21 August 2015

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Alex Mellor

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Our magnificent Stage 1 buildings will be officially opened by the Minister for Education, the Hon Peter Collier on Wednesday Aug 26. We look forward to the visit which will include a number of dignitaries and politicians. Our music students will be performing, vocational students will be catering for refreshments and it will be my privilege and pleasure to host the occasion.

On August 5, we held our six academic awards ceremonies for the year groups. I congratulate all award winners for their diligence and thank all parents and community members who attended; it is because of your support that our students achieve such outstanding success. A list of award winners is included in this newsletter.

Congratulations to all involved in the full school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The effort from staff, students and parents to achieve such first rate performances is enormous and as a school and community, we are rightly proud of them all. Particular thanks to the staff creative team of Brad Oversby, Cheryl Venter, Stefan Brand, Hayley Betterman and Claire Talbot. Our new tiered seating in the theatre was also much appreciated.

Next year, we will be having our second triennial review as an Independent public school. We have started our preparations, getting together the huge amount of data we analyse and act on a regular basis to ensure that teaching programs and student performance meet our target of excellence in all areas. We will then be refining our targets for the following three year cycle.

The year is rapidly coming to an end for our Year 12 students. They have their mock examinations over the school holidays followed closely by the WACE examinations. We wish them the success they deserve with the amount of disciplined effort they have shown. I am sure they will do their families and school proud.

Chris Booth

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

I have much pleasure in bringing you this School Board report as it has been a very busy time at WSHS.

I was extremely proud to have been able to present awards at the latest ceremonies. The depth of talent at this school is amazing and the calibre of the students is why we stand out from the rest. Congratulations to all recipients as well as all the students who surpassed their previous best results, which is equally brilliant.

I was very impressed with the Year Coordinators and their speeches which instil in our students desire, confidence and maturity.

I would also like to make a special mention of the Willetton Senior High School Board Award totalling &4000 which was presented to five students on the day. They were Georgina Earl, Genevieve Earl, Marcus Wong, Ben Madlener and Emma McLean. This award was made possible by an anonymous donor who is a former educator and wants to give back to students and encourage them to be the best they can be. Congratulations to the five.

I would also like to say how great the production of Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat was. I was extremely impressed with everything and I would like to make special mention of Brad Oversby, Stefan Brand, Hayley Bettermann, Cheryl Venter and of course the lead players Tom McDonald as Joseph and Erin Strle as the Narrator. The rest of the cast gave a memorable performance and all involved should be very proud of themselves. Well done. I can't wait for the next production.

As you would have noticed the new buildings are in use and on August 26 there will be an official opening of the buildings. What a huge difference these buildings make to the education of our students. A special thankyou to Mike Nahan and all those involved.

Friday August 14 was the twentieth Anniversary of the Sister School relationship between Willetton Senior High School and The High School of the University of Hyogo, Japan. A relationship which is worth nurturing.

Lindsay Holland

Year 11 and 12 Scholarship Winners

HEAD BOY AND HEAD GIRL REPORT

Welcome back everyone to Term 3 – a cold, busy and exciting 10 weeks.

As the Year 11s and 12s push on with hard study for the rapidly approaching exams, there is a much greater appreciation for time spent together. With our new private study space in the old science staffroom that we hope to improve and broaden its use, and the shared stress of the final few laps. The Year 12 councillors are currently working on a social event to be held at the end of the term to celebrate our student achievements so far. We hope to see as much student support as possible to raise funds for our gift to the school.

We look forward to the official opening of the new school buildings by the Minister for Education. Students and staff have been privileged to be able to make use of the state-of-the-art facilities for science, technology and performing arts.

Congratulations to the performers, crew and staff involved in the school's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat production. You all have worked incredibly hard to produce a wonderful performance.

We would like to say an official farewell to our Chinese and Italian exchange students. We hope you have had a pleasant stay, and enjoyed being at our school. Also we wanted to give a warm welcome to the Japanese students who recently arrived. It is a special one this year as it is the 20th anniversary since our sister school relationship was established. The program has conveyed many wonderful experiences and we hope it will continue to. We hope all the Japanese students enjoy their stay.

Currently, the Year 12s are coordinating an event to support our Indian sponsor child and the series of micro-businesses offering work for the locals in developing nations through a recycling company called World of E'co. Thanks to your generous giving of clothes, shoes and bags, we have collected over 500kg of goods, well on the way of our goal of four tonne. Please sort out old winter clothes, shoes, bags and linen and bring your goods along to the bins onsite – near the school nurses' office.

On Wednesday September 2, we encourage all students to wear an old jumper and any other clothes to school to be donated during tutor group / recess onto a pile in the quadrangle. We want to make the largest pile of jumpers recorded! All the clothes collected will be donated to World of E'co and funds raised per kilo will support our compassion sponsor child. Please note this is not a free dress day and all students must be in school uniform from the start of Session 3.

Thank you and we wish you all a productive and safe rest of the year. Keep pushing Year 12s you are nearly there!

Jesse Tucek and Georgina Earl

GENERAL REPORTS

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS

Reminder - Student Update Forms

As you would appreciate it is critical for the school to have accurate, up-to-date contact and medical details for your child both for regular communication and in the case of an emergency. As a check we sent all parents a copy of their details several weeks ago. We thank the many parents that have already returned these forms. We ask those have not yet done so to return the forms whether there are corrections made or no corrections necessary by August 31, 2015

Any changes required are to be noted on the form and then returned to our office. You are welcome to return the form via:-

• Scanning and emailing the form to Willetton.SHS.Studentdetails@education.wa.edu.au
• By posting the form to the attention of Mrs N Ravi, or
• By your child returning the form to either our Administration Office or our Student Service Centre

CURTIN UNIVERSITY

FIRST Robotics Competition

Seeking High School Students

The FIRST Robotics Competition combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology.

Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 15 high school students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It's as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get. Curtin engineering students and professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.

Who? - Anyone keen, available, willing and able - who is between 14-17 years of age.

When? – We recruit in August, training from October, the basics of team formation, programming, design, project management, electronics, media, PR and safety are explored by the team.

First week of January 2016 the task is set and the first kit of parts is sent over from the USA, then it is pretty much five days a week (each week) until late Feb, and we go to Sydney for the finals in March.

Do you know a high school student who wants to register? Go here

Want to find out more? Some Youtube infovids:

Curtin FRC Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CurtinFrc

Or contact me direct

Regards,

Tim Keely
BA MBA
Engineering Outreach Coordinator
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Curtin University
Tel | (08) 9266 7884
Mobile | 0401 103 520
Email | t.keely@curtin.edu.au
Web | http://scieng.curtin.edu.au/outreach/

Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University of Technology.
CRICOS Provider Code 00301J (WA), 02637B (NSW)

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S INTERNATIONAL AWARD

The Award is…

Available to everyone

Any young person aged 14 – 25 can undertake the Award, no matter what your gender, cultural background, religious or political affiliation, or ability. You will get out of the Award what you put in. There is the opportunity for you to grow personally and connect with others, through a range of new experiences. You have the chance to discover your potential.

Not a competition

The Award is not a competition against anyone else, but rather a personal challenge. It offers the opportunity to work with others whilst focusing on your own unique abilities. You set your own goals, and work towards them. Your achievements are your own, and are not bench-marked against anyone else.

Flexible and Balanced

The Award offers a framework for you to focus your interests, improve your abilities and do something you've always wanted to do. You can enter the Award at the level that best suits you, and choose activities that fit in with your life. The different sections of the Award give you the chance to experience a wide range of challenges. You have the opportunity to extend your existing abilities and also try something entirely new.

A marathon, not a sprint

You can improve your abilities and increase your personalisation of the Award with each level you do (Bronze, Silver, Gold). The Award is about showing regular commitment and perseverance. Your efforts are recognised over time, and your achievements are your own improvements.

Duke of Edinburgh at Willetton SHS

Self-management is a large part of the Award and participants are expected to be proactive in asking for support as required to manage all aspects of their Award through their Year Coordinator or myself. This includes choosing activities, setting up and managing their online account and making sure they are signed off by assessors when they finish sections.

Places still exist for participants to complete the following Adventurous Journeys for all Awards. Participants can download an expression of interest form from the Duke of Ed CONNECT library or collect a hard copy from Student Services. There are other opportunities to do Adventurous Journeys. Participants requiring assistance setting up this section of their Award should see me to ensure their activity meets the requirements for their Award.

Bronze Camp, October 16 – 18, 2015.

Destination: Margaret River
Activities: Bush camping, cooking, short hikes, caving.
Maximum 18 participants.

Silver Camp, September 26 – October 4, 2015.

Destination: Walpole
Activities: Extended hike with backpack, camp cooking, orienteering.
Maximum 18 participants.

Gold Expedition, November/December 2016 (3 weeks)

Destination: Vietnam
Activities: Adventurous Journey – Trek, Residential Project – Community Project, Cultural Exploration

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved Awards since the last newsletter.

GOLD Awards: Sian Parry (Y12), Jesse Tucek (Y12)
SILVER Awards: Brii West (Y11), Ben Madlener (Y11)
Bronze Awards: Joanne Cheyne (Y10)

Judy Gauci: School Coordinator

Community Workshop

Navigating Teenage Depression

INTERACT CLUB

On July 21, the Rotary Club of Willetton attended the official chartering ceremony of the Willetton Senior High School Interact Club. Members received an official Rotary pin and certificate to mark the official chartering. We are now one of over 11 000 clubs worldwide! Thank you to all the parents, family members, Rotarians and District Governor Ms Melodie Kevan who came along.

Our next Interact fundraiser is a High Tea event which will be held in the Willetton Senior High School staff room on Sunday September 13, 2015 at 1.30pm. We will be serving a selection of cakes, sandwiches and other goodies to raise funds for our chosen international charity Doctors without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres. Tickets are now available from the registrar's office for $20 per person. For catering purposes, tickets must be purchased before the event as there will not be any door sales. We are also seeking donations to make up a Chocolate Hamper, and a Pamper Hamper for our raffles. If you can help us, please drop off items to the School Board office. Help us to reach our target to raise $2500. Thank you!

Recently, at the World's Greatest Shave awards night, the Interact Club received an award for being in the top 30 fundraisers in the state, having raised just over $13 000. We came 23rd and were even competing against big companies like BHP Billiton! Thank you everyone for your generous support.

At out last Interact meeting on Tuesday August 11, Kymba from Mix 94.5 called us for our help to raise funds for the 94.5 Kid's Appeal. Interact members spontaneously pulled out their loose change and donated a generous $70! Kymba was so impressed, she featured us on the Mix 94.5 Facebook page.

Please keep collecting your ring pulls from soft drink cans and tinned food for the Rings for Limbs program. The ring pulls are recycled and used to build prosthetic limbs for landmine victims in Thailand. Rings pulls can be dropped off to the School Board office. A special hooray to Lucy McGinn who has been getting her local soccer club to help, and has brought in bags and bags of ring pulls!

We have been very busy this term! Stay tuned for more news, and we hope to see you at our high tea fundraiser event.

Marcus Wong and Genevieve Earl: President and Vice President
Interact Club

Interact Executive with Willetton Rotary President Simon Cubitt, District Governor Melodie Kevan and Principal Chris Booth

Leukaemia Foundation Award Ceremony

Lucy McGinn and Marcus Wong with ring pulls

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Question: What do you get when you combine; 144 students, thousands of hours of rehearsal, lots of dedicated staff and an abundance of raw talent and enthusiasm?

Answer: A spectacular school production.

Those Canaan Joseph Days

Do you remember those good days in production?
The audience was endlessly full
The stage was a patchwork of children
The curtains were always to pull
We'd stroll down the stage together
And everything backstage was fine
Now the set is off the stage
No music playing, no next page
After school we've nothing left to do

Those Joseph days we used to know
Where have they gone,
where did they go?
Eh bien, raise your berets
To those Joseph days

Do you remember those pre-show dramas?
The fear of mind-blank on stage
Our extravagant, elegant improv
The gayest the audience has seen

It's funny but since we stopped Joseph
We've gone to the other extreme
No-one comes to theatre now
We'd only stop them anyhow
I find that Joseph's even in my dreams

Those Joseph days we used to know
Where have they gone,
where did they go?
Eh bien, raise your berets
To those Joseph days

It's funny but since we stopped Joseph
We've gone to the other extreme
Ending Joseph's made us sad
Perhaps the choice was very bad
I find that Joseph's even in my dreams

Those Joseph days we used to know
Where have they gone,
where did they go?

Eh bien, raise your berets
To those Joseph days
Eh bien, raise your berets
To those Joseph days

Ethan Lee Year 10: Backstage Manager

Ethan Lee (with his team of Assistant Managers)
Sarah Talbot, Samali Kankanange, Carmel Palan.

Malka Welideniya Year 10 (cast - brother)

The Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour dream coat gave me amazing memories that I will never forget. The new family that I made and the new inside jokes that we made and no one else will understand will always last forever. Being lucky to have my birthday on a performance night another whole new story it was the best birthday present that I could ever ask for. Mr Oversby and the amazing teachers' amazing little serious jokes will always be in my memory and make me look strange in public when I laugh by myself when it comes to my memory. This was such an amazing experience, thank you for allowing me be part of it.

Aashka Bhavsar, Malka Welideniya, Mr Oversby, Abigail Sun

Aashka Bhavsar Year 10 (cast - brother)

Joseph was the absolute best thing that happened to me. It's what I looked forward to every week and the people were so amazing I could just eat them. I'll never forget the time Marnie and I fell over in Canaan Days during the show and I'll also never forget all the back stage memories. Also all the singing lessons, Mr Oversby, you rock, even more than Franco during "Song of the Kings." All the teachers did a marvellous job with this musical and I'll remember the experience for a long time. A shame I can't do it again.

Aaron Chappell, Andrew Tan, Cassandra Bettermann, Marnie McKenna, Aashka Bhavsar, Kamara Churchill, Jessica Banks, Thomas McDonald, Isabella Berridge, Abigail Sun, Joshua Rangan.

Georgia Barry Year 9 (Cast)

I was nervous about joining Joseph at the start of the year, but I couldn't of felt more welcome! I have met so many new people who have helped me make some memories I will never forget. It's unbelievable how much work all the teachers have put in to this musical, they have all worked so hard to give us the best time! I won't ever forget the rush of adrenaline when the overture started to play or simply blocking scenes because they will always hold the best spot in my heart! I will miss everyone involved and hope i can stay in touch with many, Thank you!

Georgia Barry, Valentina Authelet, Franco Sauzier, Thomas McDonald.

Niklesh Warrier Mr O's fave, violinist, Year 10

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat was a struggle, it was a fantasy, it was an experience. From the orchestra's point of view, constantly playing songs for an hour and a half straight at a time and hundreds of cumulative hours practising with and without the cast, resulted in wood-wind players almost suffocating at their instruments, drum players' arms getting sore, and violin players' pinkies cramping (its a big deal trust me). However, none of that mattered after getting to know and work with the best of Willetton; sharing laughs, Macca's runs, sassing Mr O (and having him sass us back), was awesome. Above all, there was a sense of utter accomplishment; having known that we'd had been part of a professional musical, the first ever in our school's brand new theatre. The end result? The cast's singing, dancing and acting was amazing, the backstage, sound and lighting students were trained to be so professional but the orchestra have always, and always will be, the best.

Niklesh Warrier, Malka Welideniya, Todd Billett, Aashka Bhavsar , Cassandra Bettermann, Franco Sauzier, James Dow, Sarah Talbot
Background: Georgina Earl, Genevieve Earl, Thomas McDonald, Abigail Sun, Erin Strle, Mya Plumridge.

Arushi Katti Year 7 (Cast - chorus and dance)

'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.' Just mentioning it wants to make me cry, I am heartbroken that it is over. I have learnt lots of new things, made sensational new friends and met incredibly helpful and kind teachers. I have had a remarkable experience and I am definitely trying out for the next one. I am so glad I was offered the opportunity and held onto it. The teachers and students have made this possible working together as a team. This is my first production in this school and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It has got me a long way and I hope to go further with theatre.

Malka Welideniya, Arushi Katti, Zane Murcha, Shivanandini K.V. Moorthy, Jessica Banks

Genevieve Earl Year 12 (Orchestra - Cellist)

The Joseph production was an amazing opportunity to be able to play a professional musical score as a cellist. It was a new and challenging experience to accompany singers. When we received a standing ovation at our final performance, it was really rewarding. I'll miss interacting with the lower year groups and our ensemble shenanigans with Mr Oversby and Shiya!

Georgina Earl Year 12 (Cast – chorus and dance)

What a long, exciting and rewarding experience! We began over a year ago, our humble dance rehearsals held in the canteen. What with Mrs Venter and all the dancers, we certainly had a lot of laughs and creative moments, but we didn't know how such a large project could come together. Hope and possibility were rekindled with the influx of Year 7 and 8 students who brought a fresh energy and commitment to the show.

Some of the best times were had when putting everything together – coordinating chorus, dancers and leads, and then again with the orchestra. When I first heard them play, I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than the CD! The all day tech rehearsal was a great bonding and refining time, but best of all were the laughs and cheers of the performances. I loved when we were all together dancing during hair and make-up, the nerves buzzing. Our warm-ups were also great, especially when that saw over 50 students dancing and singing to whatever song popped up! And when, after our final performance, we had a massive cast hug and hands-in, screaming and cheering 'Joseph!' until we lost our voices. To be a part of something so big, across all year groups has been extraordinary – thank you to everyone who helped create such an enriching project!

Thomas McDonald Year 10 (cast - Joseph)

So, a few of us were all sitting around in a circle the day after our last performance discussing our favourite memories of the production. It dawned on me then how amazing the experience had been, how many friendships I had made and how much I had grown from the process (and not just in height).

It all started over a year ago now when I was in Year 9. I loved drama, music and just performing, so when I heard auditions were coming up for the school musical I had to find out more. I remember standing in the theatre waiting to be called into the music room (now the set storage room) for my audition. I was so nervous and I could not stop sweating. I walked out of the room after the audition in front of Mr Brand, Mr Oversby and Mrs Venter thinking that I should go ask Mrs Bettermann if I could join the backstage crew because I thought there was no way that I would get the role. The audition itself was quite easy compared to the hard work that was to come.

Finding out I got the role of Joseph was the start of the hard work. We started singing rehearsals once a week after school with Mr O. These sessions were to teach us all of the songs: words, melodies, harmonies, the whole lot. After two terms Mr Brand and Mrs Venter stepped in to start taking us through the blocking which was a long process. The orchestra and backstage then started to join us at the beginning of this year. The whole time we were becoming closer as a group and getting closer and closer to the goal, so by the time term 3 of this year came around we could not wait any longer.

The whole process for me was one of learning and improving constantly. It also took a lot of commitment to be a part of this production. When we added up all of the scheduled rehearsals it was more than 110 hours. On top of that was our own practice, lunch and recess rehearsals and countless other hours. At the end of all of that hard work was the fun…the shows. Ultimately that was what were all working towards. The rehearsals were about achieving the best show we could and that we did. Every time I went out on stage was amazing, knowing all the hard work and surrounded by friends. On the closing night as we were taking our last bows of the whole production the sound of the crowd echoed what we were all feeling. The standing ovation was the best reward that one could ask for along with all the others that this production has given me and all those involved. Many new friendships, an experience of a lifetime and the furthering of my passion for drama and music just to name a few.

I would like to thank all those that made the shows happened. Thank you to the production staff Mr Brand, Mrs Venter, Mr Oversby, Mrs Bettermann, Miss Talbot and Mr Kanganas (and his multimedia class for making the projections). To all the costume ladies, Mrs Phipps, Mrs Plumridge and Mrs Strle, a very big thank you and to all those who came to support us and see the show, thank you. It was a privilege to be a part of this production and I had lots of fun.

Erin Strle Yr 9 (Cast - Lead Narrator)

I had such an awesome experience being a part of the production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I have met so many amazing people and I am so thankful to have been part of such a talented group of students. The fantastic teachers involved in the production have taught us so much and the experience has really helped to develop my confidence and teamwork skills. We have created so many memorable moments together and it was so exciting to receive a standing ovation on closing night.

Erin Strle takes The Cast Selfie - Aaron Chappell, Andrew Tan, Cassandra Bettermann, Marnie McKenna, Aashka Bhavsar, Kamara Churchill, Jessica Banks, Thomas McDonald, Isabella Berridge, Abigail Sun, Joshua Rangan.

Cassie Bettermann Yr 11 (cast - brother)

So sad that Joseph is over! The whole year of work was totally worth the end result, it was incredible and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm going to miss every afternoon rehearsal, every song and every person that was involved. Thank you to all the teachers and parents involved in making this production the masterpiece that it was!

Aaron Chappell, Cassie Bettermann, Aashka Bhavsar
(Father and sons say farewell)

Welcome

We welcome Wendy Swinar to our school. Wendy has joined our team of technicians taking care of the vastly expanded technology of the school.

Wendy has come to us from Calista Primary school where she has provided IT support since 2004. She also lectures at TAFE in information technology.

"I'm really looking forward to this new challenge," Wendy said. "Willetton is well known for its embracing of new technologies and I know I can learn as well as make a contribution."

YEAR 12 APPLICATIONS FOR UNIVERSITY AND STATE TRAINING PROVIDERS 2016

Year 12 students who are looking at university places for 2016 have been provided with the TISC material and assistance with the online application in their Competency Education classes.

The deadline for lodging preferences is September 30, 2015.

Applications to State Training Provider courses for 2016 open early September and close in Term 4, but we advise interested students to apply this term. Assistance with applications is given in Competency Education.

If there are any questions, please contact Paul Hogg, Lana Warner-Gillon or Maura Sorrell in Student Services.

HaSS

NATIONAL HISTORY COMPETITION

During Term 2, in the month of May, sixty-two of our Year 10 students were selected to participate in the Australian History Competition. This is a national competition and in 2015, 23 000 students from over 350 schools participated in the Year 10 section.

The competition requires students to complete 50 multiple choice questions based on a variety of source material that tests their historical knowledge, skills of interpretation, knowledge of terms and concepts, historical context, chronology and cause and effect.

This was the fifth year of this competition and the fourth time that Willetton SHS has participated. In 2015 the test was harder than in past years, however 98% of our students passed the test and 17 or 27% of our students achieved either a high distinction or distinction certificate, which was down on our best year of 2014. Students who participated in the competition will have received one of the following certificates – high distinction (82%+), distinction (74%+), credit (66%+), merit (56%+) or participation.

Congratulations to Isabella Berridge who was the only person at Willetton to achieve a high distinction certificate with a score of 86%. Wing Yi Chan (74), Jeremy Gilchrist (80), Maryse Green (74), Natasha Hoffmann (74), Mikayla Johns (80), Vanessa Lim (78), Xin Ru Lim (76), Munyaradzi Matema (76), Katelyn Martin (78), Thomas McDonald (74), Jasmine Roberts (80), Manal Shaheen (78), Isobel Staniland (74), Sarah Talbot (78), Andrew Tan (76) and Melissa Weeks (78) all deserve acknowledgement for achieving certificates of distinction, with scores that would be equivalent to an A grade in this learning area.

No students received a perfect score, but one student from Western Australia scored 98% and 60% of all students who participated in the Year 10 competition gained a mark of 50% or greater. We look forward to the competition in 2016, when we will strive to improve on our 2015 results.

John Maxwell: Head of Humanities and Social Sciences

CATAPULT COMPETITION

The 2015 Catapult Competition has proven to be another resounding success with over 300 students participating. Armed with thirty pop-sticks and six rubber bands, groups of Year 8s were tasked with the challenge of creating a catapult that would throw a playing dice. The objective here was to see who could launch their projectile the furthest.

With a healthy atmosphere of competition and the ability to utilise a common learning area, as many as six classes were combined to share resources. Hand held drills, gluing stations and test areas were set up for students design and manufacture their medieval catapult over three full sessions. The class competition ensured groups within each class vied for the opportunity to represent the group in the all in challenge. The date was set for the final show-down. Each class met in the quadrangle to cheer for their teams and celebrate the ingenuity of our Year 8 cohort.

Congratulations to our class winners, our group challenge winners and of course the hundreds of students who participated with enthusiasm and vigour.

Sianna Dass

Working as part of the catapult challenge was really fun and we learned how to work in a group, how to construct and the right angles for when we should fire. I'm hoping our class wins the Year 8 catapult challenge! It was a great experience and I hope we do something similar to this again.

Parveen Kaur and Char Min Ng

The Holy Trophy of Glory. Bathed in the misty winter sunlight, its glinting gold captured our eyes, promising a weep of sorrow if it should not come in our possession. The atmosphere blooms with tension as the crowd's roar grows more rambunctious. We stepped forward, our hearts beating, yet sinking as the dice launched into the air and failed to satisfy us.

We lost. It was a growing despair that the trophy is not fated to us, but the experience of the journey holds stiller in our hearts.

Dr Winston Ong and Sir YongFeng Xian

The Catapult Challenge was fun and educational. I learned a lot from the process of building the catapult. I could see how the medieval soldiers built it and I could cooperate with my teammates. I know the best way and the method to build a catapult, and I understand why and how they need a catapult. I also realised that it is not easy. Throughout the process, I discovered where and how to place the catapult on an angle so it could fire up and over instead of straight and down toward ground. After we created our catapult, I was really disappointed and sad because it was at a 90 degree angle. This launches the dice straight and gravity pulled the dice down, it went about one metre and that's how we got a horrible result after the competition.

Jaypreet Singh

We have recently finished making catapults for a catapult challenge. My partner for this challenge was Jeong. We had a great time making the catapults and our one was successful. It took us three sessions to make it and when we tested it, surprisingly it didn't break.

Jeong Hyon Lee

My partner and I built a catapult with thirty pop sticks and six rubber bands. It has been a challenging task but when we finished our catapult was fabulous. When we fired the catapult it went 3.80 metres. It also broke and we threw it away.

Jack Myers

In the second-last week of term two, in HASS, every student in Year 8 had to work in pairs or trios to make a catapult out of thirty pop sticks, six rubber bands, and glue.

For me, it was interesting to work in a group of three, because we all had different ideas as to how we should design the catapult, though eventually we came up with an idea which everyone liked. Also, one of our team members wasn't at school for either of the finals, which was disappointing.

One of our biggest engineering problems was getting the glue to hold our pop sticks, because we knew that the force of the catapult arm hitting the crossbar would snap it off. The answer – use elastic bands to hold it on. This was actually quite clever, because it allowed the bar to be hit at very fast speeds without it snapping.

Our class finals were quite close, with Jamie and Janice firing 10.40m, and Lara and Bianca coming in second with 10.14m. The Year 8 HASS finals were lots of fun, and there was a lot of cheering. Pavan and Taren won the day, firing 14.50m!

Jeevanpreet Singh

All of the Year 8s participated in the catapult project, which occurred over a whole week. It was very gratifying week of building and our class had a lot of fun. It was an intense competition, but there was no doubt that everyone had enjoyed themselves.

We were allowed to use up to 30 popsticks and 6 elastic bands, with the help of PVA glue as well. It was groups of two people and we were competing to see who could shoot their projectile the furthest. Resources were limited, but not our creativity. Each group created their own fantastic creations that were designed for different purposes such as durability and velocity.

We had three sessions to complete building our catapult, which was a great time limit because it was slightly shorter than the time you would expect, however it allowed us to use techniques to extend our knowledge and think quicker than the usual rate. Luckily, our teachers were generous enough to set up stations outside our classes with glue guns and cutting tools. We did not use the techniques to build catapults as in the actual ones used in combat, but ours was made to find out different ways to create a catapult and which one was the most efficient.

This did not generally help us about catapults, but it gave us a brief view of how it works and what is was used for. I genuinely think that it was just a fun project for us to enjoy because it is the last week of semester, but we still worked hard like every other day.

The most pleasing thing was that everyone participated in some way and there wasn't much inconvenience throughout the whole project. When it came to the separate class finals, no one complained about their efforts and no one was excluded when it was time to test out their creation.

Another thing that was great to see was that everyone complied with the rules and it was completely fair. Our final between the best groups in each class is yet to come but as GT students, we were able to use put our creative minds to work without any stressful work.

Overall, this project was an amusing and educational experience for all of us and there is no doubt that the future Year 8s will have the same amount of joy throughout this time than we have.

The Dynamic Duo, Jack Davies and Alec Alsop

Catapult participants from HSS 08

David Barry supervises a contestant

Health and Physical Education

LIFECARE

It was a pleasure to invite residents from the aged care facilities whom the students visit during Lifecare to see a dress rehearsal of our school production. It was a great example of community sprit and I would like to thank The Arts Learning Area for facilitating this.

Once the residents were settled, they were enthralled by the performance and were excited to meet the cast after the show.

Back to school for Senior Citizens

It is always rewarding to see our students involved in these gestures of good will and hospitality towards the community.

Colleen Hayes: Health and Physical Education Teacher

NEW ZEALAND SKI TRIP

During the July school holidays a group of eighteen Willetton students travelled to New Zealand on a ten-day ski trip. On July 6 we left Perth, saying goodbye to friends and family and flew to Auckland. When flying to our final destination, Queenstown, we endured a two-hour delay after plane difficulties but we finally got there safe and sound. After another long bus ride to Wanaka with beautiful views of Queenstown, we got all our ski gear and checked into our motel for a much needed rest before an early wake up.

The next five days were long and tiring but definitely worth it. After being woken at 5:45 for an early breakfast, we drove up the mountain to Cardrona for a fresh wake up call of minus nine degrees. It was safe to say we were literally freezing! Each morning we had a lesson for either skiing or snowboarding with some great instructors who taught us the basics before we had a go for ourselves the rest of the day. With some great stacks and falls we all improved a lot over the five days with all students managing, by day five, to go down the intermediate courses and get pizza from the café on the other side of the mountain. We all had a huge blast giving it a go at something new, even with our aching muscles after those hard long days of skiing and snowboarding.

In addition to skiing we headed over to Queenstown for some sight-seeing and a taste of the New Zealand culture. We went canoeing down the rivers surrounding Queenstown and visited some of the local sights including Puzzle World, The Sensory Maze, The Fear Factory and the 12D cinema, which were all great fun to try out something new. After some much needed shopping and Starbucks coffee time we headed up the Gondola for our last night for some luging and a traditional Maori cultural dance show.

All too soon we were headed back home to Perth, tired and sore but really sad the trip was coming to an end. It was an unforgettable experience where we got to try new things and make new friends. We had an absolutely amazing time skiing and snowboarding and I'm sure we would all do it again in a heartbeat!

We would thank Mr Kearsley and Miss Andrews for putting up with us and making the trip so much fun. It couldn't have been done without them so thank you for all the time and effort you put in to make the trip possible.

Rhiannon Cox, Bridget Saywell and Heather Thomlinson.

NZ Ski Trip 2015

SENIOR SCHOOL HOCKEY COMPETITION

This year, Willetton Senior High School entered a Senior School Boys Hockey competition. Due to limited numbers, the squad also consisted of eight strong and capable girls. In addition, six students were in Years 7-9. The following students made up the squad:

Boys:

Brodie Hood, Mitchell Hayward, Lachy Whyte, Thomas McDonald, Nathan Chappell, Oben Mattoull, Tom Walker, Harvey Ryan, Cameron Ward and Jesse Deuble.

Girls:

Jessica Toohey, Kasey Jenkinson, Tessa Jenkinson, Simran Vijayakumar, Kirstie Summers, Jessica Hood, Jaida Christie and Hannah Blyth.

Willetton played in Pool A, up against very talented schools including: Como Secondary College, Newman College, Leeming and Seton Catholic College.

The day began with a long bus drive to UWA Super turf. Unfortunately due to traffic we had limited time to warm up before their first game against Como. The student's confidence was shattered, after a 12-0 loss. However, they showed great resilience and continued to work hard as a team for the rest of the day. We were thrilled to win one game and draw another; overall we finished lucky last. I felt very privileged to take the squad who displayed true positive Willetton Spirit throughout the day.

Thank you to Martin Toohey, Jen Hood and Hope Munro for assisting with the team and making the day run as smooth as possible.

Sophie McLean: HPE teacher

Mixed Hockey squad

Year 9 Lightning Carnival Netball Results

Willetton fielded four netball teams for the carnival, which was held at Gibson Park Fremantle on Wednesday June 17.

The results were:

Willetton Team 1 in division A1 finished second
Willetton Team 2 in division B1 finished second
Willetton Team 3 in division B2 finished second
Willetton Team 4 in division C1 finished fourth.

Although no winners this year, once again Willetton teams were competitive and played with great spirit and sportsmanship.

Many thanks to our coaches and umpires, Tori White, Lily Watt, Isabelle Berridge, Jade Roycroft, Kahawa Randall.

Year 9 Lightning Carnival netballers, umpires and coaches

Andrea Wheeler
Lightning Carnival Coordinator

High Schools Cup Netball 2015

Four Willetton Senior High School netball teams competed in the High Schools Cup in 2015. This competition is open to all private and public schools in Western Australia. Historically Willetton has been very successful, having been runners-up on more than four occasions over the last ten years in different age divisions. We have never taken off the top award but have been very pleased with our results as we are consistently stronger than many of the public and private schools who run specialist netball programmes.

The players who represented Willetton SHS in 2015 are listed below:

Lower Year 7	Lower Year 8	Middle Year 9/10	Open Year 11/12
Teya Saville	Emily Brown	Lilli Watt	Carly Stokes
Chloe Dreyer	Jae Brieffles	Abbey Thomas	Khloe Hicks
Jamie Campbell	Hayley Jarrett	Cheralee Clark	Courtney Cheetham
Kaya Wardle	Sophie Willetts	Taylah McAllan	Cora Lappell
Kayleigh Stephen	Courtney Stothard	Maddie Dirou	Rachel Foster
Kayla Perkin	Gen Elisarow	Ruby Benn	Rhianna Klisura
Holly Briggs	Jesni Cooper	Hannah Lee	Jessica Meachim
Emily Mcallan	Kayla Martin	Hannah Page	Natasha Miocevich
Tiffany Simpson	Kristina Joseph	Sienna Rowson	Natalie Starr
	Rebecca Ayre	Jade Roycroft	Danielle Biddell
	Gemma Bell	Tori White	Leigh Dunbar
		Ally Holdcroft	Taylavie Frost-Kelemete
			Natalie Bright

High Schools Cup Results 2015

South Of the River carnival 20/22nd May

Champions Lower 8, Middle and Open, runners up Lower 7.

Inter zone Finals June 2015

All teams were victorious. The Lower 7's defeated Atwell, the Open girls defeated Mercedes, the Lower 8's defeated Canning Vale College and the Middle division defeated Kennedy Baptist College.

Elimination Day carnival 24th July

All teams progressed to the top 16 but were defeated in the first play off round.

Overall these were good results for our school and gives us a challenge for the younger students over the next few years.

Year 8 High Schools Cup Netball Team 2015

Open Year 11/12 High Schools Cup Netball Team 2015

Andrea Wheeler
Health & Physical Education

Languages

Why study French?

• More than 200 million people in 49 countries are totally or partially French speaking.
• French is spoken in some countries close to Australia such as New Caledonia, Vanuatu and French Polynesia. Also, over 15% of people living in the Indian Ocean Region are French speaking.
• Over half a million Australians have conversational fluency in French.
• Nearly 40 000 Australians travel to France each year.
• After English, French is the most frequently taught second language in the world.
• French is an official language of many world organisations and agencies such as the International Red Cross, the Olympic Games and the United Nations.
• Thousands of French words and expressions are used in English, for example rendezvous, bon voyage, mayonnaise and par avion.
• Australian manufactured exports to France have doubled in the last decade.
• There are close to 200 French companies in Australia employing 50 000 Australians, for example Bic, Air Liquide and L'Oreal.

Why study Italian?

• Research shows students who study Italian become better at English grammar and vocabulary. The reason is simple: Italian developed from Latin and an estimated 60 percent of English vocabulary comes directly from Latin. Italian will not compete with the learning of English; it will enhance the learning of English.
• Italian is considered by many as the easiest foreign language to read, write, and pronounce because there is only one sound per letter of the alphabet (and four consonant blends).
• Students who experience difficulty with English find it much easier to learn to read in languages where there is a one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds. In fact, cases of dyslexia are extremely rare in Italy!
• Italy is one of the top seven economies in the world and is a member of the G7 Group of the wealthiest democracies of the world.
• Thousands of Australian companies do business with Italy and hundreds of Australian firms have offices in Italy.
• Italy is a world leader in tool manufacturing, with advanced technologies in robotics, electromagnetic machinery, shipbuilding, space engineering, construction machinery and transportation equipment.
• Italy's economy is changing: state-owned companies are becoming privatized, opening up the Italian market to Australian companies and professionals in aerospace, transportation, insurance, finance, shipping, telecommunications and others.
• Australian companies expanding in Italy have a great demand for software designers, systems engineers, technical support, marketers and managers who speak Italian and English.
• Italy is a world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design, furniture design, etc. Those planning careers in such fields greatly benefit from knowing Italian.
• Italy has long been a magnet for the tourism industry.
• Italy is one of the most popular countries in the world to migrate to. In the decade 1989-1999, Italy's foreign population more than trebled from 490,000 to 1,500,000.
• According to the United Nations, over 60 percent of the entire world's art treasures are found in Italy.

Top 10 reasons to study Japanese

• Japan has the second largest economy in the world. Leading Japanese companies include Sony, Toyota, Sanyo, Casio, Minolta, Honda and Mitsubishi.
• Knowing Japanese brings business opportunities. Japanese consumers spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year on consumer goods like food, clothing, travel and entertainment. Being able to communicate with potential customers in their own language is a key to winning their business.
• Japanese is a gateway to other Asian language & cultures. A study of Japanese can open your perspective on the values that other Asian nations share with Japan. A familiarity with Asian cultures also allows you to step outside the culture you live in and see it from a fresh, new perspective.
• Japanese speakers are the internet's 3rd largest language group. Knowing Japanese can connect you to millions of people throughout the world in an instant!
• The Japanese are innovators. The Japanese drive for innovation has made them the world leaders in a number of areas. There is a huge call for people from other countries who speak Japanese.
• Japanese cultural exports are exploding. From anime to sushi bars, karaoke to manga, bonsai to origami, Japanese culture has become a huge part of international interest! A knowledge of the language gives you direct intellectual access to all of these things.
• Knowing Japanese will set you apart from the crowd. Many people who live in Western countries don't learn a second language. Most of those who do learn a European language – having Japanese on your resume will differentiate you from the crowd.
• The Japanese are international tourists. The market for Japanese tourist dollars is strong. A knowledge of Japanese can gain you priority entry to that market. Of course, it will also make your own travels overseas both easier and more enjoyable!
• Japanese is the most taught Asian language in Australian schools. Japanese is a rich and fascinating culture and in fact has a long history of borrowing from Chinese, Portugese, Dutch and English.
• It's not as hard as you think! Japanese does have a different writing system from English, but the grammar of Japanese is simpler than many other languages, having no genders, plural forms or accompanying articles to learn.

Why study Korean?

• Korean is becoming more and more popular as a second language with people all over the world starting to learn it in order to develop their careers, learn about another culture or even understand their favourite movie stars. Let's look in more detail at the reasons why Korean is becoming more popular and why you should choose Korean!
• The economy of South Korea was dubbed one of the four Asian Tigers and locals refer to the country's transition from a developing to developed country as 'The miracle on the Han river'. With such a powerful economy, the idea of learning the local language is difficult to ignore. There has also been increasing contact between the Republic of Korea and Australia in the spheres of education, the arts, sport and tourism, making those skilled in the Korean language even more desirable in today's job market.
• The strong technology, automotive and ship-building industries provide jobs for workers from all over the world. Learning Korean will put you a step ahead of your competitors when it comes to dealing with Korean clients or finding a job in Korea.
• South Korea places a really strong emphasis on education and offers excellent wages and job prospects to foreign university professors and language teachers. Whilst most of these positions involve teaching in English, learning Korean will make you a more attractive candidate when applying for these jobs and help you settle in quicker when you finally get there.
• As well as work, there are other interesting reasons for learning Korean. If you are interested in exploring the musical, artistic or philosophical traditions of Korea, language skills are a must. The actual language itself is interesting from an academic point of view, too. Hangul, the most widely used Korean writing system is a fantastic piece of linguistic design. The characters are very clear, and easy to read and write.
• Another common reason for learning Korean is related to popular culture. Korean TV drama is popular all over Asia and gaining popularity in other parts of the world, too. Many people learn Korean in order to understand their favourite TV dramas or even in preparation for a vacation to Korea to see where they are filmed.
• Even if you're not into TV drama, Korea can still make a great holiday destination. Whether you're shopping for the latest gadgets in Seoul or enjoying the unspoilt rural areas, Korea has something for everyone!

10 jobs you didn't know you could do with a second language!

Ask anyone what sort of job they think they could do if they spoke a second language and most will answer 'teacher' or 'translator'. However, a recent project undertaken by Euro London has highlighted an interesting array of potential career options.

Video games tester – Playing video games to test that the games say the right words in the right language when they need to!

Private jet sales executive – Selling private jets to individuals throughout Asia or Europe.

International football analyst – Watching and analysing the latest European soccer matches and producing reports on the failures and successes of the team.

International assignment manager - Working for a large international company to help colleagues relocate from country to country. You organise a place to live, schooling if there are any children involved, removals etc.

Luxury yacht sales manager – Selling yachts to high profile individuals in Europe or Asia.

Rock group tour organiser– Organising tours for pop bands around Europe or Asia, organising and booking venues and general diary and transport management.

Art editor – Editor and designer for large magazines or art traders

Journalist – Uncovering the latest scoop on international trends and reporting on the information for fashion, finance or sports magazines.

Press conference assistant - Interpreting for high profile sports starts during international press conferences

Recruitment consultant– Interviewing multilingual job seekers in sectors such as marketing, finance, law, IT etc

Raphaël, a Toulousain Down Under

Raphaël and the French correspondents enjoying a day at Caversham Wildlife Park.

To my friends from Willetton SHS, to my friends from camp, to my host family and to every single Australian that I know; I'd like to say a big THANK YOU.

Thank you for welcoming me. Nobody had to take care of a guy just because he's new in the country. But you did it with me and I can't thank you enough for that. You didn't have to bring me to the camp but you did it and it was one of the best moments of my life. You made it unforgettable. I can't even remember a bad day during these six weeks. Thank you for being amazing. You made an awake dream of my trip, and I'll never forget the time I shared with you. I was just coming to practice English and I found a new family, new friends... a new life. I didn't have time to say good bye to everyone and I'm sad of this. But life is not over and who knows? I might be lucky enough to meet you again.

You will all leave way more than just a name in my Facebook friend list in my life. But life wouldn't be exciting if there wasn't any end. I left but I'll never forget you.

Thank you again and again.

I love you all.

Raphaël Bernard from Toulouse (France)

EXCURSION AT THE HYOGO CULTURAL CENTRE

On Friday June 26, a group of 45 students from Onishi Sensei's Year 7 Japanese classes visited the Hyogo Cultural Centre in City Beach. The Hyogo Cultural Centre was established to commemorate the Sister State relationship between Western Australia and Hyogo Prefecture, and aims to promote Japanese language, culture and exchange.

The students participated in an immersive Obento creation workshop. An Obento is a traditional Japanese packed meal that is enjoyed by everybody of all ages. Students learnt and familiarised themselves with Obento culture, typical ingredients as well as features of language to describe food. They then had the opportunity to design their own Obento in groups using the knowledge learnt. Students displayed fantastic creativity and teamwork to

design Obento that not only looked delicious, but also included a range of colourful ingredients as well as good nutritional balance. Students were then able to promote and sell their designs to the teachers using their Japanese language skills.

Year 7 Japanese classes enjoying a day at Hyogo Cultural Centre.

For lunch, students were able to make their own Obento, and eat traditional Japanese food. Everybody agreed that the Obento was delicious!

We would like to thank the team at the Hyogo Cultural Centre for providing the students a fun, immersive and engaging visit. A fantastic day was had by all.

Daisuke Nomura: Murdoch University Student on Practicum

Daisuke Nomura during his practicum at Willetton SHS.

THE CLUB VENN

Languages are popular at Willetton SHS and many students enjoy language learning beyond the compulsory years of Year 7, 8 and 9. Last year a small group of Year 11 students learning Japanese started an after school Club where they teach Japanese to Year 8 students. The club is continuing successfully and many Year 9 students are enjoying learning Japanese from their senior peers. Here is a report of the Club Venn by one of the Year 9 students:

Year 12 students who are running the Club Venn - (from left to right)
Nayanika Sajeev, Denise Chionh, Joanna Husin and Charlotte Ellison

Club Venn is an after school activity where Year 9 students gather to learn Japanese. Every Friday after school (3 pm – 4 pm) in LANG 08, the Club Venn students are taught by talented Year 12 students who are dedicated to teaching the students what they need to know and even a bit extra. This club was designed for students to learn, strengthen the knowledge they learnt in class and have some fun while doing it! Some weeks, the class may split up into groups and learn different areas separately (speaking, writing, grammar, etc.) or learn as a whole class.

Club Venn is designed for all, even if you are just learning or only wish to harden your Japanese knowledge.

The Club is not very serious and in fact it is quite easy going but we do value learning. After each class, students go home with more knowledge and appreciation of the Japanese language.

Clare Wan Year 9

students learning Japanese every Friday from 3pm to 4pm

ONIGRI MAKING

students making Onigri during Japanese classes
From left to right: Amy Mercer, Hana Lont and Alexsis Talbot

In the last week of Term 2, the Year 7 and 8 classes made おにぎり (onigiri) or おむすび　(omusubi) during the Japanese class. Onigiri is a rice ball made of white rice, formed into triangular or cylinder shapes wrapped in のり(seaweed).

Onigiri is very popular in Japan and can be found in all stores. Many children in Japan eat Onigiri for lunch, just like Australian children eat sandwiches.

In our onigiri, we putかつおぶし(katsuobushi), fish flakes, うめぼし(umeboshi), sour plum and chicken.

After making our onigiri, we rolled them in sesame seeds and seasonings to enhance the flavour. It was delicious and the onigiri session was great fun.

Hana Lont, Amy Mercer & Alexsis Talbot Year7

EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH THE AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF NANJING (CHINA)

Hi everyone!

My name is Bella and I have enjoyed studying with you all. I want to make a special thank you to my partner called Simran. She was very helpful and friendly; she always helped me find the way to class. My host family's second daughter Stacy was also in this school. We went home everyday and she shared with me lots of interesting things about school. The most wonderful thing for me is everyone in this school always said hello to me and always helped me, although we didn't know each other before. We all had a great time with the students and teachers at Willetton SHS. Thanks so much for hosting us, we already miss this school and would love to come back in the near future

Bella Zhang Year 11 Student Australian International School - Nanjing

ITALIAN EXCHANGE 2015

From left to right...Teresa, Alessia, Sara, Sofia and Viola. 4 Italians born to surf!

The Italian exchange students with the year 12's.

Sara and Alessia

Sara and friends

Once again, 2015 has been fantastic for the Italian Exchange Program at Willetton. Five lucky Italians, Sara, Sofia, Alessia, Viola and Teresa all from various parts of Italy have experienced an amazing two months down under and at Willetton. Here are their thoughts about this life changing adventure:

It was a big step for me to come from my little town to another continent, but it's absolutely worth it. This experience taught me to open my horizon more than I ever did. Everything just seems me different and familiar at the same time and that is maybe because the kindness and the helpfulness of people made me feel like at home. An adventure like this sometimes scares but it makes you grow up and learn more about people and most important about yourself. Australia is a part of my heart now.

Sara Stuppia

I'm here, in the other side of the world and I don't know exactly the reason. I chose Australia because it's the farther place from my home. I just decided to escape from my life for two months and fight against my weaknesses. Here I discovered things that before I didn't know, I understood that people are more complicated and different as I thought. I won against my fears and its only thanks this experience. My mind is open and now I watch the world to 360 degrees. Everything that I am living here is in my heart and it will be there forever.

Alessia Roggia

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is why I decided to come to Australia. I actually have not got a certain answer, just a group of answers that have many differences between them, but a common point. There is the desire to go far away, curiosity, the will of a new type of life, but I do think it is a kind of intrinsic euphoria about challenges with myself. I do not know if I have won this challenge, I just make some considerations that make me presume that I did. I found a cosy and kind place, a family with many features, that characterise and make it perfect, and an enormous school, as a building, that has its strengths in every little class, where meetings and friendships happen.

Sofia Lesca

How can I find the words to describe this experience? I think it's impossible, but I'll try.

I would be lying if I said that it has always been easy, because in the beginning it was hard to communicate, to understand and to feel a part of a group because I didn't know English really well. However, now I can honestly say that everything is good: I love my family, my host sister and I'm having a great time with them and with all the new friends I've met.

I know that this experience is helping me to grow. Before arriving, I viewed this exchange as an opportunity to improve my English; but now I've understood that the language is not the only thing and that there is more that I have come to care about. Now I have a new family, I have a sister and I have new friends: I don't actually want to think about when I leave.

I want to live these next three weeks in the best way possible because I know that when I will be back in Italy I will miss all of that.

Teresa Cacciapaglia

More than a month ago I arrived in Australia, without knowing exactly what to expect from this experience, but with a great curiosity and a desire to discover a new culture.

I was not disappointed. In fact, my host family was absolutely lovely. They treated me as their daughter and they made me feel really welcome.

At school, I got to know many friends, all with different backgrounds; as I discovered, Australia is a really multicultural country.

I think that this experience helped me to become a more mature and open-minded person. I have changed so much during the time I have spent in Australia and I recommend it to anyone who wants to take this awesome journey too.

My experience in Australia was absolutely awesome; it didn't only help me to improve my English much, but it also gave me the opportunity to get to know a new culture and have a great time with my new Australian friends and family.

Viola Ragonese

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL LANGUAGES

Willetton SHS is the Department of Education's Teacher Development School (TDS) for Languages K-12.

The TDSs initiative acknowledges teachers learn best from other teachers. TDSs share their expertise and classroom innovation across schools, networks and professional learning communities. Teachers and schools can access a range of practical support for whole school planning, teaching, learning and assessment.

MondaY July 20 was the fifth annual Languages Big Day Out where 120 languages teachers visited our school to learn from Willetton teachers. Sessions included curriculum differentiation, VET Languages by Sue Holland, Australian Curriculum and instructional strategies in Languages. Feedback on the day has been very positive and we look forward to continuing the work of teachers throughout WA.

Nathan Harvey: Head of Languages

Mrs Palermo and Mrs Onishi presenting professional learning to languages teachers from schools throughout WA

Mathematics

ICAS and AMC MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS

Years 7 to Year 12 students have recently completed the AMC Mathematics Competition paper on Thursday July 31 and the ICAS Mathematics paper on Tuesday August 11. These two competitions involve students in solving mathematical problems. All students in the GT Years 7 to 10 programmes sat both papers as well as some additional students in Years 7 to 12. The competitions are open to all students in Years 7 to 12 who wish to sit the papers. We hope to know results by early Term 4 and we are looking forward to some fantastic results from these students.

Zoe Tay: HOLA Mathematics

Science

ENERGY CHANGES DURING CHEMICAL REACTIONS – YEAR 9 SCIENCE

Mr David Longman, Murdoch University Student Teacher demonstrated an exothermic reaction, a reaction in which heat is transferred to the surroundings. It had to be conducted in a fumehood. Concentrated sulfuric acid reacted with sugar and what remained was a column of carbon.

M Munshi Science Teacher

EGGING IN SCIENCE

Integrated Science students Grace Wong, Kamara Churchill, Victor Anchugov, Raj Kanaga Mugendran and Max Walters testing whether the packaging they created will protect an egg falling off the balcony of the new Science Building. No eggs were harmed during the conducting of this project.

YEAR 10 GENETIC ISSUES AND DISORDERS PRESENTATIONS CONTINUED…

Year 10 Gifted and Talented are currently presenting Power Points to their peers and initiating class discussions. We would like to share with the school community some controversial issues facing society today.

Transgenics

Transgenics is the artificial introduction of DNA from an organism into another organism who is unrelated. Arthur Komberg was the inventor of transgenics in 1958. The process is used to create organisms with genes from another species. In the future, scientists plan to modify the coding of cells to provide them with more immunity in a foreign environment. Organisms may also be genetically modified to take on a different phenotype or external appearance.

M Munshi Science Teacher

Left to Right: Natasha Hoffman, Melissa Weeks, Natasha Chung and Hannah Pitts

ANSWERS FOR THE DISSECTION PHOTOS IN THE LAST NEWSLETTER EDITION: Kidney, Heart, Hibiscus flower

YEAR 11 BIOLOGY EXCURSION

On Friday the June 25, Willetton's two Year 11 Biology classes visited Mundaring Forest Discovery Centre. It was a great day, extremely interesting, and enjoyed by all. That all included our guides from the centre who were impressed with the good manners and keenness of our students. Most of our students were also impressed. "Having never been into the hills before, going on this excursion was an incredible experience" said Rhianna, who thought that the trip had been the highlight of her year taking Biology. Others found it "a new and educating experience", "inspiring and knowledgeable, made fun and entertaining by our tour guides". This sense of wonder and novelty, and appreciation of something that we all have and yet overlook came through really strongly. Despite the Wynhorst effect (it always rains on certain teachers' excursions!), everyone got out and about counting plants in quadrats, studiously identifying animal diggings and droppings, and meeting orphaned and injured wildlife. In the process much was learned about ecology, fire management, and preserving our fragile natural environment. Most importantly, it was beautiful and fun!

Dr Harris and Mrs Wynhorst: Science Teachers

Biology Excursion by L. Harris

The Willo's went out to the jarrah,
Green shoots of learning amongst the timeless trunks,
'twixt a granite sky and the laterite clay
Among the quadrats and flowers for a day.

"Nearer to Nature" the journey was called,
Lauren was ablaze on the trail like a flame tree
Sindhu had her nose to the ground,
Like the echidna who followed her around.

They took from the forest ephemeral gifts,
And left of themselves their good name, and good wishes,
For an eternal forest, beset with its problems and threats

But living down the ages nonetheless.

Because the Willo's are the future,
Who know, who love and who care,
A piece of the forest lies within their hearts,
Which their minds now know how to spare.

Certificate of Appreciation from Perth Hills Discovery Centre

Technologies

ARDUINO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We are a Technology Development School for Teachers and hosted an introduction to using the Arduino microprocessor on Saturday July 25. This was a very popular event with 17 teachers attending for the day, with several coming as far away as Narrogin. There was a waiting list of teachers who could not be accommodated for the course.

We were fortunate that Dr Leon Harris, a new science teacher at Willetton this year, was willing to run this professional development opportunity.

The Arduino microprocessor is a small computer which students can use to program and control input and output devices. Many teachers are now using the Arduino to assist student to develop digital problem solving skills and to use this new skill to solve real life problems.

Each teacher was supplied with an Arduino kit to take home so that they can continue to develop their skills for the benefit of their students. There is an intention to run another one day course for teachers later in the year.

We were very thankful on the day that Mrs Judy Ialacci's VET Certificate Hospitality students were willing to be in attendance from 8:00am till the early afternoon, providing drinks, morning tea and lunch. All those in attendance were amazed at the professional level of service that these students provided.

Chris Carmody: Teacher Digital Technologies

Dr Leon Harris

VET Hospitality students

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY: WOODWORK

This year, Design and Technology have been very busy with the relocation to the new centre. Students and Staff were inconvenienced during first semester with a lack of equipment and machinery; however relocation to the new building has allowed us to return to work with gusto, and the work begun in that first semester is now nearing completion.

Students in Building and Construction are completing the construction of stud walls and sub floors, Students in Year 10 Woodwork are finishing the tables they began in first term when, deprived of machinery, they had to use hand tools to construct their mortise and tenon joints. They have assembled their table tops and after a coating of lacquer the finished tables are ready to take home.

Year 10 Woodwork models

Other students are working hard and producing some fine work in Design and Technology. Keep up the great work.

Mr Rob Dow: Woodwork Teacher

Chris Carmody

I have been a teacher at Willetton SHS since 2003, the last 13 years have passed by so quickly, but one thing has not changed: Willetton was a great school when I started here, and is a greater school today, which is quite an achievement. I was privileged that my three children completed their education at Willetton SHS.

When first left school, I completed an apprenticeship as a Mechanical Fitter, before deciding to become a Design and Technology Teacher, and then, after further studies; a Digital Technology Teacher. Most of my teaching life has been as a Digital Technology Teacher. With the increased interest in students developing SMET (Science, Maths, Engineering and Technology) skills it is really helpful to have teaching experience in two areas of the Technologies learning area.

In the 27 years I have been involved in working with computers in schools there has been an enormous change from word processing based courses to today in which students have opportunity to develop skills in graphical design, multimedia and programming. It is really encouraging in recent years to see a renewed interest in students learning programming skills, with an emphasis upon problem solving in a digital context. There is also a growing interest in students learning something about robotics and this year I have a number of classes studying Robotics.

I look forward to many more years teaching at Willetton in the Technologies Learning Area.

Chris Carmody: Technology Teacher

The Arts

DRAMA REPORT

UPCOMING DRAMA PERFORMANCES

Year 12 OSP Wednesday September 9 6:30pm - 9:30pm

The OSP Performance night will be held September 9 (Wednesday of week 8) at Rossmoyne Senior High School. Contact Clare Talbot at Willetton Senior High School if you require more information.

Wednesday September 9: Youth on Health Drama Festival

The Year 8/9/10 drama students are rehearsing and performing at the Mandurah Performing Art Centre. They will be competing with other schools. The students in drama club have been devising a 15-20 minute drama performance based on the theme Equality. We wish the following students well in their performance.

Year 8 : Jessica banks, Todd Billett, Jae Brieffies, Gopika Chelakkara, Jade Choong, Brodie Hood, Dylan Munkelt, Carolin Muru, Sowbhagya Nagendran, Isaac Basser-Scarfe, Anisha Chowdhery

Year 9: Georgia Barry, Stella Farley, Marnie McKenna, Himal Pandey, Mya Plumridge, Mit Singh, Shefali Tantry, Kaylee Wong

Year 10: Isabella Berridge, Aashka Bhavsar, Madeline Edmett, Feodora Hartanto, Alana Munkelt, Thomas Scott-Jones, Supini Sirisena Arachchi, Kody Smith, Imogen Topp, Lauren Waller, Malka Welideniya, George Whitebrook, Amandeep Tanday

Year 11 The Crucible Monday September 21 & Wednesday September 23 6:30pm-9:00pm

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a modern classic - a story of mass hysteria that draws chilling parallels between the Salem witch hunts of 1692 (known as 'one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history') and the McCarthyism that swept through America in the 1950s. It is the story of a small community being stirred into madness by superstition, malice and paranoia which ends with a deadly climax. This savage attack on evil and mindless persecution, and the terrifying power of false accusations, has to be seen to be believed.

The rehearsals for Mr Brand's Year 11 class production of The Crucible by Arthur Miller are going really well. The plot twists and relationships between characters are being fleshed out and everyone is really excited to perform this incredible show to the school community.

We invite you all to come and appreciate this amazing production. Food and drinks will be served at interval.

Tickets will be on sale Monday September 7 - $6

Vocation and Educational Training

Year Group Reports

YEAR 7

Life as a Year 7 is very busy, with many activities to be part of and the enthusiasm of these wonderful students continues to ride high.

At the end of term 2 we were very fortunate to have the Museum of Moving Objects along with Archea-aus come to the school, and over a period of two days the students were treated to a mini archaeological dig of aboriginal artefacts, and presentations from members of the local aboriginal community. The students were engaged, enthralled and enlightened by the two hour presentations.

Tom Francis Practising His Spear Throwing

Archaeological Dig

During Term 2, I called for volunteers to form a Social Committee and a Fundraising Committee. I was inundated with willing volunteers. The Fundraising committee were asked by Mr Hamley if we were able to help Native Arc who work to rehabilitate native wildlife. On Friday July 31 we had a table full of cupcakes, muffins, lamingtons and an array of homemade loom band products for sale. The highlight of the stall was the Guess the Weight of the Cake competition. Café au Lait, from Bull Creek shopping centre had kindly donated a fabulous chocolate mousse cake which weight 2.26kg. The lucky winner from Year 8 Swarupini Srinivasan took the cake home for her family to enjoy.

The students were amazing with many giving up their whole recess and lunch to man the stall. We raised $518.75c, which is enough to fund a joey for 12-18 months until they are released back to the bush. The day we presented the cheque to Mr Hamley, a little 2kg Western Grey had arrived at Native Arc after her mother was hit by a car. They have called her Willetton and all funds will be going towards her rehabilitation with ongoing progress reports.

The Fundraising Stall

Guess the Weight of the Cake

Willetton the Kangaroo

The Social Committee is very busy organising the first Year 7 social. It will be held at the school theatre from 7-9 pm on Monday August 24. The tickets are $5 and there will be a DJ and lots of fun and games. There is a theme of Boho (hippy for those of us still living in the 70's!) but the goal is to get the students together in a social environment so I hope we will have a great turn out.

Term 3 also sees a new assembly committee, who are continuing in their predecessors footsteps and doing a wonderful job every week.

TERM 3 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE: Matthew Ryan, Felicity Dureau,Megan Appleton

Eloise Taylor, Amelia Abbott, Sourish Agarwal, Tiama Tilbee (absent)

On August 5 we had our first Academic Awards Ceremony, which allowed the students and parents to celebrate the academic achievement of the students for semester 1. All the students behaved sensibly and with respect and it was wonderful to see so many students come to the dais to receive an award. Congratulations to all those students.

Kimberly Atkinson: Year 7 Coordinator

YEAR 8

Term three is nearly halfway through at the time of writing this report. Most Year 8s are now assimilated fully into secondary school life at Willetton. The semester one reports were very pleasing with 67 out of 315 students or 21% achieving 6 or more A grades and receiving an academic excellence certificate at the recent awards ceremony

A huge number of students also achieved great things in their first semester. They may not have achieved the 6 A grades that qualified them for an academic excellence award but they achieved one or two A grades or perhaps B grades or maybe even worked hard in Maths to bring their grade up to a C.

There were also 78 students in Year 8 who have given themselves the best chance to achieve their very best. These students attended at least 99% of the classes in semester one.

The link between ttendance and good academic results can be seen in the students who received academic excellence awards. I have put out a challenge to all Year 8s this semester to try and improve their results from semester one in at least one subject. Maybe that means improving attendance to help turn a D into a C.

All Year 8 students know if they have really given it their best effort in semester one. Congratulations to those who can say that, and keep up the good work.

The performing talents in the Year 8 group are slowly being uncovered. The Year 8 assemblies have seen performances in dance by Hannah Gibson and Ms Boxshall's semester one dance class and in music by Kobe Herbert, Kobe Dees and Ethan Abeynayake. The beautiful cello playing of Jae Brieffies and Jean Creelman entertained at the awards ceremony. The Year 8 audiences have been supportive and appreciative and more students are keen to perform in upcoming assemblies.

Movie & Pizza Social

The social committee assisted with the organisation of the first Year 8 social event, which was held in term two, a movie and pizza night with a pyjama theme in our new theatre. One hundred students enjoyed 55 Eagle Boys pizzas and a viewing of The Pacifier. There were lucky seats and best costume prizes awarded.

Troy Walters wearing his 'onesie' to the movie and pizza night

Many thanks to the social committee for their efforts and assistance.

School Production

The school production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has now concluded. There were many Year 8s involved in the production from Jessica Banks who had a main role as one of Joseph's brothers, to Emily Counsel who played in the orchestra to Todd Billett who was a lighting director. Many others sang and danced in the chorus. School productions on this scale are a biennial event and it is fantastic to see the participation of so many Year 8 students.

Front of House

At the end of June, 24 students completed Front of House hospitality training thanks to Ms Barratt and Mrs Betterman.

The Front of House group, coordinated by Year 11 student Siobhoin Ialacci has been a feature of Willetton for several years. The students achieve a Worksafe certificate and learn useful hospitality and interpersonal skills.

Parents will see these students at school productions and parent evenings performing welcoming duties, giving directions and ushering at most school events over the next five years.

The students below were presented with their badges at an assembly held in early August.

Emilia Hayes	Jade Choong
Grace Kim	Manas Sunil Madhuri
Heidi Griffiths	Ella Kent
Shania Selfe	Harishan Paganeswaran
Duli Jayalath	Nandana Binu
Emily Brown	Kristina Joseph
Brielle McKinlay	Meng Zhun Yuen
Lara Mathew	Roseate Joji
Gemma Bell	Sharifah Safiya Hanim Aljunied
Jordyn Montague	Harleigh Harris
Carolin Muru	Celestine Christo
Leesha Samarweera	Kaitlyn Chatfield

Athletics Carnival Wednesday September 2

The next major event for all year 8s is the athletics carnival on Wednesday September 2. The carnival takes place on the school oval and parents are welcome to attend. The carnival focuses on participation although it does serve as the selection trial for the interschool athletics team. All Year 8s are expected to attend in their physical education uniform and participate in as many of the events as they can. Students will be given more information by their physical education teacher as the day approaches.

Unfortunately a detached retina in my right eye has meant that I will be absent from school until Week 9. I am in the process of organising the next ice skating social for the end of term and will keep the students updated via Connect and assemblies. I am happy to be contacted by email but Ms Lana Warner-Gillon and Ms Charmaine Smith, in Student Services, will cover my support role at school until my return.

Andrea Wheeler: Year 8 Coordinator

YEAR 9

I feel a sense of pride in my year group for being involved in such a wide variety of programs and groups offered here at school.

Recently, the basketball students performed outstandingly in competition, and many students were involved in the maths competitions. As well, many Year 9 students were involved in the cast, crew and orchestra of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

We received 92 applicants in Year 9 to be a part of the Year 9 Peer Leader program, as well as for the first time, providing 38 students in Year 9 an opportunity at being a councillor.

We have had a successful swimming carnival earlier in the year and later this term we will be participating in the athletics carnival. There are a large number of students who have been committed, training and competing in specific sports after school. These are just snapshots of some of the programs and activities in which the Year 9 students are involved.

I would like to take this chance to acknowledge and congratulate all the students involved and their commitment to these and other extra-curricular activities.

The vast majority of students have been dedicated to their studies and I am proud of all of them. For those students who did not manage to receive an award at our recent assembly, keep up your great efforts and your rewards will come.

Stefan Brand: Year 9 Coordinator

YEAR 10 NEWS

We have had many exciting events take place in the last few months which reinforces the fact that the Year 10s are working successfully and confidently towards their futures.

A group of students attended Thornlie TAFE to experience a three day Brick-laying and Painting and Decorating apprenticeship where they experienced not only the type of work involved but also what working within the community can be like.

Year 10 Try-A-Trade

Another group experienced what working within the electrical trade is all about and have decided to follow a possible career in this. Most of these students have now enrolled in our FLiS programme for next year where they will continue to work in a vocational educational environment.

Many other students are completing work experience options in a variety of vocations and are receiving fantastic reports and feedback from their employers. Congratulations to you all.

Course counselling is well under way and it would seem most students are choosing realistic combinations. A reminder that these selections can be changed at any given time to reflect a change of mind or interests. It is strongly recommended that students continue to research into their future courses and universities to gain as much knowledge as they can about requirements and recommendations.

Congratulations to the many students who received academic achievement awards in the recent ceremony. Your commitment and efforts have been outstanding. However, as I mentioned at the ceremony, I care more about the people my students become than the scores on the tests they take.

Peer leaders went out to dinner as a thank you for their hard work over first semester. We attended Spur across at Southlands and a good time was had by all.

Year 10 Peer Leader Dinner

There are a lot of students who are doing many extra curricula activities which are generally helping the school community and I am grateful for their efforts.

Colleen Hayes: Year Coordinator

YEAR 11

Year 11s recently celebrated their good standing at school with the introduction of early Senior Status. This is a reflection of the good standing and excellent reputation Year 11s have in the school. The main reason for students not receiving Senior Status was unexplained absences. I urge all students to maintain their attendance by having a parent or guardian contact the school on the day of absence. With Senior Status comes a new responsibility and chance to prove personal integrity.

The majority of Year 11 students have recently completed their course counselling for Year 12 subjects. Most will stay in the same course but a few have opted to go into new subjects or FliS. The whole process was huge team effort but I must particularly thank Mrs Maura Sorrell and Mrs Sue Holland for the fantastic job they did with the Students at Risk parent evening, organizing the staff training day for Course Counselling and the staff roster for counselling. Also to all of the staff who have taken on counselling roles and Mrs Giselle Legg in Student Services for monitoring the PTO bookings system.

It is always a pleasure to present so many students with awards at the end of a semester and this time round was no exception with over 60 students being acknowledged for excellence in their chosen path of study. Among the students listed earlier in the newsletter, I would like to make special mention to the winners of the School Board's Award for Excellence. This Award went to a male and female student in Years 11 and 12. The Award criteria included the student achieving outstanding academic results, excellence in extracurricular activities, such as sports or music and contribution to the school and wider community. The Year 11 winners were Ben Madlener and Emma McLean. Ben and Emma fit each of these requirements tenfold and are congratulated for their efforts.

Even though many students achieved awards, I have had the opportunity to read numerous Semester One reports and it is reassuring to acknowledge that most students are doing well. Classroom teachers also pass on regular positive feedback about their students which is also well received. It is great to see that in line with their growing maturity, most students have taken advice to develop positive rapport with their teachers.

There is a lot going on for Year 11s and it is a time of working out priorities in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and balance between school, study and other past times. Many students have jobs, are learning to drive, love socialising - both on and offline! Year 12 is just around the corner. Leavers Jackets are ordered and councillors are now doing an incredible job assisting with planning the 2016 school ball on February 26. As end of year exams approach I encourage all students to work hard to maintain or improve grades, which will ultimately give them more options for Year 12 and beyond.

Judy Gauci Year 11 Coordinator

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

School Board meetings are held three times each term at 5.30pm in the school conference room. The next Board meeting will be held on Wednesday September 16. All are welcome.

COMMUNITY BOARD REPRESENTATIVE

The Board would like to introduce Miss Kailee Marshall as the new community representative on the Board. Being a former Willetton SHS student and recent university graduate, Kailee brings a fresh, student perspective to the Board.

Kailee works as a music specialist at a local primary school and lives locally in Willetton. She is actively involved on a number of education committees and is a key facilitator with leadership development programs for the youth through the Rotary Club of Willetton. We look forward to working with Kailee over the next 12 months.

FUNDING SUBMISSIONS

Do you ever wonder what happens with the School Board levy that you pay? Twice a year, staff are encouraged to apply to the Board for funding to help enhance the learning programs already offered, or build on good student behaviour. The levy that you pay, funds these requests. To date, requests for funding for the following have been received and approved by the Board during its first round:

Approved Submissions
English - Reading Promotion Program
New Student BBQ
Movie Tickets Reward System
Lower School Merit BBQ
Science - 5 Shelf Convection Incubator
Science - Gel Electrophoresis Chambers
Science - Greenhouse
Resource Unit - iPads
Languages – Equipment for an Italian Kitchen
The Arts – A Pair of Timpani
Health & Physical Education - Mirror Panelling for Weights Room
Health & Physical Education - Reposition Basketball Ring
Motivational Multimedia Presentation
Year 7 & Year 8 Big Day Out
Languages -Caversham Wildlife Park visit for Japanese exchange students Mathematics – Scientific Calculators

The School Board also purchased a grand piano this year, making it a wonderful addition to the music department.

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS COMMITTEE

As a subcommittee of the Board, this group meets with the aim to develop partnerships by targeting three priorities:

• Establishing partnerships with universities and training organisations that foster pathways to higher learning
• Securing funding for key resources and facilities
• Professional and transparent sponsorship and partnership practice

To date, a successful meeting between key staff members at Willetton SHS and Curtin University has taken place, to discuss the existing programs to assist students with autism spectrum disorder to transition from high school to university. The university is now looking to extend that program to support Willetton SHS students transitioning from primary school to high school, and helping to create an interest in programming and coding. The objective will be to help assist students who possess this interest, to pursue computing as their tertiary education option and help develop a strategy to achieve this goal. If you would like further details about the Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance (AASQA) and its programs, please contact Dr Tele Tan at T.Tan@curtin.edu.au

SECOND HAND BOOKSHOP – Attention Year 12 students

The second hand bookshop has a range of study guides and past exam papers for various subjects. For further information on what is available, please contact the bookshop on 9334 7282 on Wednesdays 9.00am to 11.30am.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK FUNDRAISER

The 2015/2016 Entertainment Books are available to purchase through the School Board. For enquiries, please contact Helen Wong on helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217 or make a purchase at http://www.entbook.com.au/904a46 There are only five books left so don't miss out! Digital memberships are still available.

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.

DISCOUNTED HOYTS MOVIE TICKETS

Discounted Hoyts movie tickets are available for purchase through the School Board. The tickets are valid for use at any Hoyts cinema, Australia wide. Profits from the sale of these tickets go towards funding projects around the school, which enhance our students' learning outcomes.

Pricing as follows:

TYPE	SINGLE TICKETS	BOOK OF 10
Child/Senior (restricted – not valid Saturdays after 5pm)	$10	$95
Child/Senior (unrestricted)	$13	$120
Student (unrestricted)	$13	$125
Adult (restricted – valid Monday to Thursday only)	$12	$110
Adult (unrestricted)	$16	$150
Family Book (6 child/senior + 4 adult - restricted)	$100/book
Family Book (6 child/senior + 4 adult – unrestricted)	$132/book
La Premiere –single pass	$34	N/A

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

From time to time, we are in need of volunteers to assist in various parts of the school such as the bookshop, canteen, second hand uniform shop or Willo parent events. If you would like to put your name on a Volunteers' List, or have a special skill you would like to offer to the school, please leave your details with the School Board office.

HOW TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE

To find out more about the School Board or how you might get involved, please contact Helen Wong, School Board Executive Officer at helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217.

WILLO PARENT GROUP NEWS

WILLO PARENT GROUP MEETINGS

The Willo Parent Group meets twice each term, coming together for parent information sessions or meeting socially over morning tea. 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. Details of Willo Parent Group events can be found on the school website, or by contacting helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au

NAVIGATING TEENAGE DEPRESSION

Willetton Senior High School, together with the Willo Parent Group will bring you a presentation on Navigating Teenage Depression by the Black Dog Institute. This is for all parents and carers. Presented on Tuesday September 1, 6.30pm in the Performing Arts Centre Theatre. A light supper will be served after the presentation. Please see the flyer for details. Registration is essential.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Over the years, the Willo Parent Group has assisted the chaplains at this school with Operation Christmas Child, a worthy project that can make a difference in the lives of many young people. It is now time to start bringing in your donations of gifts to fill the Christmas shoe boxes. Items needed include soft toys, toys, colouring pencils, crayons, puzzle books, toiletries and clothing. All items need to be new. Please drop off your items at the chaplain's office, located in the demountable at the front of the school. More details on this project can be found on www.samaritanspurse.org.au Volunteers are also needed to assist with wrapping and packing the shoe boxes. If you are able to assist, please contact Heather Gare in the chaplains' office on 9334 7242 (Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

PARENT E-NEWS

If you would like to be included on a parent email distribution list to be kept informed of Willo parent activities and sent information relevant to parents, please provide your details to helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au You may request for your details to be removed from the list at any time.