to the term ahead and have greatly enjoyed my time here so far. Merci beaucoup.

Alice Champelle Murdoch University

FEEDBACK FROM YEAR 10 STUDENTS ABOUT CERTIFICATE II IN APPLIED LANGUAGE (KOREAN)

The class is very comprehensive and taught well. However, due to its shortened time, the course is very fast paced and occasionally skips over points which would further bolster our knowledge and our curiosity. On the topic of curiosity, our Korean class as a whole agrees that an exchange program would be the epitome of our Korean learning experience.

Imogen Bloxham Year 10

I like the way it is structured, with Korean culture, workplace communication, and communication in social events. There is a lot of content and it is very good. The social interactions unit was very helpful for daily conversation in Korean.

Someshwaar Ganesh Year 10

Overall, the course was a very valuable and fun experience. Due to the fact that we had a small class, every session was informative and engaging. In order to improve the overall course, an exchange program would be excellent. As our class grows closer together, I think an exchange program would give us a once-in-a- life-time experience we would never forget.

Erdyna Razif Year 10

KOREAN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES: MAKING SPICY KOREAN RICE CAKE!

(TTEOKBOKKI : 떡볶이)

During the last week in Term2, our class members cooked tteokbokki. It took time to learn the recipe but everything was able to be cooked easily. Overall, we enjoyed the experience as our class was able to eat the delicious food at the end.

Jessy Tan and Juan Wen Year 10

On the last day of Korean class, our teacher prepared a traditional food for us to cook, tteokbokki, spicy rice cake. It was fun and interesting for everyone who enjoyed the Korean culture and especially for some of us who never tried tteokbokki before. It was a good lesson because we got to cook it for ourselves and read Korean instructions, which furthered our ability to speak and read in Korean.

Chloe Yong Year 10

On the last day of our Korean class in Term, our class, along with a few other teachers cooked up one of the most delicious and famous street foods in Korean: spicy rice cakes (떡볶이).

It was an invaluable experience for a variety of cultures to enjoy together, as people from Korea, Australia, France and Japan, all came together to enjoy the food whilst making long-lasting memories.

Erdyna Razif Year 10

Year 10s making spicy Korean Rice Cakes

YEAR 12 ITALIAN EXCURSION

As part of the Year 12 course, our Italian class enjoyed a day out in Northbridge. We gained a greater appreciation and understanding of the influence of Italian culture, on not just Northbridge, but our day-to-day lives. We were able to apply the wealth of knowledge we attained from this practical experience to our Unit Three topic: Grazie Italia!

We took a train and a bus to our first stop at the Italo-Australia Welfare Centre, where we learnt about the history of Italian immigrants in Western Australia – particularly their impact on Northbridge. The ladies, who spoke to us, at the Welfare Centre, informed us about the aid that their organisation gives to Italians, in need, in our community.

Next, we decided to have lunch and there was no better place to have it than the Re Store. This store specialised in all things Italian, which ranged from food to furniture and appliances. The store gave us an insight into the sense of community that Italian culture is famous for. It was nice to hear locals chatting away with each other whilst having a bite to eat. After lunch, we checked out the back of the store, where we got a look at the famous Italian brands that many people associate with the successful label ‘Made in Italy’.

Our next stop was to the Art Gallery where we embraced the Italian culture through the artwork. There was a special exhibition on – the Corsini Italian Art Exhibition. Here, we discovered the history of the artwork and our Italian skills were challenged as we listened to our tour guide – who spoke solely in Italian.

We finished the day off at ChiCho where we came together to discuss our favourite parts of the excursion while enjoying some gelato. We all learnt something new and interesting on how Italians have contributed to our society witnessing first-hand their influences and met some new Italian friends along the way. It was a great way to embrace the Italian culture, whilst having heaps of fun!

Nishi Vashant Year 12

WAATI/INTERCULTURA ITALIAN EXCHANGE 2018

This year has been fantastic for the Italian Exchange Program at Willetton. Six lucky Italians — Cristina Baldo, Sara Martino Cinnera, Matilde PanzerI, Rosalba Forenza, Alessandra Di Giacomo and Pietro Micelli, all from various parts of Italy — experienced an amazing two months in Western Australia and at Willetton SHS. Sadly, they’ll be leaving us soon to go back to Italy to commence the new school year. Below is a collective reflection of their time here…

Since our experience is about to finish and our suitcases are filling up with a lot Tim Tams, it’s time to look back on our time here and thank all the people who have helped us. We all have had a great time, in spite of the misunderstandings, the bad moments and the difficulties. We would have never imagined this experience to take such a different turn from what we expected. To be in another country, speaking another language, with another culture for two months has been hard, but thanks to the welcoming environment we have found here, we easily integrated at school and at home. In particular, we would like to thank the teachers who have involved us in every class, the warm-hearted staff and our host families.

Pietro Micelli Exchange student

Italian exchange students; Rosalba, Matilde, Sara, Cristina, Pietro and Alessandra

WA/LA RÉUNION STUDENT EXCHANGE

On June 24, I left Australia with about 30 other students from around WA and flew via Mauritius to Réunion Island where we met our host families. We stayed in Réunion until July 22 and in that time we got to see and do some amazing things. Some activities I did with my family included visiting a turtle rehabilitation center called Kélonia, going whale watching, hiking to the volcano and waterfalls and going paragliding. The trip was a great opportunity to experience a different and unique culture, meet new people and improve my French.

Leilah Warlik Year 10

Pictures of Réunion Island from above

EALD YEAR 12 INCURSION DAY

It is a privilege to be in Willetton Senior High School as they offer such a wonderful EALD program. With motivating teachers and a positive environment, it has been really easy to be driven and studious in EALD studies.

The classes don’t just consist of essay writing or oral presentations, but also offer more relaxing days such as the all-day incursion on the June 25, 2018. The small number of classmates at the incursion allowed everyone to have the opportunity of getting to know one another, and even about the Australian society.

In Term 2, the Year 12 EALD ATAR students expanded their horizons about Indigenous issues, especially the Stolen Generations. In order to grasp a better understanding, the teachers organised for us to watch Rabbit Proof Fence and Babakiueria.

In addition to gaining a better perspective of the issue, the marvelous teachers also arranged for past students to give beneficial life and study tips to excel end of the year’s exam. Lunch was provided and during the break, students were able to consolidate their feelings from the impactful films and have the chance to ask questions from the ex-students.

To finish off the day, the students did a close-study on comedic Australian stereotypes and to complement the experience, the students even tried lamingtons, Tim Tams and the classic Vegemite for the very first time. There was, without a doubt, good laughter throughout the day and students’ language barrier struggles seemed to be lifted.

On behalf of all the EALD students, we really appreciate all the teachers and staff who made sacrifices of their time and effort to arrange an exciting day away from the stresses of school life and to ensure that the Year 12 cohort achieve to the best of their abilities.

Lycia Liew Year 12

WA GOVERNMENT LANGUAGES WEEK

August 6 to 12 is the WA Government Languages Week, supported by the Office of Multicultural Interests, and is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of language and highlight the linguistic diversity in our community.

Our world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Language learning is an essential skill for life in the twenty-first century.

Language learning helps us to broaden personal, social, cultural and employment opportunities.

More than 240 languages and dialects are spoken in Western Australia today and Languages Week provides an opportunity to explore and celebrate language learning.

Languages Week also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the vital role of interpreters and translators in ensuring that government services are accessible to all members of the community.

Fast facts about language in WA

• More than ten per cent of children in Western Australia speak a language other than English at home (CCYP Report, 2016).
• Research into bilingualism has shown that bilingual individuals tend to be creative and flexible thinkers, and innovative in finding solutions when problem solving (Baker, 1988) have greater communicative sensitivity (Ben-Zeev, 1977) and are more sensitive to the needs of listeners (Genesee, Tucker & Lambert, 1975).
• Fluency and literacy in the mother tongue lay a cognitive and linguistic foundation for learning additional languages (UNESCO, 2011) so we need to allow children to keep learning their mother tongue and give them the opportunity to be schooled in their mother tongue.
• Arabic, Auslan, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Noongar, and Spanish are currently offered as second language courses in Western Australian schools from K-10.
• French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and English as an additional language programs are offered at Willetton SHS.
• Students in Year 11 and 12 have scope to study more languages as background speakers, such as Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Wajarri, as a non-school candidate.
• The Western Australian Curriculum and the Australian Curriculum state Despite its status as a world language, a capability in English only is no longer sufficient. A bilingual or plurilingual capability is the norm in most parts of the world.
• More than 250 Indigenous Australian language groups covered the continent at the time of European settlement in 1788. Today only around 120 of those languages are still spoken and many are at risk of being lost as Elders pass away. (AITSIS, https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/indigenous-australian-languages).
• Language learning and proficiency is valued by higher education institutions. For example most universities in Australia offer a ten per cent entry points bonus to students who graduate with a language in Year 12. In WA, four out of five universities offer this incentive.

Reference: https://www.omi.wa.gov.au/Languages/Pages/Languages-Week.aspx

MATHS

OUTSTANDING MATHEMATICS AWARD FOR A YEAR 9 STUDENT

Allison Ng, a Year 9 student in the Gifted and Talented program, has been studying the Year 11 Mathematics Methods course since the beginning of the year. She has recently been awarded the top student in the Year 11 Mathematics Methods course for Semester One at the Year 9 award assembly. This is an outstanding achievement.

Allison Ng with the Principal Chris Booth

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT COMPETITIONS

There has been a lot of excitement around the Maths classrooms this past week, as we prepared for the annual Australian Mathematics Competition, otherwise known as the AMC.

We had a record number of students participating in this year’s competition, with a total of 410 students from Years 7 through to Year 12. It all happened on Thursday August 9, and we expect to get the results by the beginning of Term 4. Each student participating will get a certificate and a summary of their performance.

Year 9 students in the AMC

Year 10 students in the AMC

The International Competition Assessment for Schools, known as the ICAS competition is another annual competition on the Maths’ agenda this term. Again, we have reached a record in the ICAS competition with a total of 457 students preparing for the big day, Tuesday, August 14.

If you’d like to participate in either competition next year and put your expert problem-solving skills to the test, watch out for the deadline for registrations which will come around again in May 2019.

MATHEMATICS EXTRA SUPPORT CLASSES

The Mathematics department is doing whatever is possible to support our students in achieving the best they can do. Not only do we hold OLNA support classes after school, we also run an early intervention program two afternoons a week to support our Year 7 students.

Year 7s learning more about fractions with Mr Lee

STELLA – THERAPY DOG

I organised for Stella, a therapy dog to visit our Year 7 Maths’ class, and while the class were enjoying working through some geometry revision for the test coming up the next week, the visit from Stella seemed to have a very positive effect on the class’ mood. The students seemed to be happier and they all quite enjoyed having the option to come up and meet, and pat, Stella. The students seemed to be happier having the dog visit the class, and the students were working well for the rest of the lesson. Overall, a welcome visitor to class!

Mr Riemer Maths Department

SCIENCE

2018 UNSW-INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS FOR SCHOOLS (ICAS) - SCIENCE

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (UNSW-ICAS) Science Competition is an initiative of Educational Assessment Australia, a not-for-profit organisation owned by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Over 980,000 students from over 6,300 schools in Australia and New Zealand participate in this competition annually. In addition, students from over 20 countries including Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the USA participate in ICAS each year.

The Science ICAS competition assesses students’ skills in the key scientific areas of:

• Interpreting data, including observing, measuring and interpreting diagrams, tables and graphs
• Applying data, including inferring, predicting and concluding
• Higher order skills, including investigating, reasoning and problem solving.

Nearly 300 Willetton Senior High School students participated in the 2018 competition and a large number of students achieved outstanding results including seven High Distinction Awards (top one per cent of all participants) and 30 Distinction Awards (top ten per cent). In addition, there were 27 merits (top 20 per cent) and 87 credits (top 30 per cent) awarded to our students.

Congratulations to the following students for their outstanding achievement.

Hao Ta Science Teacher

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK

There will be a range of events and demonstrations happening around the Science building (J block) during recess and lunch time August 11 - 19. Students will be able to take part or observe these events.

YEAR 11 BIOLOGY NEARER TO NATURE EXCURSION TO THE PERTH HILLS DISCOVERY CENTRE

On a cold, wet and wintry day at the end of July, the Year 11 Biology classes went to the Perth Hills Discovery Centre in Mundaring. The centre provides students with an opportunity to develop their field-work skills in analysing the natural vegetation found in the Perth hills by using quadrats, identifying local flora and looking for signs of the animals that are found in the hills. Amy, an educator about reptiles from Amy Wild Adventures, gave students a rare opportunity to see pythons, barking geckoes and a dragon.

Gloria Wynhorst Biology Teacher

TECHNOLOGIES

ROBOTICS

For 18 months a very focused group of students — Arjun Gravener, Saksham Kalia, Navdeep Kamboj, Lohitaditya Konwar, Simrat Sandhu, Angus Spencer and Jack Wright — have been working on two team entries for the Annual Junior RoboCup Competition held at Curtin Stadium. Several times a week after school, these students come to the computing room H201 to design their own robot and to program it to enter the rescue part of the Robocup Competition. This was a great opportunity for students to learn team building and problem-solving skills. Prior to the main competition at Curtin Stadium, both teams entered a one-day preparation competition at All Saints College. After this event, due to problems with their light sensor, one team decided not to enter the state competition at Curtin Stadium. Jack Wright and Angus Spencer did enter their robot on Friday, August 3 and Saturday, August 4. They got through the semi-finals on the Friday and entered the finals on Saturday. There were four rounds in the competition on Saturday and Jack and Angus' robot made it through the first three rounds of the rescue event. It was great to observe them working under pressure and solving technical problems after each round. I hope all these students continue to develop their robot skills and enter the competition again in 2019. I will be looking for new students to begin training next term for the 2019 competition.

Mr Chris Carmody Mentor Teacher for Robotics

Angus Spencer and Jack Wright at the Annual Junior RoboCup Competition

Students from robotics class at Curtin Stadium

THE YEAR 12 PHOTOGRAPHY

The Year 12 Photography class went on an adventure to Guild Hall for a lesson in Fashion Photography. Accompanied by the famous Chadwick’s model Crystal Ngo, students planned various shots and poses around the heritage building’s event space. Check out these awesome pics from the Year 12 students.

Jayson Bignoux Photography Teacher

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

WELCOME BACK TO WILLETTON SHS FOR JEREMY CHETTY

Year 12 CAE ATAR students were privileged to listen to Jeremy Chetty, 1997 graduating student of Willetton Senior High School, speak about his journey from 1997 to 2018 which has led him through the many challenges, successes and obstacles that are LIFE!

In class, the students had been asked to market themselves to an employer with a view to securing an interview to explore possible future work options. Mr Chetty was kind enough to agree to view the self-marketing packages of four students and selected Helen Ye as most likely to secure an interview. Other successful students were Sidesh Ravindram, Anne Hughes and George Skyrme.

Messages and memories shared in our time with Mr Chetty included:

Being enterprising at WSHS, establishing a successful lunch pick up business for students on the campus

Being enterprising, establishing a business providing CDs purchased in the city for friends

PASSION and VISION and PURPOSE drive a person’s career and work satisfaction

And Student Edge, Mr Chetty’s business:

• Currently it is the largest member-based organisation of high school, TAFE, VET and university students in Australia.
• It was started in 2003 by four students from Willetton Senior High School: Craig Chetty, Damien Langley, Simon Loader, Jeremy Chetty who recognised the gap between the school curriculum and essential life skills not taught in classrooms
• The PASSION, VISION and PURPOSE of Student Edge focussed on helping students stretch their allowances further in the face of rising costs of living.
• The company aims
  1. To help students save money and better manage their finances.
  2. To help students find jobs.
  3. To help students make well-informed career and life choices.
• Where you started and where you finished could be two different places. Mr Chetty followed a pathway from TAFE to Murdoch University to complete a Bachelor of Commerce. The journey had been one of self-discovery and a growing self-awareness to push and to then move forward with humble, but growing confidence; perhaps to fail, but a willingness to learn and to move forward again.
• Working HARD was needed with study and work, then business/ study and work over a four year period to finally see the realisation of a dream with a successful Student Edge.
• Support from parents, mentors and business owners prepared to go with Mr Chetty were the wings beneath his feet which were finding their way in the business world. One such support was Mr Greg Battle of McDonalds.
• In a working life, Mr Chetty had taken risks, been courageous and bold but relied on being RESILIENT with the support of people in his life. No man was an island, he said. For Mr Chetty in life and in work, it is about valuing people.
• For Mr Chetty it was a case of not giving up, of seeking a way forward and having a hunger to make a contribution to society in some way that linked with a personal passion in work…or volunteering.

Student Edge had moved from a Western Australian platform to a national platform and was now looking at developing a global platform. The sky was the limit, he said.

Many thanks to Mr Chetty for his time and open, honest sharing of a life lived so far, and the humility which inspired our current Year 12 CAE ATAR class, as they begin their transitions from Willetton SHS.

Ruth Barratt Career and Enterprise Teacher

Jeremy Chetty with VET students

AT WORK AGAIN…

Students Arthur Prasteya and Sohail Kharrazi tested the waters with work experience at Gilbert’s Fresh Market and Adventist Residential Care.

It is always a challenge for students who opt to explore career options or develop employability skills during a holiday break. However, for Arthur the focus was upon work ethic and getting the job done to standards. Gilbert’s Fresh Market is a busy workplace where the pressure is on to prepare fruit and vegetables for sale and display, as quickly as possible, for customers. Supervisors, Michael Correia and Manager Ken Nguyen were impressed with Arthur’s happy disposition and willingness to learn and work, his capacity to fit in with a new team of people, ask questions when he was unsure and learn what was needed to do his job. This reflected the positive work culture evident with the team at Gilbert’s – always smiling and willing to help work experience students, customers and work experience supervising teachers in any way. A win, win, win.

Helpful Gilbert’s staff with Arthur (centre)

Working at Adventist Residential Care was a different challenge for Sohail which he ably met. He appreciated the team of people in many different roles with whom he worked to assist, empower and help residents. During his week, Sohail shadowed a doctor on her rounds. From this experience he learned the importance of empathy and the need for active and careful listening with complete attention; and the relationship that can develop between patient and doctor. Confirmed now in his direction for a career in medicine, Sohail made many friends in his short stay; Estelle, commented as we walked past that she hoped he would come back to see her. Caring relationships established. Another win, win.

Ruth Barratt Work Experience Placement

Adventist Resident Care staff member with Sohail

YEAR 7

Year 7 students celebrated the end of their first semester of high school with a Neon themed disco in our theatre. Over half of the cohort turned up and had a marvellous night. Thanks to everyone for their sense of fun and great behaviour on the night. Congratulations to the Social Committee who helped to create a memorable event and thanks to the teachers who gave up their night to help supervise. Our next event is World’s Greatest Shave. A fund-raising committee has been preparing for our shave date, August 20, when ten brave students will sacrifice their hair in the name of raising money to support blood cancer research and the Leukaemia Foundation. Our goal is to raise $5000.

Congratulations to our new Year 7 Council who received their badges at assembly in the first week of Term 3. Also, to our numerous state and national sport stars who have been off competing in their respective sports and endeavours including ballet, basketball, Australian Rules Football, soccer, synchronised swimming and singing. We are very proud of the achievements of these individuals and have enjoyed acknowledging their success at assembly.

Semester One Awards Ceremony was held recently with around 60 students receiving a certificate for 7 – 10 A grades. In addition, another 100 plus students achieved either four, five or six As. I am in awe of these excellent results! Grades aside, it has also been pleasing to see the majority of Year 7 students achieving a positive first high school report and look forward to seeing how all students can improve on this in Semester 2.

Judy Gauci Year 7 Coordinator

Year 7 Social Committee

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

A list of board meetings for this year can be found on the school website, under the School Board information. All are welcome to attend.

SCHOOL BOARD LEVY PRIZE WINNERS

A competition was held last term for parents who paid the full School Board levy for 2018.

Winners announced in Board Chair’s report. The School Board levy that you pay goes towards funding many projects around the school to enhance our students’ educational learning.

SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS (SOS) PROGRAM

We have registered with Gilbert’s Fresh Market, Southlands, to be part of the Support Our Schools Program. Please sign up with them and for every purchase you make in store, 1 per cent of your money spent will be donated to the school. It does not cost to sign up and it’s a great way for you to support the school.

ENTERTAINMENT MEMBERSHIP FUNDRAISER

The 2018/2019 Entertainment memberships are still available to purchase through the School Board.

For enquiries, please contact Helen Wong on helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or make a purchase via the link below. A limited number of books are left and available for collection immediately (during school term). Digital memberships can be activated for use immediately following purchase.

Profits raised from the sale of these books will go to sponsoring 50 students to attend the Halogen Australia Young Leaders Day - a Student Leadership Development Program initiated by the Board. Your support will be much appreciated.

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SHOP

The second hand uniform shop is serviced by a dedicated team of vibrant and friendly parent volunteers. We will gratefully receive your donation of WSHS uniforms that your child has outgrown, with the sale from all garments being channelled back to funding projects around the school. We are currently low on stocks of the sports jackets, dresses and sports shorts. If you have these to donate, please drop them off at the front office (Monday to Friday) or at the second hand uniform shop on Wednesday mornings. Thank you.

HOW TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE

To find out more about the School Board or how you might get involved, please contact the School Board office on email helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au

WILLO PARENT GROUP

WILLO PARENT GROUP MEETINGS

The Willo Parent Group meets each term, coming together for parent information sessions or meeting socially over morning tea, lunch or dinner. This is a great way to meet with members of the school community and find out what is happening around the school. Suggestions for meetings are always welcome. For details of Willo Parent Group events, please contact helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au

UNDERSTANDING YOUR TEENAGER

In spite of the heavy rains, we had a great turnout of parents at this presentation by school psychologist Luke Spagnolo. Luke gave parents an insightful look into the world of teenagers and helped us see how best to support them. The Family Expectations schedule was a useful tool that many families will be able to use to improve relationships and clarify expectations of one another. A set of handouts were provided to all participants. If you would like an electronic copy of the handouts, please email helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au to request them. Luke will be returning in Term 4 to impart more insightful gems. Stay tuned for further details.

Some feedback responses:

• Very informative and relaxed setting.
• Brilliant presentation.
• Loved listening to Luke!
• Great topic. Great knowledge gained. Great presenter and presentation.
• Thank you. Excellent session
• Very motivating! Excellent presentation.

MORE WORKSHOPS

There are several external workshops that parents may find useful to attend. These are provided by Centrecare and details can be found at via the link below.