19 September 2018

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Nola Regan

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Although, we have not yet received specific detail of our NAPLAN results, we were contacted by The Australian newspaper to feature our achievement in NAPLAN mathematics. The article is incorporated further in this newsletter. A detailed report of our results will be in our next newsletter when it comes to hand. We are pleased that all learning areas differentiate their curriculum so that all students at all levels of achievement can do their best.

Our Year 12s have virtually completed their time with us. The mock examinations begin in the second week of the upcoming holidays and then they return for a limited period of next term. They are an amazing group of young people who have contributed to all aspects of school life and we wish them all the best for their future. Thanks to Stefan Brand who has been their year coordinator throughout their time here, his contribution is much valued.

Congratulations to English teacher Sandra Frew who has been appointed as Year 7 coordinator commencing in 2019. Sandra will remain with the group for their six years with us.

Our Physical Education staff have had an extra busy few weeks with Athletics Carnivals. The weather was not always kind but as we have come to expect the carnivals went smoothly and efficiently. Results are shown in their learning area report. Well done to all students and staff involved.

As the end of the year approaches competitions and showcases demonstrate the ability of our students across many areas of achievement. It is a privilege to be part of a community which values positive learning outcomes.

One of the areas of which we are proud is the sense of responsibility and generosity of our students in supporting those in our wider community. This was surely evidenced by our contribution to The World’s Greatest Shave. We raised over $10,000 for blood cancer family support and research.

Chris Booth

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

Well this newsletter marks the end of Term 3 – where did the year go?

As usual Willo students have continued to aspire and succeed across a range of learning areas. The Arts learning area in particular have been very active with our Senior and Junior ensemble bands celebrating success at The Band and Orchestra festival. Also this month saw strong drama and music performances, with these events aptly supported by delicious catering from the home economics staff and students. Science Week was celebrated by Gifted and Talented and Extension students show-casing their research projects to their families. The evening was a wonderful success with a buzz of excitement and science communication. Thank you to our Board member Prof Tele Tan who judged the projects on the evening.

Our HaSS students have excelled in the Australian Geography Competition to be the best performing cohort in Willo history overall, but we also had three Year 10s coming equal first and a Year 8 student achieving the top mark in Australia. Students in maths continue to shine in the latest Australia -wide results. As parents we must remember that all these opportunities are made available to students by dedicated and hard-working teachers and the Board acknowledge their essential role in enabling and support our students to excel. However it is not these individual successes (and there are many, many more) that are of the most significance, but rather the way the Willo community embrace and celebrate the success of others and learn and grow together.

This Willo culture is demonstrated by our communal generosity, like the support for this year’s World’s Greatest Shave, coordinated by Judy Gauci. The Willo community raised over $10,000 with funds going towards accommodation for patients and families suffering from blood cancer.

The Board continues to work with the school to ensure the best learning opportunities and school culture are supported. The ever changing world of technology means that we need to ensure we adapt our school systems and provide students the necessary skills and tools to become well-adjusted citizens of the future. Wherever possible we try to engage with the Student Council to help inform and direct our decisions. We welcome parent feedback and trust that parents use the School Survey as an opportunity to formally provide this feedback.

On behalf of the Board I would like to wish all our Year 12s all the best as they come to the end of their school learning journey. Our General and Certificate students are busy finalising their assessments, while our university bound aspirants must finalise their TISC choices. While most of the school’s students will enjoy a well-earned break from studies, many of our Year 12s and their teachers will be involved in examinations and we wish them every success. Remember we should all put aside some time to relax to rejuvenate.

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.

CONGRATULATIONS

TIM WINTON AWARD FOR YOUNG WRITERS

Year 10 student Kate Graham scooped the pool at the recent awards winning first place in the upper secondary category as well as equal overall winner. Well done Kate, we are proud of your achievement.

Kate Graham with Tim Winton

Kate’s storey The Colour Red can be viewed below.

Erin Strle Year 12 also received a highly commended for her story.

WESTERN FORCE SCHOOLGIRLS RUGBY

Merci Tuiavi’i Year 11 was selected for the Western Force Schoolgirls squad for the Inaugural Schoolgirls’ Invitational Rugby Tournament held Australian Institute of Sport with 8 teams across the country ACT City, ACT Provincial, Sydney West, NSW Country, Melbourne Rebels, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Force all competing to be crowned the best Schoolgirls team in the country.

Western Force won the Final 14-10 against NSW Country. The final was played all the way to the death with the Force scoring a try after the bell.

HIGH SCHOOL eSports LEAGUE – WA WINNERS

Well done to our school eSports (League of Legends) team who became the WA champions by defeating Applecross Senior High School 2-0 in the Grand Final played live at Escape Portal Cannington. Going up against two of the best young players in Australia, our boys showed discipline in overcoming the odds. A hunger for victory saw the unrelenting pressure applied from WilLoL, and Applecross succumbed to the offense in the 30 minute mark. To watch the replay go to:

Willetton then took on the top Victorian High School and won to be the best in Australia. They now go to Sydney on October 20 to take on a New Zealand High School to find out the best Australian/New Zealand High School League of Legends team. Games are live streamed from 10am via the link below.

The team:

The eSports Commissioner

The WilLoL team

PIPE BAND – ARMADALE HIGHLAND GAMES

Our Pipe Band performed at the Armadale Highland Games on Sunday September 9. The band looked resplendent in their uniforms and sounded great, our numerous weeks of practise paying off. The crowd was most appreciative, and the piping community was very happy to see so many young people embracing piping and drumming. Congratulations to everyone involved for a great turn out. You did our school proud.

Ms Gauci Pipe Band Coordinator

Willetton Senior High School Pipe Band

GENERAL

PHIL WALLEY-STACK

A couple of weeks ago at our school, Mr Phil Walley-Stack visited to teach us about Aboriginal culture through song.

The Year 9 cohort was lucky enough to be selected to go and watch him perform; he also performed at lunch time on the same day and wowed both crowds.

Phil sang many songs that he had learnt from his childhood and explained that the Indigenous community learnt how to live and learn through songs from the time of their ancestors. He sang us a song that he learnt as a child about how to hunt kangaroos. This really stood out to me and so many other people as it had a very catchy beat.

Phil had a pretty rough childhood. Ever since he was a child, his dream was to be a singer, but was always told by his family that that was an unrealistic dream and would never happen.

He definitely proved them wrong. Phil has now travelled all over the world, spreading Aboriginal culture through song, from places such as the United States to Germany and many others too.

Phil did an excellent job at teaching us all about Aboriginal culture. His performance was also very enjoyable to watch, which, was a massive positive. He always had something of fun to say and very catchy songs to sing. Thank you so much to Phil for coming to our school and entertaining and teaching us so many things.

Alise Wilton Year 9

Mr Phil Walley-Stack

GIFTED AND TALENTED

YEAR 9 GIFTED AND TALENTED ECOLOGY EXCURSION

On Tuesday August 21, the Year 9 Gifted and Talented students went to Murdoch University to take part in the Ecology Outreach program. After being split into three groups, everyone experienced the Wetland Safari, learnt about feral animals and the damage and devastation they cause to the Australian flora and fauna and how we are working to eradicate the problems. There was a visit to the Vet Museum - aimed at understanding the adaptations that animals have in order to fulfil their roles as either a predator or prey (sometimes both). It was very interactive and we specifically enjoyed the Wetland Safari, as we were able to collect and determine organisms which lived in the lake. Overall, this experience was a really good way to introduce us to the topic of ecology - and expanded our knowledge.

Trinyce Tong and Eillie Shi Year 9

THE ARTS

MUSIC NEWS

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES AT BAND & ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL

Junior Concert Band and Junior String Orchestra, under the batons of Mr Iain Robbie (replaced due to illness on the day by Ms Nikki Turner) and Mr Mark Tooby, received glowing adjudicator reports following their performances at the recent Band and Orchestra Festival. Many hours of practice go into these performances and the students did WSHS proud.

Junior Concert Band on stage at the ABODA Band and Orchestra Festival

Junior String Orchestra on stage at the ABODA Band and Orchestra Festival

YEAR 12 MUSIC VALEDICTORY NIGHT: CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Our graduating musicians performed for an appreciative audience of staff, families and friends at the recent Valedictory Night. Both Certificate II/ III students and ATAR Music students performed, with a range of classical, jazz and contemporary music culminating in the ATAR Music graduates collaborating on a medley of John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things and Wham’s Careless Whisper. The school is proud of the achievements of these young musicians.

Year 12 Cert II and III graduates: Buwaneka Gunawardana, Daniel Nordholm, Taylor MacDowell, Amy Gries, Chris Thong, Erin Strle, Natalie Ng and Tim Arul Sakayam

Year 12 ATAR Music graduates: Leo Ng, Michael Campbell, Chris Thong and Ryan David

Michael Campbell, Chris Thong, Ryan David and Leo Ng channelling John Coltrane and Wham! on stage at the Music Valedictory night

YEAR 12 DRAMA ATAR – ORIGINAL SOLO PERFORMANCE NIGHT

The Year 12 Drama ATAR students performed their self-devised Original Solo Performances. This is a section of their practical exam where they design everything themselves, from being the playwright, the director and dramaturge including being the designers and actors. The characters ranged from well-known celebrities like Whitney Houston and Marilyn Munroe to pieces discussing real-life issues such as racial discrimination, poverty, gun violence and bad dates.

Every piece needed to be directed, designed and performed with the set criteria such as portraying a clear character journey for one or more characters, the possible use of effective sound to support their performance and the scenery, props and costume able to be carried into the examination and set up in a 60 second time frame. All these components were shown on the night in preparation for the practical exams.

Aaron Chappell Year 12

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

SENIOR SCHOOLS TOUCH TOURNAMENT

This year, we entered four teams into the Senior Schools SSWA Touch Tournament at George Burnett Park in Manning.

There were many Year 12 students participating who have played in this competition since Year 8 and thus the two Senior A teams consisted mostly of these students. The two B teams were mainly Year 10 students, many of whom had also played at the same tournament since Year 7.

The weather was a cool and cloudy, with thankfully no rain in sight, although the grounds were a little soggy after the previous few days of record rainfall.

Again, the sportsmanship and level of skill demonstrated by our students was fabulous. Both the girl’s teams finished 3rd in their respective pools, whilst the boys A team finished a very credible 3rd in their pool. The Year 10 boys B team finished in 5th position.

We thank all the participants for such a wonderful day of competition. It is always a pleasure to take Willetton students representing our school to events such as these.

Ms Fapani and Ms Greenham Coaches

Girls A and B touch teams

YEAR 7 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Despite the first day of our carnivals being forecast with stormy weather, our Year 7 cohort proved a resilient group and braved the conditions. They did themselves and Mrs Gauci proud with their enthusiastic attitudes and sportsmanship. There were some outstanding performers who will strengthen the Interschool team, and all students are to be congratulated on their efforts. Thanks go to all student helpers and PE staff - in particular to Mr Pretorius for his excellent organisation of the carnivals.

YEAR 8 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Day 2 (Wednesday) was another wet and windy day, but the Year 8s who supported the carnival, despite the conditions, were able to complete all events. Great management by Mr Pretorius and Mr Atterton enabled students to dodge most of the rain and shelter from the weather. Mr Ialacci was there to encourage his group and witness some outstanding performances. Thanks again to all group leaders, helpers and staff for their invaluable assistance.

YEAR 9 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Day 3 (Thursday) was much improved on the weather front and Ms Rachel Harrington led the way for her Year 9 cohort with impressive runs in both the 200m and 400m. A fantastic effort from all the students who participated enthusiastically and challenged themselves. There was also strong competition from a core group of very talented athletes in this year group and Principal Chris Booth presented the medals for the individual champions. Once again, a huge thank you to all group leaders, helpers and staff for their assistance.

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

THE AUSTRALIAN HISTORY COMPETITION

During Term 2, while studying modern history, sixty of our best Year 10 Modern History students took up the challenge of the Australian History Competition. This competition involved students completing 50 multiple choice questions within 45 minutes. Over 7000 Year 10 students across Australia entered the competition this year (2018), representing a range of private and public schools in each state.

This competition’s questions covered historical topics that included the significance of Australia Day, The Industrial Revolution, The Boxer Rebellion in China in the late 19th century, the Z Force Special Operations Unit - Operation Jaywick in WWII, the roles of women in the Australian Armed Services and the popular culture of anime. Students were required to read, study and interpret a range of source material to answer the questions.

All participants received a certificate to reflect their achievement. A High Distinction required a score of 86 per cent and above, Distinction: 80 per cent, Credit: 74 per cent and a Merit: 66 per cent. Willetton students, once again, achieved some pleasing results with 34 per cent of all our participants receiving either a High Distinction or Distinction certificate. Willetton’s average score was nine per cent higher than the national average and at 75 percent; it was our best result in this competition.

There are a number of students who deserve special mention. Louis Kuppers and Dorothy Jong achieved the highest Willetton SHS score of 90 per cent. Other noteworthy achievements included Will Ho, Jit Singh and Hang Yi Law, who all scored 88 per cent, and Leah St Clair and Andrew Liang, who both achieved scores of 86 per cent.

These results reflect the interest and determination that Willetton students show towards the courses we offer and the excellent supportive role that our HaSS teachers provide to our students’ learning journey.

John Maxwell Head of Learning Area: Humanities and Social Sciences

2018 AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHY COMPETITION

In Term 2 of this year, students from Year 8 and Year 7 -10 Gifted and Talented classes challenged their geographical skills and knowledge in the annual Australian Geography Competition.

Our students were among 72 000 students Australia wide, from 743 public and private schools who took part in the 2018 Australian Geography Competition, which has been running for 26 years. Willetton Senior High was once again well represented in the competition with 483 students taking part. The competition was challenging and required the completion of a test, which involved skill based and general knowledge in the form of multiple-choice questions. Students’ knowledge of developing countries, environmental issues, geopolitics, maps, current events and physical terrains was tested.

The table below indicates the number of our students who received the higher certificates. This table reflects our best overall performance (a record number of HD certificates) in the competition over our 11 year involvement. (HD High Distinction, D Distinction and C Credit)

The following thirteen students are commended on their fine results, achieving a certificate of HIGH DISTINCTION and finishing in the top 1% in Australia. This was a record number of students from Willetton SHS to be recognised for this achievement in this national competition.

YEAR 7

Teresa An scored 26/30

YEAR 8

A special congratulation to Year 8 – Raditya Pradipta, who achieved the top mark for his year group in Australia.

Raditya Pradipta scored 27/30

Cohen Miskiewicz, Ian Pinto, Jade Woods and Allan Wu all scored 25/30

YEAR 9

Peyton Longbottom and Maxim Rumsey both scored 34/40

YEAR 10

Kate Graham, Will Ho and Amy Mercer, who achieved the highest score in Western Australia and finished equal first.

Amy Mercer, Kate Graham and Will Ho all scored 36/40

Lucky Daniswara and Leah St Clair both scored 35/40

All 111 students who achieved High Distinctions are to be congratulated as they were in the top 6% in the country in their year group. These outstanding results are reflective of Willetton SHS students’ ability, their thirst for learning and the high standard of skills taught by this learning area. Geography continues to be a strength for achievement in lower school at the national level and I look forward to future achievement in this competition.

John Maxwell Head of Learning Area: Humanities and Social Sciences

LANGUAGES

VISIT FROM MALAYSIAN EDUCATORS

Recently, Willetton SHS was visited by nine teachers and educators from the Ministry of Education in Kajang, Malaysia. The main objective was for the visitors to gain knowledge and information on the Australian school system, especially in regard to the teaching of languages in the 21st century.

Mr Booth provided an introduction to the group by talking about Willetton’s history, philosophies and successes. Ms Anthony talked to the visiting group about our English as an Additional Language (EALD) program and arranged for some of her students, who have come from Malaysia, to talk about their experience at Willetton. Amani Faqihah Binti Azlan (Year 10), Shu Yi Loke (Year 10), Ethan Yip (Year 11) and Ellycia Wong (Year 11) spoke very well and compared their learning of English in Malaysia and in Australia.

Mr Jegathesen, Manager of Corporate Services, gave an extensive school tour to the visitors, showcasing our excellent facilities and courses. The group was impressed with the huge range of opportunities available to Willetton students, and were able to discuss new and innovative ways of teaching, particularly in languages curriculum.

It really is a small world – Jega was born in Kajang, the city where the guests came from. He was able to share anecdotes about people and places. Also by total coincidence, one of the visitors was a former teacher of Amani’s, when she was in Malaysia.

Nathan Harvey Head Of Learning Area: Languages

YEAR 12 JAPANESE KAIWA DAY

To assist the Year 12 students with their preparation for Semester 2 and ATAR practical examinations, the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of WA organises an annual Kaiwa (conversation) Day. For a number of years, we have hosted the event at Willetton SHS.

On Saturday September 1, 200 students and 40 teachers attended Kaiwa Day. The aim of the day is to provide Year 12 ATAR students with the opportunity to practise their conversation skills; obtain WACE practical exam hints and clarify procedures with experienced examiners.

Mrs Rosanne Jacobs, President of JLTAWA, welcomed the group and gave students advice about how to make the most of the day. The students were divided into groups according to their speaking ability. Each group worked with four different teachers throughout the day, discussing in Japanese, various parts of the Year 12 course. While students were eating afternoon tea, Mr Harvey presented a one hour WACE tips session. As part of that session, Mrs Nomoto and Mrs Sales presented a role play of the practical exam, demonstrating the aspects that make a strong or weak candidate. Students then reflected on the role play against the ATAR marking key.

It was a very useful experience for students in the lead up to their examinations.

Many thanks to the Willetton staff for their team work and for giving their time on a Saturday to support the students – Mrs Nomoto, Mrs Sales, Japanese languages assistants Mao Inoue, Yurie Mima, Asuka Jackson and Hiromi Murakami, and Curtin University pre-service teacher Jeff Ye.

Nathan Harvey Head of Learning Area: Languages

RESEARCH ABOUT ASSISTANT LANGUAGE TEACHERS (ALT) OF JAPANESE

For many years, Mrs Nami Sakamoto was an English teacher at the High School of the University of Hyogo, the Japanese sister school of Willetton SHS. Recently, Nami started a new position in the Faculty of Education at Okayama University where she teaches pre-service teachers of English.

Nami has been researching ALT (Assistant Language Teachers) transformation in language teaching through their narratives. This research topic is the theme of her doctoral thesis, and she has been doing informal interviews with ALTs. Nami recently visited Willetton SHS to conduct interviews with the Japanese language assistants.

Nami and the ALTs discussed their language teaching, backgrounds, what they value in the class, when they feel difficulties in teaching, and their teachers’ beliefs. Each of the language assistants were interviewed for one hour. This research is adopted as Grants-in-Aid for scientific research in Japan.

Our staff were very happy to participate in the interviews and we hope our contribution to the research can help rethink and further improve teaching styles with ALTs or foster new view points toward language teaching at schools in the future.

Nathan Harvey Head of Learning Area: Languages

Nami Sakamoto interviewing Japanese Language Assistant Yurie Mima

RAKUGO WORKSHOPS

Recently, Year 9 and 10 Japanese language students had the opportunity to participate in a rakugo workshop.

Rakugo can best be described as Japanese, sit-down comedy of comic story telling. It is a performance where a story teller crafts an imaginary drama with a skilful way of speaking and the use of facial expressions to portray various characters. In the workshops, students observed and participated in skits and then created their own.

At lunchtime, a demonstration was presented and it was open to all students.

After school, the visiting artists presented a workshop to languages teachers from around Perth who learnt how to teach language through drama.

Sumanoya Charley and Nishinoya Kitty are rakugo artists from Hyogo, Japan, and have been performing in Perth this August.

Nathan Harvey Head of Learning Area: Languages

Each year the Japanese Language Teachers Association of WA holds a speech contest for high school and university students. This year was the 49th year that the Australian speech contest has been held. The aim of the WA Senior School Japanese Language Speech Contest 2018 is to encourage students of Japanese to showcase their language skills in a challenging environment.

Yee Han Wong from Year 12 participated in this contest on the August 25 at UWA. The subject, content and form of the speeches were left open to each contestant and Yee Han wrote a speech in Japanese called Are social media the parasites of our daily life?

The transcript of Yee Han’s excellent speech appears below, both in Japanese and English.

Are social media the parasites of our daily life?

Nowadays many people are addicted to social media. This is because social media has become part of our everyday lives. During April 2018, there was a case about Facebook company’s Chief Editor on leaked personal information. Because this was clear to the world, people are starting to worry about their safety. For many years, social media has gradually become a big problem.

If you start using social media, there are many benefits. We can not only contact our relatives, but also friends in foreign countries. Furthermore, you can find and contact classmates from primary school through social media. Connecting the world together. You can use it anywhere which makes it convenient. You can also learn about different countries’ lifestyles and cultures through social media.

Currently, social media has become addictive. We use it anytime and anywhere. And young people spend a lot of time on social media. Many young people spend time taking lots of photos, but only use one photo in the end. And sometimes, for the sake of photos, there are people who buy food. After taking photos they seem to dispose of the food. The worst problem is social media’s safety, as there is bullying occurring in social media. In social media, people who send rude comments and hurt people’s feelings. The worst case is when someone becomes depressed.

Nowadays, people can’t live without social media. It has become a parasite of young people’s lives. Originally, technology was supposed to improve our life, in this way, social media is wasting our time and food and bullying is occurring. It has turned into something that will harm our lives. So I think that it is important for young people to think about the disadvantages that are occurring with social media and think first of all about what they are using social media for before using it. For a more comfortable life…

Yee Han at the Australian speech contest

HOSTING A JAPANESE STUDENT

Hosting a Japanese student for two weeks not only met, but definitely exceeded, all of my expectations. My new Japanese friend embraced our Australian culture enthusiastically and the relationship we formed in the two short weeks made the experience very enjoyable for both of us.

We visited places of interest, including Fremantle, the Swan Valley, the beach, and even did a double decker bus tour of the city. So many great memories were made while sight-seeing, trying new foods and buying presents to take back to Japan.

As well as the jam-packed weekends, my new Japanese friend was also involved in all daily activities, such as helping to prepare dinner, family celebrations, movie nights, kickboxing and regular strolls along the Canning River exploring the wildlife.

We talked non-stop in both English and Japanese, assisting one another when necessary. It was challenging at times but generally concluded with giggles and an appreciation of our efforts. My confidence in the language grew and I believe it will do so even more when it is my turn to visit her.

My entire family loved learning about the Japanese culture, incorporating things into our home such as saying いただきます and ごちそうさまでした before and after meals. My family grew very fond of our new family member and definitely missed her when she returned to Japan.

I would highly recommend this amazing opportunity as it was overwhelmingly positive. I cannot wait to travel to Japan in the school holidays to be reunited with my friend and experience her culture and lifestyle.

Brielle McKinlay Year 11

MATHS

AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

In August, more than 190 000 students across Australia participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC).

Our school entered 411 students from Years 7 to 12 in this challenging problem-solving competition and we have now received the results. We are very pleased to announce that we have two Year 8 prize winners. A prize is awarded to the top 0.3% of students in any year group within the state.

Thyler Cung achieved an impressive score of 120 with 27 correct answers out of a possible 30.

Close behind Thyler was Allan Wu with an equally impressive score of 117.

Although Allan managed to get 28 correct answers, it came down to the final five questions which are weighted according to their difficulty.

Huge congratulations to both of these outstanding problem solvers!

AMC Prize winners Allan Wu, Principal Chris Booth and Thyler Cung

In each year group, we had quite a number of students who were ranked in the top 3% in the state for their year and in senior school, three of our Year 12 students were ranked in the top 5%.

Congratulations to these students who have either been awarded a High Distinction or the top three students in their year:

AMC Year 7 High Distinctions achievers with Mrs Kalotay

AMC Top 3 students in each year with Mrs Kalotay (left) and Ms Tay (Right) Head of Learning Area: Maths

In total, we had 2 prize winners, 35 High Distinctions, 129 Distinctions and 153 Credits. Well done to all participants.

All these fantastic results would not have been possible without the dedication of our Mathematics staff and the generous support of parent helpers, Tristelle Thompson, Kim Tan, Kerry-Anne Andrew, Angela Ooi and Chika Norton.

Ms Zoe Tay thanked the parents for their support in our competitions

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION ASSESSMENT FOR SCHOOLS (ICAS)

The ICAS Mathematics competition was held in August with 457 students registered to compete on the day.

Again, we had tremendous support from some of our parent helpers, Tristelle Thompson, Kim Tan, Kerry-Anne Andrew, and Nita Sodhi-Berry who helped the day to run smoothly and efficiently.

Results will be published next term.

CLASSPAD CALCULATOR SEMINARS

The Mathematics Department invited Mr Charlie Watson to conduct some extra ClassPad seminars for our Year 12 ATAR students this term. These seminars are very worthwhile for our students and provide them with additional skills and tips in preparation for their upcoming exams. Mr Watson is very entertaining and was well received by our Year 12s.

The ClassPad seminar held by Mr Charlie Watson was very informative and beneficial. It was a bit fast paced, but I would definitely recommend taking the seminar in order to utilize your ClassPad as much as possible and to learn its capabilities.

I am grateful that this school has provided this educational seminar to further help me with my studies. Shemariah Kwan Year 12

The classpad seminar was a great experience which I would recommend all future students attend. It was a great learning experience which I'm sure was not only beneficial to me, but all of the other students as Charlie not only showed us specific functions of the classpad relevant to our course but also showed us how to most efficiently use it in an exam condition. His humorous attitude made it all the easier to learn and getting his signature on our classpads was just an extra bonus which I hope will give us some luck in our coming exams. Jordan Hoffmann Year 12

Kaylee Wong, Josephine Santoso, Mr Charlie Watson, Samantha Chong and Ujvala Vemuru

A handful of Mathematics Applications students were presented with the wonderful opportunity of attending a ClassPad lecture by ClassPad specialist Charlie Watson. Charlie introduced new methods of solving equations and several quick tips to save time for the upcoming exams with a few good laughs in-between. Thanks to Charlie we are one step closer to being fully prepared to tackle the upcoming exams. Thank you Charlie! Nikita Tcherkashnev Year 12

THE MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS (MCYA)

The Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians is a staged program designed to help motivate, stimulate, encourage and develop mathematically interested students in Years 3 to 10. The first two stages of the MCYA provide problems and course work to extend and develop students in mathematical problem solving.

Three of our Willetton students received a High Distinction in this year’s Challenge Stage of the MCYA. This puts them in the top 15% of participants in Australia and is the highest award level in this program.

Congratulations

STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Mathematics Department have been involved in some excellent Professional Development this year. We have been in-serviced on the latest Mathspace updates, we’ve had a workshop on the use of the latest cloud base version of the Efofex graphing software, a professional learning session on the latest capabilities of the Pearson App and a day with the inspirational Mr Eddie Woo. Students may know Eddie from his Woo tube videos that have been helping many students across Australia and even many parts of the world. Eddie has filmed himself teaching his mathematics classes in one of Sydney’s largest public schools and has shared his lessons in the hope of helping as many students as he can to improve their understanding mathematical concepts. He was recognised for his achievement and passion to improve numeracy standards across Australia at the 2018 Australian of the Year Awards where he was awarded the Australia’s Local Hero award.

Mr Hamish McLean, Mr Eddie Woo, Mrs Kerri Kalotay and Patricia Cope

SCIENCE

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK 2018

During National Science Week in August, students watched and participated in various science demonstrations and challenges held in and around the Science building. These included the thermite reaction, the paper plane challenge, the silver mirror reaction, the mobile phone hologram and chemical reactions. To describe a few; in the thermite reaction, we watched science teacher Mr Singh as he demonstrated an explosive reaction in front of students. In the paper plane challenge, students created paper planes that could stay in flight for a long time and then raced them. In the hologram activity, students created their own 3D hologram using their mobile phone and some transparency paper.

SCIENCE PROJECT EXHIBITION NIGHT

Parents, students and community members attended the Science Project Exhibition Night on in August. The exhibition showcased the projects of students in the Science Extension and Gifted and Talented programs of Years 7 to 10. There was a great turnout to the event and a very lively atmosphere throughout the night.

Guest judges Professor Tele Tan and Paola Chivers attended the event and the best project from each year group was chosen. The winners were: Sonic Eye (Samuel Sundararajan, Cohen Miskiewicz, Sineth Kalutotage and Arun Arjunan) of Year 8, Beat the Bacteria (Trinyce Tong, Samantha Douglas-Whisson, Brooke Meynert and Richa Mathew) of Year 9 and WilloGrow (Kate Graham, Erdyna Razif, Esther Chang, Jasmine Woods) of Year 10.

TECHNOLOGIES

YEAR 12 ATAR FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The Year 12 ATAR Food Science and Technology students have been exploring the factors influencing new food product development, marketing and new to the market foods. The Assessment Task required students to create a new flavoured Bliss Ball product using natural, raw ingredients. The basic Bliss Ball recipe, by Lisa Harding from Love.Raw.Self was used by students to design and create their flavoured products. Students produced some amazing flavoured Bliss Balls and conducted a peer survey to taste and evaluate their creations. The class was very lucky to have Lisa Harding come and participate in the class production and taste the Bliss Balls.

Ms Ialacci Home Economics Teacher

INAUGURAL YEAR 12 HOSPITALITY SWAN VALLEY TOUR

Students spent the day reflecting on their Hospitality experience as they participated in numerous activities.

Bindoon Bakehaus ran a baking workshop that included making sour dough bread, baking techniques, cookie making and advanced decorating skills. Hospitality students then went on a food tasting tour of the Swan Valley featuring the House of Honey, Cheese Barrel, Penny Garden Restaurant and the Margaret River Chocolate Company.

Mr Curran & Mrs Gibson Home Economics Teachers

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

CAREER AND ENTERPRISE STUDENTS PUT ON THEIR SMALL BUSINESS HATS

As part of the Year 12 Career and Enterprise General course, students working in randomly arranged groups of four or five, planned, developed and ran a small business on the school campus at recess and/or lunch. On one day the competition was tough as several businesses ran at the same time. The heat was on to find the best place on the quad, near the Business Office or the English rooms or near the basketball courts to entice the most customers to make purchases.

Posters and word of mouth advertising seemed to be the way to go this year for businesses like Small and Sweet, Funky Fudge Brownies, Boutique Bakers, Chocolate Bites and the interestingly named C and E Alpha Squadron. But who could forget Gupi Dhaliwal putting his cool image on the line to dress up in wings and wand for the team!

In total $455:45 a profit was generated from our twelve groups. As always, the Career and Enterprise classes take the distribution of the profits seriously and this year the recipients are the RSPCA, Leukaemia Foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, Guide Dogs WA, the Variety Club, Manna Inc. to support the homeless of Perth, the Save the Children Fund and Breast Cancer Care WA Inc.

Many thanks to those in the school community who supported the small businesses from their approval by senior staff, to Bev Clark in the Business Office managing the banking of funds, to front office staff and the grounds staff for distribution of equipment.

Congratulations to the students for their endeavours and also to families and some mums who gave over their kitchens for cooking the delights sold on business days.

Ruth Barratt and Sally Russell Career and Enterprise Teachers

YEAR 7

YEAR 9

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

The school athletics carnivals for Years 7 – 9 took place in late August and about 60 Year 9 students assisted the PE staff to run the Year 7 events. Congratulations on your efforts and the encouragement given to the younger athletes over the three days of the carnival. We had a fantastic day during our own carnival. Well done to the Year 9 students who participated! I had a ball running and gaining 1st ribbon in the 200 and 400 meters.

Year 9 athletes have been asked to attend training sessions after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in order to gain selection for the interschool team who compete later in Term 4.

Miss Harrington Year 9 Coordinator

REVENGE OF THE STUDENTS

On September 7, the Year 9 councillors held a fundraising event called Revenge of the Students for the non-profit organisation, Beyond Blue.

This event involved a bucket filled with water, teachers and donations from the students. The students donated $1 to be allowed to throw a tennis ball at the target. When the tennis ball hit the target, the bucket of water tipped over the teacher who was seated below. We had a special treat for Ms Gardiner. In her bucket was … 24 eggs. All the students and teachers in the crowd laughed in shock as they weren't expecting eggs. Ms Gardiner laughed it off as she knew it was for a good cause.

In the end, we raised around $290 for the organisation, Beyond Blue.

Faith Campbell Year 9 Councillor

YEAR 10

MENTORING PROGRAM

The Mentoring Program has been running successfully for close to three years. It brings students from across the years together to help each other. Often the older students are paired with younger students to guide them through subjects in which they may be struggling or simply wish to improve their grades. It has also been found to be successful with students in the same year working together, even those students in the same class. This is the case for Hana and Jonathan, two Year 10 students in the Gifted and Talented program:

Before I started the mentor program, I was struggling with achieving a high grade in maths. The program was suggested to me so that I could achieve the grade required for the maths subject I wished to study in Year 11. With this program I was able to do that and it has helped me understand more about what it is I struggle with. I would recommend this program to anyone who needs help with any subject.

Hana Lont Year 10

I chose to be a mentor in maths because it is very helpful in achieving the Duke of Edinburgh service section, and it both helps me to understand the topics better, and helps other students to improve their maths. When I am mentoring it improves my teaching skills and allows me to perfect the topic.

As each student learns differently, in the classroom it is hard for the teacher to spend time with every student explaining the topic in a way that all students understand, so I think having a tutoring session really helps the mentee understand the topic.

Jonathan Chivers Year 10

WORLDS GREATEST SHAVE

Recently, I participated in The World's Greatest Shave along with nine other brave students and one teacher from all year groups of our school.

The World's Greatest Shave is an event held to raise money to help families who are facing blood cancer and provide them with the emotional and practical support they need. The money also helps with funding vital research to help more people survive blood cancers. Many of us have a friend or relative, or know of someone suffering from blood cancer and this is what gave me the confidence to shave my head. Although a dramatic change, I have no regrets knowing that the money I helped the school team raise along with the long locks of hair I donated, will go towards helping one or more of the families who need it much more than I do.

Tiama Tilbee Year 10

Tiama Tilbee and her family

YOUTH SCIENCE COMMUNICATORS INC.

On August 16, three University of Western Australia students, each studying a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subject, came to present at the Year 10 assembly as a part of National Science Week.

The presentation was mainly focused on encouraging students to study a STEM subject at university and work in a STEM field later in life, while answering some of the more commonly asked questions about STEM. I found the presentation to be very helpful, as it very clearly outlined the steps to get into a STEM career later in life should take, from Year 10 to a postgraduate degree.

The presenters also shared some of their experiences of studying a STEM subject at university. I found this to be very helpful as it not only answered several queries about studying a STEM subject at university, but also provided ways to kick-start learning in STEM subjects; for example watching YouTube videos or even reading scientific journals.

It was a valuable experience for the Year 10 cohort, especially for those wishing to study a STEM subject in future.

Hang Yi Law Year 10

YEAR 11

TERM THREE YEAR 11 ACTIVITIES

2019 LEAVERS JACKET

Fittings at school have been completed, the first round of orders has been submitted and all the personalised names finalised. Students can still order and get a fitting for their leavers’ jacket from:

Uniform Concepts
9 Yampi Way
Willetton

Students who pay from now on will have their jackets delivered in the second round which will be during term one next year.

YEAR 11 DINNER DANCE THURSDAY JUNE 14

YEAR 11 SKI TRIP 2018

Mr Atterton and I, together with nine Year 11 students flew to Melbourne in the July school holidays to embark on a week’s skiing at Mount Hotham. Our skill set varied from extremely experienced down to never seen snow. Some were snow boarders and some skiers and all of us had a fantastic time.

ATHLETICS CARNIVALS 2018

Although the Year 11s don’t have an athletics carnival, many of them came and helped out at the Year 9 carnival held on August 30.

My thanks to the following students;

Sage Matys, Harvey Ryan, Cameron Kerr, Clyde Lee, Oscar Hitchcock, Michael Spinella, Daniel Harwood, Danielle Barnes, Bailey Weir, Morgan Woodgate, Sophie Vuleta, Nicole Darwin, Jesni Cooper, Kane Hanson, Luke Jackson, Troy Walters, Daiyann Parker

SCHOOL BALL PLANNING FOR 2019

In the past few weeks, the Year 11 council have finalised the ball theme.

It is Great Gatsby - art deco, black, white and gold. The councillors have visited the Hyatt and looked at the set up. The photographer has been arranged and the ball invitations and tickets are being finalised. The ball is on Friday March 8, 2019 6.30 -11pm

More information to follow….

Best wishes for a relaxing Term 3 break and we will see all students back on Tuesday October 9, 2018

Andrea Wheeler Year 11 Coordinator

YEAR 12

YEAR 12 CO-ORDINATOR REPORT

It seems surreal that this is the final year coordinator report from me after five years at the helm! Where has the time gone?

The Year 12s are heavily involved in assessments and revision programs as they are heading towards completing their work in general and certificate classes and ATAR classes.

A huge thank you to the parents/guardians and teachers for their support of the students in their journey at Willetton.

Congratulations to the music and drama Arts students for their final performances showcasing their work.

Best wishes to the ATAR students in their commencement of their mocks and upcoming WACE exams.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YEAR 12S

Mock ATAR Examinations Monday October 1 –Tuesday October 9

TERM 4

Week 2 Monday October 15 - all students return.

General and certificate students commence sign out procedures

Monday October 15 - Friday October 19 ATAR students attend school

Friday October 19- Graduation breakfast and final assembly including rehearsal graduation. Students receive their draft statement of results.

Friday 16 November- Graduation Ceremony (details have been sent to students/parents guardians)

As always email through any concerns or questions you may have and I look forward to seeing you all at the graduation ceremony.

Stefan Brand Year 12 Coordinator

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

WA SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP - YEAR 8, 2019

Willetton Senior High School celebrates its position as the inaugural WA Secondary School of the Year by offering a scholarship to a student entering Year 8 in 2019.

The Willetton school community is committed to maximising the intellectual, creative and social growth of its students. The school works to develop competent, skilled and socially responsible citizens who recognise they are members of a world community, respect the needs of others and have a sense of self-worth and future direction.

We wish to recognise a student who is showing strong leadership skills.

One scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in Year 8 at Willetton Senior High School in 2019.

The recipient of the WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship will receive:

• The WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship 2019 award and certificate
• Payment of 2019 Year 8 subject contributions and charges
• $300 uniform voucher, kindly donated by Uniform Concepts
• Leadership training opportunities

Interested students should pick up an application form from Mrs Helen Wong in the School Board office.

Applications close 2.00pm Thursday October 25, 2018

Late applications will not be considered.

Applications should be returned to:

Mrs Helen Wong
School Board Executive Officer
Willetton Senior High School Board
120 Pinetree Gully Road
Willetton WA 6155

An email confirmation will be sent upon receipt of application.

Short-listed applicants will be contacted by Friday November 9, 2018 with interviews scheduled to take place on Thursday November 15, 2018.

The successful applicant will be notified by Monday November 19, 2018.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

A list of Board meetings for this year can be found on the school website, under the School Board information. Please notify the Board office on 9334 7217 if you wish to attend. All are welcome.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK FUNDRAISER

The 2018/2019 Entertainment Books are available to purchase through the School Board. For inquiries, please contact Helen Wong on helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217 or make a purchase at the following link. Orders are available for immediate collection but supplies are limited so don’t miss out!

To view a virtual copy, follow the link below.

Now is a perfect time to purchase a membership, in time for the school holidays. You'll receive hundreds of valuable offers to keep the family entertained and help our fundraising at the same time.

Profits raised from the sale of these books will go towards a Student Leadership Development Program initiated by the Board. Your support will be much appreciated.

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% of your purchase spend 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.

SECOND HAND BOOKSHOP – MASSIVE CLEARANCE!!

The bookshop has a large range of textbooks, study guides and trial exam papers which are no longer on the booklist, but make excellent resources. These resources are FREE and include subjects in Mathematics, Specialist Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Human Biology, Politics & Law, Psychology, Modern History and Economics. Stocks are first come, first served. The bookshop is open every Wednesday 9am-11.30am during school term.

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SHOP

The second hand uniform shop is serviced by a dedicated team of 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. If you have second hand uniforms to donate, please drop them off at the front office 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 Helen Wong, School Board Executive Officer on email helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217.

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

COFFEE MORNING – HEALTHY EATING FOR YOUR TEENAGER

Thank you to Emilie Rossetto and Eleanor Huisman from Curtin University (through the Cancer Council of WA) for providing us with an insightful look at teenage eating and how as parents we can best support them during this growth period.

For some excellent resources please go to:

• Packed with Goodness (lunchbox guide)

• Label reading cards

For a copy of their powerpoint presentation and handouts, please go to:

The best ideas parents learnt from the session included:

• How to talk to our teenager
• Creating a positive relationship with food
• Avoid saturated fat
• Understanding calcium and its sources – a guide to dairy consumption requirements
• Websites-to check daily intake information
• How to read food labels
• Where to seek help if my child has body image issues

Coffee morning, Healthy eating for your teenager

Guest presenters Eleanor and Emilie

SAVE THIS DATE – Friday October 26, 2018

Our school psychologist Luke Spagnolo will be returning with more gems on Understanding Your Teenager – part 2. In order to expand on issues covered from his earlier presentation; this will run as a two hour workshop using scenarios and Q & A to allow a more comprehensive view of select issues. If you would like a particular issue to be considered, please email this to helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au by October 12.

STAFF APPRECIATION MORNING TEA – HELP NEEDED

On Friday November 30, the School Board will host a morning tea to thank all staff for the hard work they have put in to teaching and nurturing your child. If you would like to assist by providing a plate of homemade goodies, please contact Helen Wong by November 2. It would be wonderful to thank the staff through a range of foods from different countries to show just how multicultural this school is. If you would also like to send in a letter or card of appreciation to staff, this can also be done through Helen Wong. Please email her at helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or post to Attn: Helen Wong, Willetton Senior High School Board, 120 Pinetree Gully Road, Willetton 6155.