24 September 2019

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Nola Regan

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

What a complex, finely tuned organisation we have here at Willetton. There is in excess of 2400 students and around 300 staff within a system of procedures, policies and personalities. As I research, in depth, the workings of our school, I am more and more impressed by the dedication and professionalism of staff and the shared community values which support our students to be the best they can be.

The recognition Willetton achieved by the top ranking in the recent Schools that Outshine Others published by the West Australian newspaper is an accolade for the Willo Way and we rightly celebrate with the whole Willetton community. The real success of a school is measured in the quality of the young people who graduate from it (R J Phipps), and my commitment to you is that we will continue to work together for the best outcomes for our students both academically and as responsible, caring citizens.

I attended the Year 11 performance of The Crucible. Well done to all involved for a truly amazing performance, it was testament to the talent, commitment and pride in our school. Cast, staff, back stage crew and hospitality students worked together and achieved excellence.

Willetton was in high profile at the Duke of Edinburgh Awards evening held recently at Government House. Teacher Deb Lievense was MC, our award coordinator Judy Gauci received special recognition for 10 years’ service, Year 12 student Bianca Stevenson was presented her Gold Award and our pipe band led in the official party and opened the ceremony. We were honoured by the evening.

Our sporting successes also continue; netball, football and basketball have shone in recent weeks. Athletic carnivals for Years 7-9 have been held and were well run and supported by all staff and former students.

Planning for 2020 is well underway. Most students have completed their course selections which means decisions and recruiting of staffing can now get underway. We recently had groups of Year 6 students spend a day with us for testing so that we can best cater for their needs next year. Training for peer support programs will soon be started. Many thanks to the operations team lead by Christine Petersen for their hard work.

The upcoming holidays will see the Year 12 mock ATAR examinations as well as a student tour to Japan. Best wishes to all for a productive and safe break. For those undertaking examinations; balance study, rest and recreation so that you can be happy and composed to achieve your personal goals.

Trevor Hunter

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

Well this newsletter marks the end of term three – hopefully time flies when we are having fun!

The big news of the term has been Willetton’s number one school ranking by The West Australian. Although the department does not endorse or support any form of ranking, and the school was advised by the DoE not to comment, I think we can all take the time to reflect on the wonderful acknowledgement this is on our school and the school community. Our previous VET Beazley medallist paid a wonderful tribute to the school in her interview and summed it up stating “the wide variety of material that they [WSHS] have to offer means we have the opportunity to choose what we want to do, and that really allows people to find themselves.” Importantly, the results were an acknowledgement of the success of the public education system with the top five schools all being public schools and this continues to demonstrate that it is the people that make up our school community that are most important in growing our youth, and not the bricks and mortar.

As usual, Willo students have continued to aspire and succeed across a range of learning areas. I had the pleasure of seeing the Senior Guitar Ensemble perform at the Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival earlier this month. Under Mr Joseph Bonini’s expert instruction, the group received an Outstanding with word on the ground that Polish-American guitarist virtuoso, Paul Cesarczyk (the international adjudicator) had commented that our ensemble had “produced something very special.” Our Pipe Band played at Government House for the 60th Anniversary celebrations for the Duke of Edinburgh, with our own Deb Lievense MC and Ms Judy Gauci recognised for her extensive service to the program. Our school also celebrated the 25th year of the Japanese sister school program with The High School of the University of Hyogo, recently hosting our Japanese students. Congratulations to all our Australian Geography Competition students who again made us proud, performing to their best. This month also saw the drama performance The Crucible, with support from front of house and delicious canapés from the home economics staff and students. Mr Hamley and his students finally took the solar car overseas, being the first solar car to circumnavigate Rottnest Island, whilst braving (camping) in some horrendous weather.

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 supporting 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 Years 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 our 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 and importantly get enough sleep!

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

A MICROSOFT INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR

Our own Mathematics teacher Hamish McLean has been selected as Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert for 2019 – 2020. There were 134 teachers selected from all of Australia.

The program recognises Hamish as a change maker and includes him in a global community of innovative educators trying new approaches and learning from each other. We look forward to Hamish sharing his ideas to enhance learning opportunities for our students.

OUR FOOTY HEROES

DANIKA PISCONERI

I grew up in Waroona, my family still live there now. We are a basketball dominant family, this is what my dad played and I loved going to watch him in the local competition. My oldest brother played football though and I would also go to his games and run the boundary, originally just for some pocket money, but (without telling him) I enjoyed watching him and the game.

With dad’s history in basketball I played that growing up. I went to Nationals representing WA five times, once winning a bronze medal, and received a sporting scholarship to a college in America which was a pretty amazing couple of years.

When I came back I had to do another year of university and all my friends were going to university games. I went for AFL for something different, I didn't realise that I would fall in love with it. This was the start for me, I joined a WAFL club in 2017 and am now the vice- captain of the Subiaco Lions WAFLW team. I play ruck and very much enjoy having the ability to impact the game in several different ways, swinging forward or back depending on match ups.

STOP PRESS: Danika was joint winner the Fairest and Best Award 2019 in the WAFLW competition.

EMILY BONSER

I am from the country town of Northam and moved to Perth after school to study. I am one of six children having four brothers and one sister.

My brothers taught me to kick in the backyard and I continued to play with the boys at school when I could and then played school girls competitions at school where I was recognised as talent. I joined a club when I turned 18, to play in the WAFLW.

My passion growing up was sport. I played everything and anything I could - teeball, netball, tennis, basketball, hockey, cricket and floorball. I was selected in WA State U16s School Girls Outdoor Hockey and WA State U18s Indoor Hockey, U19s Australian Development Squad for Floorball.

My history on football has been:

WAWFL for Swan Districts from 2013 – 2018 (Premiership 2013, 2014, 2016)
WA State 23s Vice Captain in 2016,
WA State Open Women’s Player 2016,
AFLW Fremantle Dockers drafted in 2017 (played 0 games due to injury)
WAFLW Claremont 2019 (Vice Captain)

GENERAL

2020 YEAR 11 AND 12

During week 10 of Term 3, students who did not meet the pre-requisite for a Year 11 or 12 course and were denied enrolment, may appeal if they have now demonstrated the pre-requisite. I will be talking to students about this process at assemblies and the application form will be available on Connect.

Students can only appeal if their results have shown sufficient improvement since Semester 1. For other students, there will be a final opportunity to have course selections reviewed after the Semester 2 2019 examinations. Further information be provided about this process in Term 4.

Nathan Harvey Deputy Principal

PIPE BAND – DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Two of the things I am most passionate about, Duke of Ed and Bagpipes, came together on Tuesday, August 20, when The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award celebrated its 60th year anniversary. A special ceremony has been held in each State and Territory of Australia. Western Australia’s celebration was held at Government House in Perth and Willetton Senior High School was well represented throughout the event.

To open proceedings, members of our Pipe Band led in the official party to an energetic rendition of Waltzing Matilda. The party included The Honourable Kim Beasley and several other dignitaries. Edward Kammermann, (Snare Drum, Year 9) and Milasi Amarasingha, (Bagpipes, Year 11) continued with solo introductions of Highland Cathedral, with the whole band eventually joining in for a moving recital of the world-famous tune. We concluded our performance by marching out to Scotland the Brave, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Well done to all band members for their outstanding performance, made even more special considering they are not only Pipers and Drummers but are also completing their Duke of Ed Award.

After the band’s performance, there were several speeches, then our own Mrs Debra Lievense was invited to the podium as MC for presentations of Awards. Only six Gold Certificates were presented at this ceremony, including one to Bianca Stevenson (Year 12). A fitting and much deserved reward for this special young lady on her 18th birthday. I was also honoured to receive a medal and certificate acknowledging 10 years of voluntary service to the Duke of Ed Award.

It was truly a night to remember for everyone who took part. Congratulations to Bianca and special thanks to Jack Killoh, Year 11, for leading the Pipe Band. Thanks to Mr Hunter for attending and lending his support in his first week as Principal, Mr Mike Forsyth, who chauffeured the band to and from school and Mr Viv Riley (Port Kennedy Pipers) who attended to tune the band.

Judy Gauci
Willetton SHS Pipe Band Coordinator
School Coordinator – Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

GIFTED AND TALENTED

YEAR 7 HaSS

Three Year 7 students really shone out in the National Geography Competition this year, achieving in the top 1% nationwide. Here are Ethan Paget, Reuben Riddle and Isaac Ngui, excitedly showing their Outstanding Certificates.

Ms Hale HaSS Teacher

SOLAR POWER – THE FIRST EVER CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF ROTTNEST ISLAND

Our solar car was the first ever to circumnavigate Rottnest Island. What a history making achievement. Fifteen of our Year 7-12 Gifted and Talented Program students were the pit, maintenance and repair crew while the driving was shared between teachers Darren Hamley and Judy Gauci. All enjoyed a couple of days at our island paradise.

The Willo solar car bare chassis was built for the school 13 years ago and students have spent an afternoon a week since then modifying and improving the vehicle. The car has twice participated in the Australia Solar Car Challenge and has crossed the Nullabor twice.

A recent improvement designed and installed by students was a Quokka Cam so that the driver has vision of the car’s front wheels and can avoid danger to our famous Rottnest Quokkas.

This was a truly exciting and memorable experience for our students. Many thanks to Gifted and Talented Program coordinator Darren Hamley for all the preparatory work which made the venture possible.

PERIODIC TABLE PHOTO COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS

Willetton Senior High School Gifted and Talented Program students were the Australian runners up in a Periodic Table photo competition run by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).

The competition involved students creating a photo showcasing an element from the periodic table incorporating a copy of the periodic table.

Our students created a photo of element number 14 Silicon, the main component of our car's solar panels.

ANNIVERSARY OF DOLPHIN WATCH

Our Trash4Splash ocean conservation group was recently invited to speak at the 10th Anniversary of the Dolphin Watch program. The audience included all of the state’s dolphin and cetacean researchers, the executive team from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Minister for Environment Stephen Dawson MLC.

Our students did an excellent job, speaking passionately concerning ocean conservation and in particular about reducing dolphin entanglements.

Darren Hamley Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator

Dr Nahiid Stephens – Pathologist Murdoch University, Charita Byndoor, Kelsie Dowley, Jade Woods, Olivia Anderson

Students during their presentation

PRACTICAL SCIENCE

Following a camp, Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards participants and Gifted and Talented Program students combined to research the water, air and land animals native to Monkey Mia.

Putting their knowledge to a practical use, they worked with technology students to produce an identification chart as a flyer to inform tourists of the many sights available to them.

A great way to help our state’s tourism.

PENGUIN JUMPERS

Students from all year levels have joined together to learn how to knit.

We are knitting tiny jumpers for little penguins that are in a rehabilitation centre in Victoria. The penguins have either lost their feathers or have had them damaged by pollution, so they need a warm coat to get them through to their next month. Once the penguins grow their own feathers, the jumpers will be removed and the penguins will be released back into the water.

Many thanks to the many staff, parents and grandparents who are both helping teach our students to knit as well as knitting jumpers themselves for the penguins.

Darren Hamley Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator

MATHEMATICS OLYMPIADS

There are a number of Mathematical Olympiads held each year across Australia. Exceptionally gifted Mathematics students are identified by the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee using the results from the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC), Australian Mathematical Olympiads and other mathematics competitions and training programs. Forty-five of these are then invited to attend the residential AMOC School of Excellence, which is held each November. In February, approximately 130 students are invited to attempt the Australian Mathematical Olympiad and the best 20 or so of these students are then invited to represent Australia in the correspondence Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad in March. About 45 students are chosen for the AMOC Selection School, including younger students, and then finally, six students plus one reserve, are selected for the International Mathematical Olympiad, held annually around the world in July.

The AMOC program is not only meant to develop future mathematicians. Overseas experience has shown that many choose to work in the fields of engineering, computing, the physical and life sciences while others will study law or go into the business world. We hope that the AMOC Mathematics Problem-Solving Program will help the students to think logically, creatively, deeply and with dedication and perseverance; that is, it will prepare these talented students to be future leaders of Australia.

This year we were very proud to receive an invitation for two of our students to participate in the AMO in February. The same two students were then invited to sit the AMOC Senior Contest, held in September.

Congratulations to Hang Yi Law (Year 11) and Thyler Cung (Year 9) for their participation in such prestigious competitions at an elite level. We look forward to receiving the results of this Senior Contest soon.

AUSTRALIAN INTERMEDIATE MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD

The Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO) is open to students from Year 7 to Year 10, who have performed exceptionally well in AMC competitions and the Western Australian Junior Olympiads. Students who participate in the AIMO receive the same set of ten questions regardless of Academic Year. The four-hour competition is designed to stretch the most talented students with questions of varying difficulty which give the younger students a chance to prove their capabilities. This year the competition was held in September with the following students competing.

Year 7 – Adam El-Fayoumi, Matthew Langford, Dinh Hai (Thavis) Cung, Vincent Ho and Toby Hunt.
Year 8 – Caleb Kum, Rachel Cheong, So-Yeon (Teresa) An, Aiden Chuang, Timothy Nurse and Daniel Marshall.
Year 9 – Thyler Cung, Ian Pinto, Allan Wu and Brian Chan.
Year 10 – Saran Bicknell

These Mathematical Olympiads give talented students an opportunity to be recognised and to participate in activities which will enhance their enjoyment and knowledge of mathematics. They provide experiences for students to challenge themselves and build lifelong problem solving skills.

AUSTRALASIAN PROBLEM SOLVING MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

The Year 7 Gifted and Talented Mathematics classes have been participating in the Australian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) this year. The APSMO is an Australian run competition with five rounds, each with five questions and conducted in class on five different days during terms two and three. Each student receives a mark out of 5 for each round and a final total out of 25 for the competition.

The competition proved to be quite challenging, as we learnt various problem solving strategies and realized the benefits of perseverance.

The top four students, pictured here with their round five papers, were Dinali Illangasinghe, Vincent Ho, Adam El-Fayoumi and Matthew Langford.

THE ARTS

MUSIC

We have had a very busy few weeks with our Bands, Ensembles and Orchestra performing at the various festivals. Students went to Churchlands last week and performed earning themselves an Excellence Award. The classical guitar ensemble visited Carine and earned an Outstanding Award. Congratulations to all.

YOHFEST

Our Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 drama clubs took part in the Youth and Health festival (Yohfest) in Mandurah. Yohfest is a competition run by young people to help support mental health via drama, dance, etc.

Every year, Yohfest travels around the country a gets schools to showcase their performances. Each performance is about 15-20 minutes long and each year a different topic is selected for the students to base their performance around. This year, the theme was belonging. The year 8, 9, 10 and 11 drama clubs won various awards, based on the amount of ‘health points’ which is how strongly the message of belonging is conveyed through the play.

Everyone had an amazing time, and the performances from both the drama club and dance club were stunning thanks to the students’ wonderful ideas and the teachers’ initiative, generosity, guidance and commitment. The audience and the judges alike loved Willetton’s ideas and how they were presented.

Amarni Newton-Lowe Year 8

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

EAGLES CUP FOOTY WINNERS

We had a very successful year in the Eagles Cup with the boys playing ten games in the after-school competition. We started the season well, with plenty of new faces from last year’s side strengthening the helping us get a relatively easy win against Byford Secondary College. Then it was off to Cecil Andrews where we undermanned and we found it difficult to get going and, in the end, fell short of the victory. Now this meant one more loss would have meant season over but from here the boys stepped up and really started playing some fantastic footy. Up next was a game against Emmanuel Christian College with everyone playing well for an easy victory. The next game against Corpus Christi was played in the pouring rain. The horrible weather however didn’t stop us from moving forward with yet another well fought victory. Up next was a showdown against a very strong Court Grammar where an early scare was the only problem the boys had to face and we delivered another comprehensive victory.

The final game of the home and away season was against All Saints where we were far too strong. This meant we had made it into the East Fremantle conference final against Melville who had played off in a different pool. Everyone stepped up for this game and despite a few return goals from Melville in the end we were just the stronger team which meant we were the champions of the East Fremantle division. This meant we had the chance to keep playing on and go head to head with the winners from the other WAFL zones.

In the quarterfinal we were matched up against the Claremont division winners John XXIII. Despite a shaky start, all the boys played top quality football and it was only right that we moved onto the prelims. It was here we once again faced Court Grammar, who were the winners of the South Fremantle division and beaten the Peel division winners. Once again, a few early goals from Court Grammar were the only worries of the game with us securing our spot in the grand final to play Swan district winners Chisholm Catholic College.

The grand final was the hardest fought game that we had had all season with Chisholm playing tough physical footy. We kicked the first goal of the game but after that it was neck and neck throughout the first half. The pressure continued through to the second half but some late game heroics and an amazing display of heart from the boys meant a two-point victory to us in a nail-baiting game and the Eagles Cup Premiership for Willetton Senior High.

Bailey Mitchell Year 9

GIRLS MIDDLE DIVISION NETBALL WINNERS

The team consisted of Year 9 and 10 girls with the support of one Year 7 and one Year 8 against Melville SHS (a Specialist Netball School) was fantastic. It was a very hard game which went into overtime with our team winning by one goal.

Congratulations to all. Mia Jacobs won MVP. The Principal of Melville SHS emailed our Principal congratulating the girls on their win.

Ms Andrea Wheeler HPE Teacher

JUNIORS BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL

This year, the boys and girls Junior School Basketball teams have celebrated success. We started with wins at the zone carnival held at Willetton stadium. Both teams finished first, after defeating Kennedy Baptist College. This saw our teams advance through to the district final, which was held in Kalamunda at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

The South of the River finals was the next stage and the boys had a couple of tough games, but managed to pull through and defeat Mazenod College in the semi-final, bringing them to another undefeated run to get into the grand final against Kingsway Christian College. The girls had a pretty straight forward run until a close game against Mandurah Catholic College. After a near loss, they pulled through and managed to get to the semi-final where they played Kennedy once again. It was a fast paced game and they managed to come out on top, putting them into the grand final against their long-time rival, Woodvale Senior High School.

The WA State Grand Finals were held at the Bendat Basketball Centre. Both teams walked in nervous, yet excited. The girls were up first, with a low scoring start, but they got into gear and took control of the game. They had a ten-point lead going into the half time break, but Woodvale came out hard in the second half with multiple second chance efforts, bringing it back to a 3-point margin. The girls fought hard to extend their lead and managed to come away with a ten-point win. Willetton’s Year 9 student Katie Duncan was awarded MVP of the game.

The boys game started soon after, with the Willo boys being a little flat to begin. Kingsway came out firing taking an early 6-0 lead. The boys responded with some strong defensive stops which lead to transition scores and a couple of quick baskets. The boys led the game by ten at the half time break, but they knew it wouldn’t be an easy game. Kingsway guard, Ethan Elliot, came out hitting consecutive three point shots, including a half court buzzer beater. By the fourth quarter, Willetton lead by a small margin, but soon after, figured out how to stop Kingsway’s scoring guard. It was a one-point game until the final seconds, with Pat Odingo at the free throw line. Under huge pressure, he knocked down both free throws to give the boys a three-point lead. This was then followed by a quick defensive stop, as the clock ran down, giving the Willo boys a tight, three-point win in what was a fantastic game. Kingsway’s point guard, Ethan Elliott won the MVP award with an amazing 49 points.

Congratulations to all involved. It is a fantastic achievement to have both of our Junior basketball teams be crowned the State Champions.

Ella Doyle and Blake Fido Year 9

JUNIOR GIRLS GRAND FINAL TEAM

Ella Doyle, Tayah Morgan, Katie Duncan, Alex McCaughan, Jess Mantle, Tyana Kane, Holly Morgan, Taylah Haboldt, Bethany Banister-Jones, Zahara Valentine, Vanessa Jorquera, Monique Williams
Assistant Coach: Tia Morgan

Junior Girls Team

JUNIOR BOYS GRAND FINAL TEAM

Luke Butera, Henry Counsel, Blake Fido, Aiden Fitzgerald, Travis Lee, Camden McGillivray, Patrick Odingo, Lucas Orsi, Cooper Rich, Nic Lahiri.
Assistant Coach: Tyler Kohr

Junior Boys Team

SENIOR TOUCH FOOTBALL CARNIVAL

We entered three teams this year in the WA School Sport Senior Carnival at George Burnett Park in Manning, two boys’ and one girls’ team. They played many other schools from all over the Perth metropolitan region, with nearly 70 teams in attendance for the competition. The weather was a perfect spring day, with plenty of welcome sunshine.

The Willetton boys’ A team played exceptionally well in their pool, winning three solid games, but sadly losing a very close game to Lakelands who went on to make the semi-finals, but not the grand final. Willetton A ended a very credible 11th place overall, which was a fantastic achievement given the stiff competition.

The Willetton boys’ B team also played well with two wins, a draw and a loss in their respective pool. The players displayed excellent ball skills and demonstrated some great teamwork. Unfortunately, they failed to make it into the top 20 teams in the boy’s division.

The Willetton girls’ team finished 10th overall on the day, such a fabulous effort. The girls team had some hard fought games, particularly from Lakelands SHS. They came away with three wins, a draw and one loss for the day, which was a great result given a couple of injuries to players sustained during play.

As usual, the behaviour and sportsmanship displayed by all the students was fabulous. It is always such a pleasure to take Willetton SHS students away to competitions and every student who attended played their hearts out all day. Congratulations to every player for such a wonderful effort.

Ms Fapani and Ms Greenham Coaches

Senior Girls Touch Team

Senior Boys Touch Team

YEAR 10 HEALTH STUDIES - WELLBEING DAY

On Thursday September 19, the Year 10 Health Studies classes ran a whole school Wellbeing Expo at recess and lunch. There were competitions, an animal farm, blender bikes and plenty of prizes to be won. The theme of the expo revolved around mental and physical wellbeing. A friendly and lively atmosphere surrounded the crowd and every so often, encouraging cheers could be heard. The expo was planned to take place in the quadrangle; however, due to the unexpected rain, there were some last minute changes. We shifted our stalls to the space outside the cafeteria which gave the expo a cosier feel. Both classes worked very hard and this was evident in the smooth running and success of the day with plenty of student and staff involvement.

Special mention must go to Miss Harrington, Ms Andrews and Mr McLean who all accepted the Smoothie Revenge challenge and to Nigel and his amazing pets from Incredible Creatures. Also thank you to Mrs Jennings for her guidance and support in both the planning and running of the expo.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers and the Wellbeing Committee on-site that supervised the area and helped the students set up and pack up. It was a fantastic opportunity to spread the word about mental health and get people engaged. We had a really fun day and behalf of the two year 10 Health Studies classes, thank you.

Hardi Vyas Year 10

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

2019 COMPETITIONS

GEOGRAPHY

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

There were 73 500 students Australia wide from 792 state and private schools who took part in the 2019 Australian Geography Competition The competition was very 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 were tested.

The following 18 students are to be commended on their fine results, achieving a certificate of HIGH DISTINCTION and finishing in the top 1% in Australia.

Year 7 -Isaac Ngui, Ethan Paget, Oliver Timming and Reuben Riddle
Year 8 – Ryan Bringans and Tashan Kirubagaran, So-Yeon (Teresa An), Jade Regel and Gavin Wu
Year 9 – Gwendelyn Chee Kim Ling, Robert Lewis, Andrew McKenzie, Allan Wu and Lucas Riddle
Year 10 –Samantha Douglas-Whisson, Ryan Houghton, Mihir Pareek and Laura Vickery

Special congratulations to;

Year 8 – Gavin Wu, who achieved the equal top score for his year group in Western Australia
Year 9 – Lucas Riddle, who achieved the highest score in Western Australia for his year group

HISTORY

In Term 2, students from Year 10 mainstream and Gifted and Talented Program classes had their history skills challenged when they participated in the annual Australian History Competition. We had 62 entries in this year’s competition.

The skills tested included the analysis and use of resources, perspective, interpretation, chronology, recall of historical knowledge and concepts and applying these to different contexts.

Seven students achieved High Distinction certificates with scores over 84% and a further 15 students achieved distinction certificates with scores between 76-82%. The following students were the high distinction certificate winners.

Special mention to Felix Rego as he achieved the highest score at Willetton SHS, with 92%. The Willetton average score was 72% and the national average score was 61%.

John Maxwell Head of Humanities and Social Sciences

LANGUAGES

CONGRATULATIONS to Mabel Mathew from Year 11, the 2019 winner of the Kinshou Scholarship to Japan. Gold Intercultural Learning offers an exchange scholarship to Japan to one Australian Year 10 or Year 11 student studying Japanese at any high school in WA.

This scholarship is for travel to Japan for up to a maximum of two months studying at a local Japanese high school and staying with a host family.

Mabel will attend regular classes alongside local students and participate in after-school club activities. She will also receive Japanese language and cultural lessons that will help her settle into the new environment and build on her existing skills.

Nathan Harvey Head of Languages

Haruko Nomoto, Mabel Mathew, Mr Jason Hutchinson - Managing Director – Gold Intercultural Learning and Principal Mr Trevor Hunter

LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF, LOOKING AFTER YOUR STUDENTS

As the Teacher Development School for Languages, the Languages department recently partnered with the Modern Language Teachers’ Association to host a professional learning event about student and teacher wellbeing. The event was attended by more than 60 languages teachers from schools around WA.

The keynote address, Teachers as resources: further advancing ourselves and the profession, was presented by our own Nathan Harvey. The address looked at teacher standards and personal attributes and promoted the idea that the languages teacher is the single most powerful resource in promoting the value of language learning.

Other sessions included preparing the body to learn, encouraging speaking and listening skills, mindfulness in the classroom, coding and ICT in the classroom and adding value with authentic audio-visual resources.

Marilyn Onishi Head of Learning Area Languages

WAATI ITALIAN EXAM COMPETITION

Each year, the Western Australian Association of Teachers of Italian run the WAATI Exams Competition for students in Years 10, 11 and 12. These exams are aligned with the WACE Curriculum in Italian. All students sit the written paper, which includes listening and reading tasks. The papers are then marked by experienced markers and the top ten students at each year level become finalists and participate in an oral exam. Prizes are awarded to the top three students at each year level after the oral exams scores have been included in the exam scores.

Willetton performed sensationally with finalists in each category. This was more than any other school in WA. Not only were our students finalists, but were also prize winners in each category.

Congratulazioni to the following students:

Year 12: Jae Brieffies 2nd place, Sarah Singho finalist

Jae was also the only Year 12 student in the competition to achieve 100% in her oral exam.

Kylie Carroll Teacher of Italian

YEAR 12 JAPANESE 会話ディー

To assist the Year 12 students with their preparation for Semester 2 and WACE practical exams, Willetton SHS Languages department in collaboration with the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of WA ran a Kaiwa Day (conversation day) Saturday September 7.

We have been running this day at Willetton for the last seven years and the aim is to provide Year 12 ATAR students with the opportunity to practise their conversation skills; obtain practical exam hints and clarify procedures with experienced examiners. Over 160 WA students attended, coming from as far as Busselton and Albany. Teachers who are not teachers of Year 12 were welcome to join us on the day as part of their professional development, to gain an insight into ATAR examination procedures and standards. More than 40 Japanese language teachers attended.

The students were divided into groups of around five, according to their speaking ability. They worked with four different teachers throughout the day, spending half an hour on each of the major topics in the Year 12 course. We also gave a one hour ATAR tips session, providing advice about how best to succeed.

To all students undertaking practical exams next month: がんばってください。

Haruko Nomoto and Erina Araki Year 12 Japanese Teachers

JAPANESE LANGUAGE SPEECH CONTEST

Lana Christie, Year 11, recently entered the Japanese language speech contest. The aim of the WA Senior School Japanese Language Speech Contest is to encourage students of Japanese to showcase their language skills in a challenging environment. Lana’s speech was titled My Dream When I Was a Child. After delivering their speech, contestants were asked questions based on the content of their speech.

Lana is to be congratulated on her excellent delivery and presentation.

Haruko Nomoto Japanese Teacher

Lana delivering her speech

MATHS

AMC COMPETITION

In August, students across Australia and overseas participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition known as the AMC.

Our school had 382 students from Years 7 to 12 competing in this challenging problem-solving competition. We are very pleased to announce that we have six prize winners.

AMC 2019 Prize Winners

L-R: Vincent Ho, Timothy Nurse, Toby Hunt, Daniel Marshall, Principal Trevor Hunter, Head of Mathematics Zoe Tay, Thyler Cung, Felix Rego

Each one of these students scored in the top third of the top 1%.

Huge congratulations to these students.

We also had 26 other students who achieved a high distinction by obtaining a score that ranked them in the top 3% for their year.

AMC 2019 High Distinction Award Winners

TOP THREE STUDENTS IN EACH YEAR GROUP AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

CLASSPAD SEMINARS FOR YEAR 12 ATAR STUDENTS

The Mathematics department have again held the very successful classPad seminars for each of the three ATAR Mathematics courses over the last few weeks.

Students have found these seminars to be extremely helpful and well worth the time spent.

The opportunity to spend an afternoon after school to sharpen our abilities in operating the classPad was definitely a useful experience. The seminar allowed us to identify points of error and areas of improvement in our classPad usage and it subsequently enhanced our capacity to use this electronic aid much more efficiently during the time pressure of examinations. Overall a useful and informative session.

Mihan De Silva

The Charlie Watson classPad workshop was beneficial and taught me how to use more complex functions and programs on my classPad. He went through some 2018 maths applications exam questions and worked through them step by step, giving us a better understanding of the exam style questions. He gave us details to access his online tutorials that provide more tips when using the clasPad. A very helpful and informative workshop. Would definitely recommend.

Jasleen Kaur

MS COPE’S YEAR 8s

Ms Cope’s Year 8 Extension Mathematics class took advantage of the good weather to explore linear algebra kinaesthetic model. The students formed a human graph on the handball courts which served as a Cartesian plane of x- and y- axes. Nine students started by standing on a number along the x-axis. The teacher then gave a verbal instruction for a linear rule, e.g. double your number and add 1. The students moved to the y-value that corresponded to their number substituted into the rule.

The activity provided a fun kinaesthetic model for building and analysing graphs.

Year 8 students forming a human graph on the handball court

SCIENCE

WOMEN IN PHYSICS DAY 2019 – AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS

The keynote speech was delivered by Dr Helen Maynard-Casely, a physicist from ANSTO. The topic was on the benefits of Neutron Scattering. In August, 60 students, predominantly girls attended this event at John Curtin College of the Arts auditorium.

A panel discussion comprising Dr Maynard-Casely, Dr Stephen Parker from the AIP Science communicator, Leah Kalimeris was followed by a quiz.

The highlight of the day was our Year 11 Gifted and Talented student, Allison Ng who enthralled the audience by reciting from memory, the names of all the 118 elements in the Periodic Table.

Kathleen Davies and Mita Munshi Scienc Teachers

Allison Ng

MORE 2019 SCIENCE WEEK ACTIVITIES

A paper plane competition was organised by Hao Ta, our Science Extension Coordinator.

Year 9 students, Criston Wong and Yoganavel Kanagarajah were the proud winners of this competition with their paper plane flying the farthest from the balcony in J Block.

Lance Taylor, Head of Learning Area and Gurdeep Singh, both experienced Chemistry teachers demonstrated a highly exothermic reaction (one that releases heat to the environment), which is used in industry for welding.

Mita Munshi Science Teacher

Science Teacher Gurdeep Singh demonstrates the reaction

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

CAREER AND ENTERPRISE - SMALL BUSINESS

It’s all about teamwork. Teamwork. Teamwork.

Year 12 Career and Enterprise General students were set the task to plan, develop and run a small business on the school campus. The goal was to generate a turn over to cover the advance of $35 and then to maximise profit.

The challenges: all steps of the business needed to be approved and signed off by stakeholders in the school, from the principal to the support of Graeme Mason distributing tables and Bev Clarke managing monies in the Business office. Students needed to share roles and responsibilities, be sure to support each other and extend their selling abilities against competition…. And make sure the tables were in place for business at recess. The pressure was on. Selling was enthusiastic.... and LOUD.

OG Ice-cream’s Robert Hebbs’ efforts have set a very high bench mark for marketing. A banner advertising sale of the groups’ ice-creams with toppings, was draped across the walkway leading from the school during the last session of the day before business…. Advertising for the captive audience of 2000 leaving school grounds.

Businesses were varied including dodgeball, hot chocolates, lemonade, the most amazing strawberry and blueberry fruit sticks, banana cakes and bread, cupcakes, honey joys and brownies. Special thanks to families who supported groups with use of their kitchens to prepare the food.

It was a great outcome for all with profits ranging from $24 through to $158 to total $720. Congratulations to all.

All profits will be donated to the following charitable organisations, identified by the classes: Perth Children’s Hospital, Ride to Conquer Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis WA, Breast Cancer WA, Beyond Blue, Clean up Australia, Youth Focus Inc WA and The Cancer Council WA.

Many thanks to the Willetton SHS community for their support of the Year 12 Career and Enterprise Small Businesses.

Ruth Barratt and Sally Russell Career and Enterprise Teachers

YEAR 9

YEAR 9 RIVER CRUISE

The Year 9 social was held on September 17. It was another river cruise and once again it was incredible. We had a total of 268 students attend the cruise and $2 of each ticket sold went to the Cancer Council as part of our fundraising this year. So that is already $536 we have raised in just some students going to one event. The boat staff there were excellent and thank you so much to the school staff that came along as well.

It was great to see those that went dressed up for the event (we all looked superb and our styles ranged from Blake in a Hawaiian shirt to girls in formal dresses and jumpsuits). It was awesome that we had some people attend that weren’t there last year, and it was a chance for us to all bond and socialize a bit more as a cohort. This time of the term is always stressful for everyone because of tests and assignments but the cruise was a chance for everyone to take a load of, let our hair down and have some fun (luckily no-one dropped their iPhone 7 overboard this time).

The best part of the evening was when Dancing Queen came on and everyone started singing and dancing. It was great to see and definitely showed that even though we can all butt heads with one another occasionally it was great that we could all share the fun and enjoyment of a night like this. I am sure we will all remember in years to come this amazing night even if all we do remember was Thomas Stearne’s dancing or Bailey and Ethan’s dance battle. Overall the night was a brilliant success and everyone that attended had a marvelous and unforgettable time. We all look forward to our next social.

Jemma Walker Year 9

YEAR 10

OUTBACK WRITERS’ FESTIVAL COMPETITION WINNER

The competition is called the ‘Outback Writers’ Festival and held as part of a festival in Winton, Queensland. I found the competition only three days before the due date, so I quickly wrote a story and submitted it. To my surprise, I found a package outside my house about two months after submission that contained a free copy of an anthology of short stories that had my story published in it. They shortly after sent me my $300 prize and I’m currently waiting for a trophy to arrive.

Skyler Barnett Year 10

Skyler Barnett with Principal Trevor Hunter

RIVER CRUISE

What a night! This was the best school social I have ever been to. It was a clear sky, the sun had set and the city lights lit up the night. Our boat left the docks, and the fun began.

Upstairs had tables and chairs, where most of the teachers sat, and the best spot to take photos of the city. It was filled with people taking photos of themselves and their friends. The food was small but delicious and the drinks were endless. Upstairs was the quiet area but downstairs was on a whole new level. There were drinks, there was food, there was singing and dancing. It was also the hottest place on the boat. But the best part about it was that everyone was having fun. The DJ played the songs like an instrument, the lights flashed and the boat swayed left to right as people moved and grooved.

As the food was running low and the sugar highs slowed, the boat pulled into the dock leaving everyone with memories and tired legs. We all had the best time. What a night.

Corey Rynvis Year 10

ZERO2HERO MENTAL HEALTH FORUM

On Thursday September 5, I had the pleasure to attend the In Your Head Expo organised by Zero2Hero at the Perth Concert Hall with wellbeing representatives from Years 7- 12. In Your Head is a Youth Mental Health Forum designed for students and teachers to maintain good mental health and support those around us. The forum featured famous keynote speakers notably Heath Black, Nic Emmerson, Alyssa Azar and many more. They shared their own story on their path to success and how mental health played a significant role.

The forum also featured a variety of seminars of which we could attend two. I chose Social Media and Self-care and Urban Yoga and Mindfulness. I loved the seminars because I learnt different aspects of social media, especially how it could influence your sleep and your subconscious mind. Urban yoga and mindfulness portrayed how small techniques such as breathing deeply and practising meditation can improve a person’s wellbeing, reduce stress and improve energy levels.

I thought that the expo was a huge success for students and teachers alike, as it enlightened us about the importance of adolescent mental health and practical skills which we could use to support our wellbeing. Thanks to Ms Harrington on behalf of all wellbeing representatives for giving us the opportunity to attend this event.

Rohan Kumar Year 10

YEAR 11

As Term 3 draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on the major events that have taken place within the Year 11 cohort. This term has flown by as students are busy preparing for their Semester 2 exams, which will take place in weeks 5 and 6 of Term 4. The Year 11 Council has been working hard to prepare for the Yearbook, the Year 12 Ball and the Councillor Forum, which we will be hosting for the first time, and I think everyone can agree that it is almost time for a well-deserved break during the Term 3 holidays.

In the latter half of the term, the Year 11 Council has been working tirelessly to organise the Leaver’s Jackets, which is an exciting process for everyone. After numerous meetings and extensive research, they decided on three jacket designs which were then presented to the cohort at an assembly. Following this, students had the opportunity to vote on which jacket they preferred, as well as voting on a design for the back of the jacket. For the first time, the leavers’ jackets will be reversible, with a thicker material on the outside and a shower-proof layer on the inside. The jacket chosen by the cohort is a navy body with burgundy sleeves, whilst the inside of the jacket is a blue body with white sleeves and features the names of every member of the cohort. In week 8, students had the opportunity to try sample jackets for sizing, as well as choosing personalised nicknames for the backs of their jackets, prior to placing orders in week 10.

In addition to this, there have been a number of other significant events throughout the term. In week 8, many Year 11 students participated in the Willo All Stars competition, either dancing or performing musical items before a panel of judges. Congratulations to all students who had the courage to take the stage and present their talent in front of their fellow students, it is an achievement for everyone. Year 11s Ivan Liew, Johanna Lundblad and Ben Kezic were all winners.

Johanna Lundblad and Ivan Liew performing at the Year 11 assembley

In week 10 this term, students, including a large number of Year 11s, will depart for the Japanese Study Tour, followed by the French Tour, which will take place throughout the holidays and into week 1 next term. These study tours provide an excellent opportunity for students to engage with the language and apply their acquired knowledge in a cultural environment. Along with the Italian Study Tour, which took place in April, they have provided the opportunity to all those students studying an ATAR language to improve their skills and gain a greater cultural understanding. We hope that everyone travelling overseas with the school enjoys themselves and benefits from this unforgettable experience.

Thanks to everyone for your hard work throughout the term, we hope that you have a prosperous end to the year and do well in all of your assessments and exams. Enjoy the holidays and a well-deserved break.

Jack Killoh Year 11 Councillor

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP - YEAR 8, 2020

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 2020.

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 2020.

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

• The WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship 2020 award and certificate
• Payment of 2020 Year 8 subject contributions and charges
• $300 uniform voucher, donated by Uniform Concepts
• Leadership training opportunities

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

Applications close 2.00pm Thursday October 31, 2019. Late applications cannot 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 15, 2019 with interviews scheduled to take place on Thursday November 21, 2019.

The successful applicant will be notified by Monday November 25, 2019.

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 MEMBERSHIP FUNDRAISER

There are just a few 2019/2020 Entertainment Books left 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. Books are available for immediate collection or you can purchase the digital membership.

To view a virtual copy click the link below.

Click below to purchase

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.

STOP PRESS

Purchase tickets to the Perth Royal Show through Willetton Senior High School Board, and you will save 25% on your tickets! Plus, we will receive a portion of the proceeds towards our Student Leadership Development Program.

Simply go to the link below and use PROMO CODE: Royalshow19543

You do not need to have an Entertainment membership to access this promotion.

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. To date, over $450 has been raised just from supporters shopping at Gilbert’s.

SECOND-HAND BOOKSHOP

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

Students are encouraged to bring in their books as early as possible, in order to have them catalogued and on the shelves ready to be sold when the demand is highest. Please do not bring in books that are no longer on the booklist, as we are unable to sell them nor have the facility to store them.

We also stock a range of lower school resource material, calculators, class pads, math-o-matts and language dictionaries.

Current Year 10 and Year 11 students are invited to visit the second hand bookshop to purchase Year 11 and Year 12 booklist requirements for 2020. Many of the textbooks are half to two thirds the price of new textbooks. 2020 booklists will be available later in Term 4.

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SHOP

The second hand uniform shop is serviced by a dedicated team of vibrant and friendly parent volunteers. We gratefully receive your donation of 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 OFFICER

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 – SOCIAL MEDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH

Thank you to Andrea Preiato from Helping Minds who gave an insightful talk on the links between social media and mental health on Friday September 20. Andrea covered the topics of what is mental health and mental illness, what are the positive and negative impacts of social media on mental health, how can we use social media in a healthy way and how can we help a friend who has mental health challenges.

Parent feedback included;

• I really appreciate these events related to children, excellent
• I am planning to turn off the Wi-Fi after nine o’clock. I really find it a good idea.
• Parent modelling of technology use is important
• I plan to talk to my child about their interest in games and social media. Open the communication lines.
• Communicate with my child by playing games, find out what they like. Not to ban the activities, but set some boundaries for online gaming
• Building resilience through open communication

Some useful resources include:
Parenting WA Line (WA) 08 6279 1200 or 1800 654 432
eheadspace.org.au or 1800 650 890
Kidshelpline.com.au or 1800 551 800

SAVE THIS DATE – FRIDAY DECEMBER 6

Our last meeting for the year will go out with a bang as we celebrate Christmas together.

Come along for a fun afternoon, dressed in your Christmas reds and/or greens.

Where: Willetton SHS Staff Room
Time: 12 noon to 1.00pm

Please a bring a plate of food to share.

If you wish to take part, please also bring along a wrapped Secret Santa present of $5-$10 value.

Please RSVP your attendance to willoparent@gmail.com by December 4 and let us know if you are bringing a sweet or savoury dish.

STAFF APPRECIATION MORNING TEA – HELP NEEDED

Later in Term 4, the School Board will host a morning tea to thank all staff for the hard work they have put in to teaching, supporting and nurturing our children. If you would like to assist by providing a plate of homemade goodies, please contact Helen Wong by October 18 for further details. It would be wonderful to thank the staff through a range of foods from different countries to illustrate just how multicultural our 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.