20 August 2020

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Nola Regan

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

We hope you enjoyed our last newsletter which outlined the achievements Willetton students over the last 10 years. We are always interested in the next chapter for our alumni and the school’s contribution to their life journey. As well, we know that many are willing to contribute to the success of our present students and encourage them to contact Ms Samantha Newman at Willetton.shs.alumni@education.wa.edu.au if they are willing to support the many student activities we offer.

Our journey back to normality continued this term and assemblies, work placements, excursions and camps have recommenced. Our students continue to achieve excellent results reflecting their commitment to their studies despite the disruption caused by the virus. Prohibitions still exist however on interstate and overseas excursions which has impacted on such events as the National Schools Basketball Championships and placed restriction on other well established annual events. Information as to the impact on these events will be made available as they become closer.

Award assemblies to honour Semester 1 achievements have been held. We congratulate the many students who worked diligently to attain their success. A list of award recipients appears further in our newsletter. We were especially honoured that the French Honorary Consul, Frederick Flipo attended to present an award.

The DETECT program has now conducted the second round of testing of over 350 staff and students tested with thankfully no positive results. Let us all hope that WA continues to remain the safest place in Australia to live.

We welcome Ms Sacha Bradley to our Executive Team as our second Associate Principal with responsibilities in curriculum and school performance and look forward to the contribution she will make to our continuous improvement cycle. A brief introduction to her appears further in this newsletter.

Recent news indicated that the government has allocated $12.5 million for building of a new classroom block as our student numbers continue to rise. At this stage, details of its exact location are yet to be determined and we will keep you informed as plans progress. We are assured that disruption for staff and students will be minimal and that our input will be substantial. The building is due for completion 2023/24 and will provide first rate accommodation for a large number of students.

Planning for 2021 is well underway. Our operations team is in full swing with subject selection counselling well underway. This is a very important time as all students, especially those in Year 10, are deciding their Year 11 subject selections and whether to pursue an ATAR, General or VET pathway. We find that past performance is a very good indicator of future success when decisions are being considered. Curriculum handbooks are on our website and I encourage you to closely read them.

Trevor Hunter

GENERAL

INTRODUCING SACHA BRADLEY ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

We welcomed Ms Bradley to her new role with us in Week 3 of this term.

Her journey in educational leadership began at Darling Range Sports College where she led the implementation of the original ASSP in Swimming as the Director of Swimming taking on the role of Director of Sport and Deputy Principal before accepting her promotion to Belmont City College as Deputy Principal.

From there, Ms Bradley joined the executive team of the newly built Byford Secondary College in 2014, where she held the position of Associate Principal with the portfolio of Instructional Leadership – Performance Improvement, with a strong focus on the review and reflection of curriculum and pedagogy; and the identification and development of quality teaching practice to improve achievement and educational outcomes for all students.

In her role as Associate Principal at Willetton Ms Bradley will utilise her school leadership experience and knowledge in school improvement with the school community to continue and further enhance the outstanding work that has gone into creating the existing culture of high expectations and achievement at Willetton Senior High School.

SCHOOLTV SPECIAL REPORT: RIDING THE CORONA COASTER

Across Victoria, students and their families are experiencing challenging times with the state being in various stages of lockdown yet again. However, this second wave of the pandemic is now also beginning to impact other areas of Australia and New Zealand. Riding this corona coaster and navigating the ups and downs of the current reality is proving to be confronting for many people. The coronavirus has turned our lives upside down with some students returning to remote learning and parents continuing to juggle the home environment.

The uncertainty of not knowing what will happen next may have an impact on many students and their families. There is a concern that mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and substance abuse, will increase, especially amongst young people. In the coming weeks, it will be vital for adult carers to reduce the stress levels at home and make life seem more manageable.

As an adult carer, it will also be essential to look after your own wellbeing during this time. Ensure you make time to de-escalate your own nervous system and maintain your sleep routine, healthy eating habits, get some regular exercise and reach out virtually to friends and family.

In this Special Report, families are encouraged to embrace the guidance offered to help minimise the impact of this corona coaster. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact our Student Services support team for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report.

SCIENCE EXPERIENCE STEM PROGRAM

The Science Experience is a fun three or four days of science activities for Year 9 and 10 students in the 2020 program year. It is designed to provide students who have an interest in science with an opportunity to engage in a wide range of fascinating science activities under the guidance of scientists who love their work.

The program takes place in our local universities and tertiary institutions, within many different laboratories and lecture theatres. Participants perform experiments in the laboratories, meet and hear senior lecturers in the lecture theatres, attend site visits and walk around and experience what it is like to be on the campus of a university or tertiary institution. More than 80,000 students have taken this rare opportunity.

The program also provides information about further studies in science, technology and engineering. It highlights the wide range of careers that allow students to pursue their interest and abilities in the sciences.

One aspect of the program often commented on by participants is the opportunity to meet and share ideas with students from different schools. Each program includes a BBQ or other social activities.

In 2020 and 2021, the Science Experience will be held at various institutions in Perth. The following table provides the scheduling time and location for the event.

The fee for this program varies from $190 for the 3-day program and $260 for the 4-day program.

As this is a program supported and promoted by Rotary International since its beginnings in 1990, most Rotary clubs are willing to sponsor interested students for full or part of the registration fee. If you wish to seek sponsorship from a Rotary club, then please send the completed application form to a local club for consideration. All enrolment will need to be done before the deadlines stated above.

If you are interested in joining the program or for additional information please visit the following link below for more information.

Students who would like to be involved please email Mr Ta at hao.ta@education.wa.edu.au to register.

Hao Ta Science Teacher

INTERACT CLUB UPDATE: DONATIONS, A FOOD DRIVE, FATHER’S DAY RAFFLE AND LOTS OF POSITIVITY

The Interact Club is a group of students and staff who are committed to making positive change on a local and global scale. We fundraise and volunteer in the community. We are always looking for new members who are enthusiastic and passionate about helping others. We meet every Thursday recess at classroom E5a, and we invite students to come along and be involved with our incredible club.

The past few months for the Interact Club have certainly been challenging. We had five separate fundraising stalls in progress when they were all cancelled due to the Covid-19 restrictions. However, in true Interact Club fashion, we pushed through and looked at non-fundraising initiatives instead.

We started off with a simple card-making activity where members made cards for teachers and loved ones to help spread much-needed positivity during the last few weeks of Term 1.

In Term 2, we brainstormed in separate groups to come up with ideas as a club for what we could do to not only engage our members, but also our school community. As a result, we hosted a positive video competition for the school. The theme the members chose was Smile, a fitting one as we hoped to spread positivity through the club.

We also donated $1500 from our fundraising efforts late last year to Operation Sunshine WA, a Perth based children’s charity that provides support to children in crisis care and out-of-home care. These children are often victims of domestic abuse.

This is an extract from their reply.

[This] money has come at a vital time for us as our own fundraising events have been cancelled. It is vital now more than ever also because of the increase in demand for our emergency packs resulting from Covid-19 related family violence. We have sent out 761 Sunshine Packs since the beginning of the year, to a value of $57,000. We rely heavily on the items donated from the community but at times of great restriction, those donations have reduced considerably, and cash donations are always in short supply. The support of your Interact Club will give us the funds we need to purchase items to finish another order of packs as we have a range of items needed to finish them off.

In Term 3, we hosted a Canned Goods and Non-Perishables Drive for the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Food Pantry project. With the help of members and the school community, we managed to collect more than 360 canned goods and non-perishables. We had two representatives, Jonathan Anthony and Brigitte Field come in to collect the items. They also gave a brief yet inspiring talk about how the food pantry will help those locally in need, and some of the mission work that they've done overseas in places like India and Cambodia.

At present, we are focusing on our upcoming Father's Day fundraising initiatives. We will be selling a variety of cards and hosting a raffle for a Father's Day hamper. We are also hosting our annual tree planting event, a fantastic opportunity to not only help the environment, but also to hone important skills such as teamwork and communication. If you are interested in joining us, more information can be found on this link below.

Portia Misamen Club President

Food for thought: Interact Club members and the WSHS school community collected over 300 food items, donating them to The Pantry, a food bank service run by Mt Pleasant Baptist Church. Interact Club members and facilitating staff are pictured here with Jonathan Anthony and Brigitte Field from the church

SENBAZURU

An initiative was undertaken by several of our Year 12 students this year. This project was begun by the languages department, in particular Ms Munro, Ms Sales and Ms Thong.

In many Asian cultures the crane is a mystical creature believed to live for 1000 years. According to Japanese tradition, anyone with the patience and commitment to fold 1,000 paper cranes will be granted their most desired wish, because they have exhibited the cranes’ loyalty and recreated their beauty. This has also become a symbol of hope and healing during challenging times.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when we found ourselves not only physically, but also emotionally and socially isolated from each other, the Year 12 cohort decided to undertake the task of folding 1000 paper cranes as a symbol of hope and healing. Those who took part in this project demonstrated strength, resilience and fortitude, and it allowed us to come together as a group even when we were separated by physical distance.

At the Academic award ceremony, the Head Boy and Girl, Jack and Deidre, presented a display case which contained exactly 1000 paper cranes as a gift to the school as a symbol of the strength and perseverance during this tumultuous period.

The participation was so great that we also had enough cranes to produce two smaller boxes, one of which will be displayed in the languages block and the other in Student Services.

Thanks to everyone who took part - your efforts were appreciated.

Jack Killoh and Deidre Godin Head Boy and Girl

SEMESTER 1 AWARD WINNERS

YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10

YEAR 11

YEAR 12

Semester 1 Awards

INSPIRE RADIO

Hey there! Want some cool tunes? Megan Lilley (Year 12) and April Rafferty (former student) are going to be hosting a radio show Saturdays from 9am - 12pm on Inspire Radio.

Inspire Radio is an online radio station which focuses on mental health issues across younger minds. We discuss many topics and aim to encourage young people to speak up about mental health within day to day conversation. Through discussing mental health and other issues confronting the youth, we’ll also have a bit of fun to make your Saturday mornings just a little bit better.

We also want this to be a heavy community-driven show, so if there’s any music you want us to play, any topics you want us to discuss, visit the Inspire Radio Online Facebook page or message us on Instagram @megan_april_inspire

Come groove with us every Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm on the link below or visit our Facebook page Inspire Radio Online. We can’t wait to see you there.

Megan Lilley Year 12 and April Rafferty former student

GIFTED AND TALENTED

ECOLOGY INCURSION

To begin the session, university graduate, Alannah Smith, gave us insight into what working on a university campus was like and the different courses that Murdoch provide in relation to the field of ecology. Subsequently, we were given a tour of the Chelodina Wetlands, a reserve located on the Murdoch grounds. Due to current circumstances, we were unable to receive a physical tour and so under the guidance of Catherine Baudains, we watched a recorded visit of this nature reserve. We followed the journey of a turtle through the wetlands, stopping to observe different features of the area such as fungi and quenda burrows. We were also shown how to check water quality using different tools. Following this, Catherine led us through a fun bandicoot game. Using different coloured quenda figures, we had to reach the end of the board. This game included quiz questions on quenda and so we learnt a lot whilst playing. To conclude the session, we did a general ecology quiz.

We all really enjoyed this session and learnt a lot throughout the day.

Melody Furness Year 9

Learning online

TRENCH WARFARE DURING WORLD WAR ONE

The Year 9 Gifted and Talented students treated the HaSS learning area to a great start to Term 3 with a fantastic exhibition of World War One trench systems. Each exhibit consisted of a model trench system accompanied by written elaborations to inform on the features, impact and significance of trench warfare during World War One.

For weeks the exhibits have generated much interest among many students, teachers and visitors to the learning area, and we thank our Year 9 Gifted and Talented students for generously sharing their models.

Please see the photo gallery for a glimpse of the inspirational World War One representations produced by our industrious and dedicated students.

Joy Fourie HaSS Teacher

Year 9 students and their trenches

YEAR 7 – BLACKOUT POETRY

In Term 2, all Year 7 Gifted and Talented Education students took on the challenge of Blackout Poetry. We were given a selection of books which would have been discarded by the library to transform into art. It was a fun, creative project.

Everybody approached this task in various ways. I decided to flick through the book, circle words I liked and attempt to shape them into a poem. I had a lot of fun interpreting my poetry through the redesign of the book. Most of these astonishing works are being displayed in the library, and they look beautiful in the cabinets. Some are deep and thoughtful, others tell a story, but all in all they are inspiring pieces of work.

I think the majority of the class enjoyed this activity for various reasons, maybe because they like drawing on books or redesigning them. I think we really expanded our understanding of poetry through this activity and it kept us more engaged than we usually would be with a topic like poetry. This was one of the most engaging and interactive assignments I’ve ever done, which made it easier to learn.

Sarah Mohd Raya Year 7

We read the book and took note of words that could be useful in our poem. We then wrote a couple of different drafts based on those words and chose the ones that we liked best. After that, we either cut those words out to form our poem, or blacked out all surrounding words using a permanent marker, possibly adding a few creative aspects on the way. After some finishing touches and decorations, as well as checking how good the poem was and improving it.

Doing this project, not only did we have some peace for the last few weeks of term; we also significantly improved our ability to write different types of poems. We also understood key literary elements as well as descriptive and creative aspects. Not only that, but just prior to this module, we studied Shakespeare's sonnets to better comprehend the whole concept of writing poems. We also learnt how to manage a task like this into a short timeframe. This included everything from reading the book to drafts to actually making it. In the end, I felt pleased, and I felt as if I had learnt lots of new things and develop an understanding of writing poems.

Overall, I really enjoyed this project, and I think my peers and I really learnt a considerable amount of new information about literary, descriptive, symbolic and creative aspects.

Muhammad Al-Rafi Year 7

The Year 7s work is displayed in the library for everyone to see their creativity and inventiveness.

Chantel Saunders English teacher

Year 7 Blackout Poetry

YEAR 7 HaSS STUDENTS PRESENT ROMAN READERS’ THEATRE

The Year 7 HaSS students informed and enthralled us with their Roman readers’ theatre pieces bringing us their research on everything from class variations in death and funeral customs to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

Of course, there was also plenty of gladiator action and quite a few Shakespearean quotes along the way. The students work was really impressive as they showed a depth of understanding and did not shirk the complexities of their research topics.

Marg Hale HaSS Teacher

Year 7 students Roman Readers’ Theatre

CSIRO’S SCIENTIST IN SCHOOL IN YEAR 10 GIFTED AND TALENTED SCIENCE

Dr Paola Chivers is a part-time Senior Lecturer and Biostatistician at the Institute for Health Research (IHR) at The University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA). Dr Chivers provides biostatistician consultancy to the university (UNDA) and St John of God Hospital across a range of health topics, and conducts research methodology and statistical workshops for HDRs, clinicians and university staff.

Dr Chivers shared her high level expertise in presenting, analysing and interpreting project data with students during their project phase. Student comments were testimony to their appreciation.

M Munshi Science Teacher

We thank you so much for showing us the chi square table and providing us with a wider perspective on our experiment. We appreciate the help.

Thank you for your valuable time that really benefitted our research experiment, and your amazing input into the way that we represented our various data samples.

We really appreciate all the advice you gave us. Without it, we would have struggled to fully analyse our data.

We are thankful for your input on methods to display our data through the use of Excel. Your knowledge was very valuable to us.

THE ARTS

TAFE META EXHIBITION

The TAFE META exhibition is a showcase of Year 11 and 12 student art from 47 WA schools. Congratulations to Sarah Raphael and Lisa Nguyen for being selected to be in the exhibition for their works Grandma and Be a Man. Sarah was also selected for a highly commendable award which is a fantastic achievement considering the quality of work on showcase. The exhibition is at Central TAFE and will be displayed until August 22.

Ashley Ramsey Visual Arts Teacher

MUSIC NEWS

Having had our forced break from rehearsals, we’ve returned with great gusto. Early morning rehearsals in winter are a special test of commitment. But we’re in the final month of winter now, and as our Guitar Ensemble conductor, Mr Bonini, remarked that at least ensembles now begin after the sun is up!

The Percussion program at Willetton has been given some extra wow factor with the arrival of our new vibraphone. The vibraphone is a significant investment that will enhance the tone colour and sound of our big ensembles. Percussion students Lee Galant-Watts, Ben Cromie and Gabriel Rapanaro said the vibraphone will increase the breadth of repertoire playable by the school’s ensembles, and will provide percussion students with the invaluable opportunity to develop skills in a percussion instrument that is important many styles of music, from jazz to contemporary classical.

Many of our musicians are preparing for Willo All Stars, the Arts Department’s annual talent show, which is held during break times Week 5, Tuesday to Thursday August 18 - 20. All students are welcome to be in the audience on the Wednesday and Thursday Years 7-8 only on the Tuesday.

As with the rest of the world, our usual calendar of events has been significantly curtailed: it is at this time of the year that our ensembles would typically be involved in performances with the various band, orchestra, guitar and choral festivals. In spite of this, we do have some exciting events coming up in our calendar:

Percussion students Lee Gallant-Watts, Ben Cromie and Gabriel Rapanaro celebrate the newest arrival to the percussion family at Willo, the vibraphone

Focused: Year 8 percussion students Jarret Ling and Josephine Ng with members of Middle School Concert Band

Just beat it: Music ATAR students gain insights into composing for the timpani with percussion student Ben Cromie

DANCE

Over the mid-year holidays the dance studio received a face lift with some new LED Lighting to transform it into an intimate performance space.

Year 10 Student Luke Smith pictured above helping install, patch and operate the lights.

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Visitors to the PAC will notice some new updates as we installed photos of our talented Willetton Dance students. Many thanks to Peter Stone from Big Picture Factory for these stunning images and the dedicated Willetton Maintenance and Grounds team for their assistance in the installation. Next time you are walking through take a look at the many talents and dance styles here at Willetton.

GUEST WORKSHOPS

Thanks to Covid-19 restrictions easing we were able to bring in a variety of guest teachers for a series of workshops at the end of Term 2. Dance Students from Year 7 – 12 experienced challenging choreography and insights from leading industry choreographers. Many thanks to Cardin, Hanna, Marissa and Emma for their energy and inspiration.

ENGLISH

YEAR 7 POETRY

As our borders are closed and we are being encouraged to wander out yonder, there is no better time to be investigating what it means to be an Australian. This term, our Year 7 English classes have been exploring the idea of Australian Identity through the study, and creation of poetry. We are very proud of our students’ achievements, and hope you enjoy their poetry. What does being Australian mean to you?

Year 7 English Teachers

Year 7 Poetry

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

2020 YEAR 8 CATAPULT CHALLENGE

Year 8 students concluded their studies in Term 2 with a challenge that tested their ability to solve problems, work collaboratively and encouraged their creativity. The study of the Medieval World was the major focus of during the term, and included studies of castles and the siege weapons used in the 11th century CE. The challenge presented to students involved working in pairs to construct a catapult using 30 pop sticks, 6 elastic bands, hot and PVA glue.

Each pair was given four sessions (4 hours) to develop a design and construct a working model of their siege weapon to participate in competition.

The first stage of competition was at the classroom level and involved each pair firing a plastic dice from their catapult and the best distance recorded from two attempts. The winning pair for each class received trophies for their efforts and to acknowledge their classroom winning status.

The final stage of competition involved the classroom winning teams firing off in the Year 8-catapult challenge championship. The rules of engagement were the same as the classroom competitions, however on this occasion the pairs were competing for the much sought-after Year 8 championship trophies. The champion of the first stage of the competition was Rohan Zaman, from Mr Hendry’s class with an impressive distance of 16.25 metres. Here is his evaluation of the experience.

My experience of making the catapult was great fun. HaSS has never really been a fun or enjoyable subject for me, but when I heard about the catapult competition I wanted to enter. I had some experience of making catapults in primary school, so I had an idea of what to make. The record to beat was 18 metres and when I tested my catapult for the first time, it only went 2 metres. So, I had a new idea and made a new catapult. This time it went much further than it did before, it launched the dice 14 metres. My favourite part of the competition was when I was announced as the winner of the competition and was given the trophy. I’ve earned quite a few certificates and a small number of trophies, but I have never earned a trophy in HaSS. In the future, I will look back on this day and remember the moment when my catapult beat everyone elses.

And the feedback from our other Year 8 Champions.

Hi, this is Livinia Chinnery and Owen Sigley and we are winners of our class competition and champions for the cohort 2020 Catapult Competition. Throughout our competition journey we had ups and downs, but we didn’t give up. On our first attempt to make a catapult Owen couldn’t contain his enthusiasm, and against Mr Maxwell’s best advice, he used our catapult before the glue had time to set. This resulted in our catapult breaking, which only left us 20 minutes on the last session to reconstruct it. Thankfully, the second model was much improved. Our determination and focus allowed us to win our class competition and then go on to win the year group competition against seven other class winning teams. Our best distance of 15.8 metres gave us victory over the next best team, who fired a distance of 15.45 metres.

All the Year 8s conducted themselves in a sporting like manner during competition, cheering the championship participants. The final designs demonstrated a high standard of creativity and techniques for construction, they also demonstrated their willingness and ability to meet the challenge.

John Maxwell HoLA Humanities and Social Sciences

Spectators at The Champions Competition

MOCK TRIAL COVID STYLE

This year the Mock Trial team were disappointed when the competition at the Supreme Court was cancelled due to Covid-19. The students decided they would like to run a trial at school and we were lucky enough to have our own Justice Toohey preside over the case before a public gallery of HaSS teachers. With a little fine tuning of advocacy skills, the current Year 11s should make a formidable team next year.

Thanks again to our coach, Astrid Sweeney, a former Willetton student who will be taking up a position as Judge’s Associate in the Supreme Court of WA next year. We wish her well in her exciting new position.

Marg Hale Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher

Year 11 students conducting a mock trial

CELEBRATING HaSS WEEK 2020

A week of fun activities commenced in HaSS with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony performed by Neville Collard. The Aboriginal students and a group of Year 9 students were lucky to be involved in the ceremony and a yarn with Neville afterwards

Thanks to everyone who submitted posters for the HaSS Week poster competition. Our three winners are Inabia Kashif and Shree Sarvesh Venkataraman from Year 7 and Zara Touihri from Year 11 whose posters are pictured below.

Posters by Inabia and Shree

Zara’s poster

Smoking Ceremony

CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP

Mrs Kloosterman’s Year 7 class started off their study of Civics and Citizenship with a digital excursion to the Museum of Australia Democracy in Canberra. We were taken on an interactive tour of Old Parliament House by our guide Adam.

We learnt the history of Old Parliament House, and went into the House of Representatives and the Senate. We were told that the Prime Minister’s office had a hidden peep hole, so his secretary could see when he was busy. We saw the public galleries of both houses and found that they had strict rules to make sure people behaved. This excursion was really fun.

Caitlin Ingram, Selina Sutherland and Marc Elsey Year 7

Our digital excursion to the Museum

YEAR 7 ANCIENT HISTORY

Part of the Year 7 HaSS curriculum is to study Ancient History. This year my group of students was challenged to undertake some research on the ancient civilisations of either Rome, China, India or Egypt and to then create an artefact and museum label for an exhibition in the school library. As part of the planning for the artefact they had to complete a booklet to guide them to firstly conduct a feasibility study on four possible artefacts. Once they decided on an artefact to make they then had to draw and design it and explore what the item was used for and how it influenced the particular civilisation of the time. The library ladies complimented the exhibition with several books on the Ancient World.

Louise Eksteen HaSS Teacher

Year 7 students and their work

LANGUAGES

EUROPEAN UNION EXCELLENCE IN LANGUAGE AWARD – ANNA SIEW

The European Union Delegation to Australia has awarded the European Union Excellence in Language Awards to Anna Siew, the top Willetton student in Year 11 ATAR French. The 2020 Award Certificate and $200 Dymocks voucher was presented at the senior school Academic Awards Ceremony by the Honorary Consul Mr Frederic Flipo, from the French Consulate in Perth.

Anna Siew and Honorary Consul Mr Frederic Flipo

Mr Flipo addressed students and parents at the ceremony, highlighting the important links between France and Australia. He also visited our Languages department after the ceremony to meet with all of the teachers of French. Mr Flipo talked with the teachers about ways in which the Consulate and our school could work even more closely together to support our students.

Nathan Harvey Head of Languages

YEAR 6 JAPANESE ACADEMIC EXTENSION PROGRAM

As part of Federal goals to further increase the number of students graduating from secondary school with competence in an Asian language, the Year 6 Japanese Academic Extension Program is held on our campus where students can access specialist facilities and the expertise of the Japanese language teachers. Students from Burrendah, Rostrata and Willetton Primary Schools and are selected on the basis of their academic achievement and interest in Japanese language and culture.

Students gain entry to the Japanese language extension program in Year 7 (upon satisfying normal enrolment requirements to WSHS). If students maintain exemplary results in high school, they remain in the extension pathway. The positive outcome for them is that they gain additional intellectual stimulation and have the benefit of an accelerated pathway to excellent results in Year 11 and 12 Japanese.

So far this year, students have been learning about Japanese culture, their celebrations and the country’s importance in the world. They have also learnt greetings, introductions and basic classroom commands as well as to read and write the Hiragana script. This term, students are learning about shopping in Japan. They are collecting yen and are learning how to buy things in Japanese.

Year 6 Japanese Extension Program

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL – LANGUAGES

For the last nine years, Willetton SHS has been the Department of Education Teacher Development School for Languages. Our languages team provides tailored professional learning to best meet the needs and context of teachers of all languages K-12 in WA public schools, providing provide practical support for whole school planning, teaching, learning and assessment in languages. The TDS initiative acknowledges that teachers learn best from other teachers.

Recently, Willetton languages teachers have provided support to other schools in preparing for and advancing the new WA Curriculum for Languages, assessment and maximising performance in Year 11 and 12 courses and strategies for success in Year 7.

YEAR 12 ATAR EALD

On Friday July 3, 2020, the Languages Department organised an incursion for Year 12 English as an Additional Language (EALD) students. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to participate in the full day incursion.

My day started at 8.30 am, when my classmates and I gathered at the lecture theatre. Ron Bradfield Jr, a guest speaker, gave a talk about modern Indigenous experiences. The speaker shared his culture and stories, which I found very interesting. What I found more engaging, though, was when he answered questions and elaborated on how the current #BlackLivesMatter movement can be the start of mutual understanding between all Australians. His response wasn’t only worth noting for the WACE exams, but it will help me stay informed of the current status quo and how history still remains relevant in modern day Australia.

Later on, my classmates and I discussed some WACE questions and had some practise with graph interpretations.

We watched the film Rabbit Proof Fence, a heartbreaking story of three Indigenous children. (Of course, popcorn and chocolates were provided by our kind and generous teachers). After a lunch break, we had a discussion session with our school alumni, who are currently studying in various fields. The session was very informative since we got to talk about specific study concerns in small groups. We even managed to exchange contacts, which would come in handy if a random question finally decides to pop up hours after they left.

It was a very fruitful day and I enjoyed my time at every single session. This incursion should definitely be part of next year’s agenda.

Amani Azlan Year 12

Having a full day incursion for EALD was excellent, especially for us, Year 12 EALD students. We got to learn about history and culture from an Indigenous person who shared his stories and feelings with us.

Also, the selection of the film Rabbit Proof Fence was a good source for us to understand the sorry history of Australian Indigenous people and the stolen generations. In addition, we could use this in our future studies and exams.

For me, my favourite part of the day was the conversations with former students. The presentation by last year’s top student was very helpful. He told us about university life and how we can improve on our Year 12 results. The discussion also enriched my understanding of majors and university applications. This knowledge is invaluable because you cannot find it online. It also gives me a better understanding of my future.

(Jack) Zehua Zhang Year 12

LEARNING RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

The Department of Education is creating some new resources for languages and we were asked to assist in the production of the Japanese materials. It was a privilege for our students and staff to contribute to the development of language learning resources for all public schools in WA. During the July holidays, some Year 7-10 students went to the School of Isolated and Distance Education to appear in the video/audio materials. Angelica Han Year 10 writes below about her personal experience of the video shooting and audio recording.

The experience shooting the resources for the Department of Education was definitely something to remember. I, along with my peers, went to a professional studio that was widely used to broadcast interviews with lots of significant Australians and is currently used to shoot The Couch which is a talk show broadcast straight from the school every Sunday. There was a large green screen and a monitor which showed us what the shot looked like with the background. Unexpectedly, the whole video took around three hours for three scenes. It made use of a variety of camera angles, wide shots and close ups.

The audio recording was in a studio that reminded me of a radio station. There were microphones with compressors and the walls were covered in sponge to make the room soundproof. The whole experience made me realise that acting is more than just memorising lines and to say them with emotion and to interact with invisible objects is more difficult than it seems. It was great to use the Japanese we have been learning at school in these video scenes.

Students and staff making the video

YEAR 12 EALD GENERAL RESEARCH INVESTIGATION

My task was to do a presentation about the difficulties faced by refugees. I decided to interview a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee that I know. I was inspired by her strength and courage to make a success of her life in Australia, despite the hardship that she went through. In making this video, I interviewed her, created the animation and translated her story from Singala to English.

Himandi Jayaratne Year 12

JAPANESE RECYCLING SYSTEM

Last term, Year 10 Japanese students participated in a session on the Japanese recycling system. This was presented by our Japanese assistant, Mari Hatada. Below is a short report from one of our students.

The Japanese recycling system is a unique structure where the Japanese people sort their daily waste and garbage into different categories in order to reduce, reuse and recycle. Any waste and disposables can be classified into four categories: burnable, non-burnable, PET bottles and cans/bottles. As a class we received the experience of sorting these rubbish out according to the Japanese recycling system, too. We were given multiple objects such as plastic bottles and used packaging to organise them into the different categories. We learnt how specific the system is; for example, a plastic bottle would be divided into two different categories (a bottle itself and a cap) compared to Australia which only uses one bin for recycling. This lesson was very informative and taught us the innovation Japan uses to be eco-friendlier.

Jia Yue Lim Year 10

MATHS

AFTER SCHOOL MATHS HELP CLASS

The Mathematics Department have recommenced the after school Maths help class every Tuesday afternoon from 3 to 4 pm. Many of our Mathematics staff are volunteering their time to run these classes so that we can provide an opportunity for students to gain some extra assistance in a friendly environment. Some students choose to attend to complete their homework with a teacher on hand to assist if needed, while others come with concepts that they need explained in order to improve their understanding in a particular topic.

All students, both lower school and senior school, are encouraged to attend to get some extra assistance with any part of the mathematics curriculum. Students are welcome to come for a few minutes or stay for the hour.

Students can check the notice on the window of B10 if they need any more information regarding this extra help.

THE AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

The Australian Mathematics Competition, otherwise known as the AMC, was held earlier this term. Gifted and Talented classes spent many hours preparing for this competition, attempting questions from past papers and trying the new online sandpit. The organisers of the AMC, the Australian Maths Trust, have devised the sandpit with age appropriate AMC type questions that students can attempt at their own pace. There are hints available and instant feedback on accuracy. This site is open to the public and anyone can try the questions by following this link below.

This competition is designed to challenge students and extend their problem solving abilities. The results for the 250 participants will be available later in the year.

Year 7s participating in the Australian Mathematics Competition

SCIENCE

YEAR 8 CHEMISTRY

Miss Hamilton's Year 8 Science classes performed a range of enjoyable hands-on experiments in chemistry in Term 2.

For example, they made ice cream and sherbet, as a visual representation of physical and chemical change. For the ice cream, a physical change was made from liquids forming a solid and the sherbet was a chemical change with gas produced when eaten.

The Year 8s also observed chemical change by mixing different chemicals to form solutions that produced fun colours, gases, heat and really small solid particles in the test tubes. The Year 8s had a chance to grow crystals as a fun experiment over a couple of days that taught us physical change.

We appreciated Ms Lahti for her help this semester with experiments, answering our questions and sharing her knowledge with us, we hope to see her again soon. As for the next semester, the Year 8s are awaiting the fun in physics and earth and space sciences.

Imogen Callaghan Year 8

YEAR 9 SCIENCE EXTENSION PROJECTS

Thejana Kottawatta Hewage (Year 9 extension) is getting down and working on his Science project. Here you can see him measuring the distance between dots on a laser diffraction. By knowing the angle that he has rotated an object, and these distances, he can reconstruct a 3-dimensional image of it.

Gavin Wu (Left) and Tashan Kirubagaran (Right) are working on their invention of a new type of plant watering system. Instead of placing an electrode in the soil which can corrode, they are hoping to measure the humidity of the air above it, and when it is too dry, run a small pump to water the plant. Here they are writing the software for the little microcontroller they will use to do this.

Australia is a land of bushfires. At least some are caused by bee keepers and their bee smokers. Here Alan Joju, Aaron Ong and Jerone Mathews are inventing an electrical bee smoker which will produce cold smoke that will allow bee keepers, like Jerone’s Dad, to work their bees when there is a total fire ban.

Dr Leon Harris Science Teacher

TECHNOLOGIES

YEAR 10 GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATOR PORTRAITS

Year 10 Graphics students were tasked with creating portraits in Adobe Illustrator using pen tool technique. As you can see, the students had a high degree of success reproducing their chosen character.

Judy Gauci Technologies Teacher

Year 10 Graphic students portraits

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

FLiS FLASHBACKS

Former students reflect on their time in the Flexible Learning in Schools Program (FLiS) and what they are doing now.

CAITLIN GARRETT

I started Year 8 at Willetton Senior High School in 2012, and then unfortunately at the beginning of Year 9 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewings Sarcoma, a rare type cancer that was in my pelvis. I missed a lot of school over my 18-month treatment protocol, spending a lot of time in hospital. This is when I decided that I wanted to be a nurse.

So when it came time to choose a pathway for Year 11 and 12 the best option for me was to join the FLiS program. In the first semester of Year 11, I spent one day each week on work placement at St John of God Murdoch hospital, and in the second semester I approached the Next Gen Plus Ramsay Health Care program at Hollywood Private Hospital. With over 200 students WA wide that applied I was lucky enough to be one of four students accepted into this specialist program. During this time, I also attended TAFE where I completed a Certificate II in Health Support Services.

In Year 12, my work placement was back at St John of God Murdoch where I worked on St Mary’s Maternity Ward, where I was lucky enough to be asked to watch a Caesarean birth in an operating theatre. This was an amazing experience that I will never forget. In this year I also completed a Certificate III in Health Support Services, and with this certificate, I qualified to work as a PCA.

After graduating, I used my qualifications to apply for an enrolled nursing course at North Metropolitan TAFE in Mt Lawley. This was an 18-month course and I graduated as an EN in 2018, at which time I was lucky enough to be offered a graduate program at Joondalup Health Campus for 12 months. When I finished that I was then offered a permanent position on a surgical ward where I am still currently employed.

Without the FIiS program at school I wouldn't be in the position I am today. It gave me the knowledge and skills that I needed for my future studies and the experience that I needed to pursue my dream job and turn it into a reality. I highly recommend the Willetton Senior High school FLiS program and thank all the wonderful staff that helped make this possible.

Emily Visser

My name is Emily Visser and I graduated from Willetton Senior High School in 2018. I knew ATAR was not my ideal pathway to be a Makeup Artist, so in Year 11 I started in the FLiS program studying a Certificate II in Retail Cosmetics at Beaconsfield TAFE. Then in Year 12, I completed a Certificate III in Makeup at the WA Academy.

When I first started FLiS, I was pleasantly surprised as it was definitely a lot less stressful then my previous years at school. I was always on top of the work and in many cases was in front, which gave me a lot of confidence and motivation. All the teachers were extremely nice and friendly, and would always offer to help me if I was struggling. The FLiS staff were also extremely understanding as I often struggled with my mental health. The teachers were very supportive and always asked how I was and if there was anything they could do for me. It made me feel a lot better during the last two years of high school. I also made many new friends along the way in FLiS and had so many laughs. It was definitely a fun couple of years.

In Year 12 all my hard work paid off when I was nominated for a VET Exhibition Award for Retail and Personal Services which led to an interview with four judges at the School Curriculum and Standards Authority of WA. Unfortunately, I did not receive the main award but was officially recognised for my efforts and the nomination.

One of the great things about the FLiS program was the work experience program. This helped me step confidently into the work environment and to gain many connections, which lead to future job opportunities. Late in Year 11 and early in Year 12 I was still trying to decide what new certificate to complete. I could not really find anything interesting, but fortunately, the lovely VET teachers suggested a Certificate III in Makeup at the WA Academy. I enrolled in this course and successfully managed to balance my school work, work experience and my Certificate III, all within three terms.

The program also helped me in many ways for the future after graduating, but most importantly, it gave me confidence and practical experience. After completing Year 12, I enrolled in a Diploma in Screen and Media at Trainsmart in the city and had to attend an interview. I had previously completed two mock job interviews in Career and Enterprise and this gave me great experience and knowledge about what to do in an interview. This helped me so much and consequently I was successfully accepted into the Diploma of Screen and Media.

I started my diploma in March 2019 and graduated 12 months later. Completing a couple of certificates previously really helped, as for some units I received credit transfers, so it gave me a great head start. We had many work experience opportunities including Kinky Boots, Cats in Mandurah and many UWA performances. Kinky Boots was definitely my favourite work experience, hands down. Having all these skills and knowledge from the FLiS program during school helped me in all these work environments. I could talk to the production team, ask questions and just have fun. I have even been offered to come back as a makeup artist to be involved in a second Kinky Boots production in the near future in the city.

I definitely recommend the FLiS program at Willetton Senior High School, it helped me so much and gave me a lot of confidence which I never thought I had. I am now a fully qualified makeup artist with two certificates and a diploma, as well as so much work experience to put in my resume.

This is my final assessment that I created and completed for my Diploma in Screen and Media. The model is Stella Finn, also from Willetton Senior High School. Photographer Aaron McPolin.

SCHOOL BOARD

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

I had the pleasure of attending the Academic Awards Ceremony on August 12. Despite a challenging first semester, it was heartening to see many students rising above the occasion to achieve academic excellence. While we celebrate these amazing achievements, we also recognise the many individual personal successes that students have worked hard to accomplish through this difficult season. Willetton SHS truly provides an excellent platform for students to excel, and this is achieved with the support of our school’s dedicated teachers, parents and the broader community.

The Board is excited about the roll-out of SchoolTV. This is an educational channel co-developed by some of Australia’s leading academics and psychologists, with a direct focus on providing parents and educators with practical support strategies to raise happy, well and resilient young people. SchoolTV addresses many of the modern-day issues confronted by our young people, including mental health and wellbeing, surviving exam jitters, cybersafety and positive parenting. I encourage all parents to have a look at the content. The direct link to SchoolTV on the Willetton SHS website is the link below.

Last month, we issued our very first Alumni newsletter to keep our former students connected and up to date with life in Willo. We are committed to enhancing the role of the alumni in the life of our students, with many expressing interests to mentor, tutor and provide work experience placements. In September, we are launching the inaugural Willetton Alumni network event. This will be a great opportunity to meet our new Principal and network with the rest of the Alumni members.

Finally, to all the Year 12 students taking their Semester 2 exams next month, I wish you all the best.

John Yeo

2020 SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

Front row L to R Hope Jobe, Tele Tan, Trevor Hunter, John Yeo, David Harwood, Jo Collier, Simran Vijayakumar

Back row L to R Helen Wong, Rianda Clemons, Jordan Newton, Jega Jegathesan, Chris Phillips, Wayne Nurse, Colin Marshall, Sam Newman

Absent: Keryn McKinnon, Shezah Arif

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

The next School Board meeting will be held on Wednesday September 9, 5.30pm in the staff room. A list of Board meetings for this year can be found on the school website, under the School Board information. All are welcome but due to COVID-19 restrictions, please contact the Board office at willetton.shs.schoolboard@education.wa.edu.au to register your attendance.

WA SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP

The WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship recognises a student who shows strong leadership skills. The scholarship is awarded in 2020 to a Year 7 student already enrolled at Willetton Senior High School. More information will be available from the School Board office, when applications open in the second half of Term 3.

ENTERTAINMENT MEMBERSHIP FUNDRAISER

Entertainment memberships are now 100% digital, which means you can have your savings on you, all year round. New businesses are also added to your membership through the year.

Willo parents and community members are encouraged to support this fundraiser by purchasing your membership at the link below as all profits raised will go towards a Student Leadership Development Program.

From August 14 until 11.59pm September 13 AEST, an additional $10 and $20 per membership purchased for the Single City Membership and Multi City/Multi Plus Membership respectively will be directed towards our fundraising.

For enquiries about purchasing a membership, please contact Helen Wong on helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217.

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 in-store and for every purchase you make, 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. Funds raised through this program will go towards projects around the school that enhance your child’s educational experience.

Thank you for your support.

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SHOP AND BOOKSHOP

HOW TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL BOARD

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

ALUMNI

The Alumni’s mission is to support and promote the interests of both Alumni and the school community by enabling the Alumni to strengthen the bonds with the school community, creating personal links with Alumni, providing Alumni services and by fostering connections among Alumni, students and the school.

If you are graduating in 2020 or are a previous graduate, you are invited to become part of the Willetton SHS Alumni, by registering your details at the link below.

Are you in a position to give back to the school by either offering a work placement for our current students or assisting with tutoring, mentoring or speaking to students? Please contact the Board Office at Willetton.shs.alumni@education.wa.edu.au

Special Alumni merchandise is available for all departing Year 12 and former students, and may be purchased from the School Board office. Supplies are limited, so get in quickly before you miss out. Prices start from $25.

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. However, as we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, we are navigating our way by the use of online information sessions to reach parents and caregivers. The Willo Parent Group 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 Willetton.shs.schoolboard@education.wa.edu.au or refer to the school website.

Last term we had our Triple P Seminar which was a great success and hosted by our school psychologist Nina Mastrantonio. Due to restrictions, this was presented via our online platform Webex. The seminar was presented over three sessions and the information gained from Nina was invaluable. Parents gained information on encouraging teenagers to be responsible and competent young adults.

PARENT SEMINAR COMING UP

ELEVATE SEMINARS

For our next Willo Parent event, we look forward to welcoming Elevate! Elevate will be running a Parent Study Skills morning. Elevate came to the school early in 2020 and spoke to students regarding good study skills habits. The parent study skills program is designed to be aligned with what students are taught so we are able to better support them.

Study Skills – Information for parents to support your child

This seminar will include:

• How parents can help their children effectively manage their time
• How parents can help their children become motivated and stay motivated
• The different types of work students should prioritise across the year to maximise results
• How parents can help children work effectively with technology whilst minimising distractions such as social media sites

** Due to Covid and possible restrictions, this information session may be moved to online.

PARENT STUDY SKILLS MORNING

Please RSVP your attendance to willparent@gmail.com by September 9, and bring a plate of morning tea to share.

MAILING LIST

If you would like to be included in a mailing list for Willo News and upcoming events, please contact the Board Office at Willetton.shs.schoolboard@education.wa.edu.au