20 November 2015

Editor: Jenny LeSouef
Technology: Alex Mellor

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

This is the last general newsletter for 2015. We will have one more at the end of the year but its focus will be on administrative matters relevant to the beginning of 2016.

I must thank all who have contributed to another excellent year at our school. Staff, students and parents have worked together to achieve an education for our students to become responsible, goal oriented members of society willing to make a contribution to the fullest extent of their capabilities.

Examinations are nearly complete for our Year 12 students. We have used our new block for them and discovered the intricacies of the structure of the building for supervision. Examination time always creates issues in the shifting of classes and necessary adaptation of lessons and we share them around learning areas.

We wish our Year 10s and 11s all the best for their examinations and remind parents that normal timetable continues for the Year 10s until the end of the year.

The 2015 school annual is at the printers. It is a massive undertaking ensuring that all students and all activities are recognised. Again this year, Alex Mellor has undertaken the role and we extend thanks to her for her dedication. The annual will be available by the end of term.

Congratulations to our Board Chair Lindsay Holland for his election to the position of Deputy Mayor for the City of Canning.

Chris Booth

BOARD CHAIR REPORT

I recently attended the Year 12 Art Exhibition which once again showcased the talent of our students. There was a great diversity in style and meaning but all displayed great artistic ability. The School Board has purchased two pieces for the school, one from Jack Noonan and one from Joanna Husin.

Board Chair with Joanna and Jack

Jack Noonan and Board Chair Lindsay Holland

Lindsay Holland and Joanna Husin

The Board has nominated Nathan Harvey for Secondary School Leader of the Year in the WA Education Awards. We congratulate Nathan in being shortlisted as one of the four finalists and we will find out if he is successful on November 30. We wish him all the best.

I would also like to congratulate Nathan Harvey and Sue Holland for their nominations for the World Teacher Day Shining Star Awards which were recently published in the West Australian. It is always good to be acknowledged for outstanding effort.

The Year 12 Graduation Ceremony is upon us and it is always a night I look forward to. It will be the final formal occasion for our Year 12s as they prepare themselves for the transition from school to work or further study. This is a large step in life and one that should be taken with enthusiasm and gusto and not in trepidation or anxiety. Although it is a new horizon after 12 years of schooling it is just another door opening that will further shape their lives. I wish all a great graduation on the November 20.

On November 11, the City Of Canning held a special Remembrance Day Service at their new memorial in Cannington. There was a special reading performed buy all councillors and two students from each of the five Canning high schools. Willetton Senior High School was exceptionally well represented by Jason Dow and Carly Stokes. Congratulations Jason and Carly on a superb effort.

Lindsay Holland

GENERAL REPORTS

CONNECT: LINKING TEACHERS, STUDENTS and HOME

The WA Department of Education has obtained licences for suites of resources and lesson plans for use in Western Australian public schools. There is a wide variety of resource types within Connect such as;

• online collaborative audio tools, survey-making tools or interactive publishing tools
• interactive digital resources that encourage students to review and develop skills acquired during class
• reference materials to assist research
• graphic organisers, maps and worksheets to support prior learning and extend conceptual knowledge and skills in your own teaching programs
• documentary footage, TV series and still images to deepen student engagement with educational topics
• data sets around a variety of topics and interactive digital that allow students to plot data.

How do Students access Connect?

• By default, all students across the Department have a user name and an email account. These are usually based on the student's first-name and surname, i.e. jane.johnson. Sometimes, there is a number at the end, ie. jane.johnson2.
• To access Connect, students will need a password which is managed by the IT Technicians who are in the library each recess and lunch break. Once students have been provided with their user-name and a password, they can access Connect by navigating to connect.det.wa.edu.au in their browser and logging in.

How do parents access Connect?

Parents are provided with their own secure login to Connect once they submit the registration form and their information is verified. When they login to Connect they will be able to see information specific to their own children which will include items such as;

• the classes which are on their children's timetables;
• class calendars;
• assessment outline information for each course, drawn from Reporting to Parents;
• assessments details and marks/grades/comments on the achievement for their own child; and
• week by week attendance information for their children;
• notices from classes that automatically generate an email notification for parents.

Please access the Willetton Senior High School webpage for registration forms and Parent Help Guide

Year 7 and 8 Group Photo

Last chance to buy the Year 7 and 8 group photo. Limited copies available - $10 at the Business Managers office.

FOLLOW THE DREAM: PARTNERSHIP FOR SUCCESS

Adam Shrives, Bowanne Chrisp (Ballajura CC), Cherralee Clark and Frances Ewen

Kyle Hutton and Adam Shrives

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Congratulations to all of our Award recipients this year. No matter at which Award level students are working, it is great to see the persistence and dedication to achieving personal bests, trying new interests or taking on the elements for adventurous journeys.

These past few months have been particularly busy for Award participants with Willetton' s annual Bronze Award camp to Margaret River, a Silver Award hiking camp in Walpole and preparations for next year's Gold Award trip to Vietnam for a community project and trek. The graduating class has three Gold recipients. Jesse Tucek and Sian Parry join Rachel Foster, who received her Gold Award in 2014. Congratulations to both students on receiving their Awards from the Governor of Western Australia, the honourable Mrs Kerry Sanderson OA at a civic ceremony at Government House on October 23.

Sian Parry

Jesse Tucek

Thanks to the staff who assist with running the Award. Firstly, the numerous teachers who become assessors for students. Secondly, Mike Forsyth, Rianda Clemens, Stefan Brand and Sophie McLean who helped with recent camps. Finally, to Colleen Hayes, Stefan Brand and most recently Andrea Wheeler for assisting with Duke of Ed participants in their respective year groups.

It is never too late to sign up for an Award. Students are eligible to start a Bronze at 14 years of age. Participants have until they are 25 to complete any Award. Duke of Edinburgh Awards are excellent for CV's and university and job applications. The biggest benefit however, is the confidence individuals develop through learning personal management and life skills. Any Duke of Ed Award promotes a balanced lifestyle through combining physical activity, skills, community service and of course, exciting opportunities to camp and travel through Residential Projects and Adventurous Journeys.

Sign up packs are available in Student Services and more information can be found at

Current participants are reminded that it is their responsibility to maintain their online record book and to make contact with myself or their year coordinator if they are having problems with their account or any aspect of their Award, especially when it comes time to complete and sign off Award sections.

Judy Gauci School Coordinator The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award

FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS – A KEYS FOR LIFE WORKSHOP

FORMER WSHS STUDENT JOINS MINISTER'S ADVISORY BOARD

Class of 1997 student and WSHS Alumni member Jeremy Chetty has been appointed to Minister Mike Nahan's Multicultural advisory committee.

The Multicultural Committee brings together representatives from the community to provide participation, support, advice and useful links with community leaders and organisations to assist Minister Nahan and the State Government to address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse communities in WA.

Jeremy said he is honoured to be given this opportunity to help and to give back to the community that helped his family when they first came to Australia in 1990. Having been educated at Willetton, which has so many nationalities attending, provided me with a great foundation to understand and respect other cultures.

We congratulate Jeremy on his appointment and look forward to hearing his progress.

Jeremy Chetty

FORMER WILLETTON STUDENT DOES US PROUD

Soa Palelei is a man with an outstanding social conscience who makes a huge contribution to our community.

He recently completed a 24 hour endurance challenge on a stationary ergo grinder for Telethon, and with rugby league star Matt Fuller raised more than $120 000.

Soa was a member of our Basketball Scholarship program and has visited the school and provided inspiration to our students.

Well done Soa!

INTERACT CLUB NEWS

On October 30, the Willetton Interact Club recognised the annual World Teachers' Day – an event that is celebrated in over 100 countries. We did this by baking and providing a morning tea for all the staff, and leaving messages of gratitude and thanks to them in the staffroom. It was just a small gesture as our way of showing how tremendous the impact and influence of the amazing teachers at Willetton. We had a chance to really show the teachers how much we appreciate them and their reactions were heart-warming.

It has been said that education is the greatest key in life. We do truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us shape this everlasting tool. As Henry Brooks Adams states, You can never tell where a teacher's influence stops.

The Interact Club is held on Tuesdays during recess and will resume next year for anyone interested in joining in the fun!

Dayaanita Prabhahar and Hannah Page Acting President and Vice President

ABILITY IDOL SINGING COMPETITION FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITY

If you have a disability and would love the chance to perform on stage and win $1000, then Ability Idol is for you! To enter, all you need to do is submit a video of you performing your favourite song along with a registration form, by Friday December 11 2015. Finalists will be selected to perform in the amphitheatre of Kadidjiny Park, Melville on Sunday February 27.

For more information visit the website: www.abilityidol.com and download your registration form.

WILLETTON ROTARY COMMUNITY FAIR 2016

Willetton Rotary Club holds an annual fair, engaging local community organisations and businesses with the proceeds being put back into the local community.

They are looking for stall holders for the 2016 Fair.

Please contact Robert Doerksen at 9457 7616 or faircontroller@gmail.com with questions or registration of interest.

GIFTED AND TALENTED

I would like to thank all of the staff and students in the Gifted and Talented Education Program for their outstanding effort over the past twelve months. The incorporation of Year 7 students into the program has been very successful and I look forward to the opportunity of teaching all of these students in Year 8 next year.

All learning areas have produced brilliant results. Mathematics deserves a special mention; they have entered students in many of competitions this year and have produced winners across all year levels.

WACE exams are now over; I look forward to seeing the results of this year's graduating gifted and talented students and wish them all the best for the beginning of their university careers next year.

Darren Hamley Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator

GT ENGLISH

EXCURSION TO MURDOCH UNIVERSITY'S NEXUS THEATRE

A wonderful opportunity to experience live theatre and now somewhat of a tradition in November, all eight lower school Gifted and Talented English classes were taken to see A Sip of Shakespeare, produced by Theatre in Education students at Murdoch University.

The setting for the play was 1920s Hotel Illyria, an art deco establishment that welcomed an odd assortment of guests: discernible among the gangsters and flappers that characterised the period. We met revelers, roisterers, and clowns; shipwrecked siblings, murderers, puritans, priests, royalty and peasants. Strange creatures from other worlds challenged our expectations as the Master, our enigmatic tour guide, introduced us to the Hotel Illyria's extraordinary guests and its hard-working and long-suffering staff. We saw some of Shakespeare's most memorable scenes including Hamlet's rage in his Get thee to a nunnery speech to his beloved Ophelia and Ophelia's beautifully moving drowning scene, as well as the witches and Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's Unsex me here soliloquy from Macbeth.

Julie Hind

	Leopold Ngu & Song Yi Loo

ENGLISH GT YEAR 7

Terms 3 and 4 have been a busy time for Year 7s. Students have studied the conventions of drama and they have written scripts to be performed for the class. The task required them to display their organization skills and maturity. The finished plays were amusing and original.

During term 4 students watched a drama performance A Sip of Shakespeare at the Nexus theatre at Murdoch University and saw how lighting, costumes and music can enhance drama performance. They seemed to enjoy the excerpts from the plays and the chance to be a part of a theatre audience.

The students are currently working on advertising. We have examined the methods advertisers use to sell products and the values the advertisements appeal to in order to target their audience. Students have to choose one contemporary and one older advertisement to examine the difference in values and attitudes within a culture. Students also completed a reading/grammar test at the end of term 3. The majority achieved excellent results. The year will conclude with a novel reading and writing task.

The Year 7 students have continued to impress me with their maturity and conscientious attitude. Most students have developed very good organizational skills and this will help them to succeed next year. I hope that they continue to be caring and inclusive in their approach with their peers. I have enjoyed teaching them this year and I will miss them very much. All the best for Year 8!

Shelley Genoni

ENGLISH GT YEAR 8

This term our poetry was reinterpreted by students in the Year 10 Digital Graphics class.

I was lucky enough to have my poem To be Persistent represented as an image which was created by Abhinav Gaddela. The image displays a person, sprinting right next to a cheetah, with a background illustrating the landscape of Yosemite. What I found most interesting was that the image was quite simple, yet it symbolised my complete poem. The visual elements were much more detailed than my poem itself, which I found fascinating.

We were also privileged to be taken on an excursion to Murdoch theatre to see A Sip of Shakespeare. Here are some of the comments from members of our class:

The actors were extremely skilled and in the end the play turned out to be an amazing experience Muhammad Umer

The play was well directed and the actors very professional…it was entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable Amos Choo

The play was a great opportunity for us to get a taste of Shakespearean language and theatre. It was an interesting and entertaining excursion Jae Brieffies

Jeevanpreet Singh

To be Persistent

The people I love best
Eliminate the cons of drudgery and monotonous work
Accept life as its given without any doubt to depart or leave
Knowing there is a small trail but makes it a never-ending journey
Because these people are very courageous and unusually patient
Not afraid to go so deep, until they drift off into the sea indulged,
Where the mind enters oblivion, unaware of the dangers they might face.
Not sure whether it is plain stupidity or bravery,
It is something our humanity is lacking as we go forth.

I love people who honestly express their emotions
Like sign language through one another
Birds chirping to one another
Cows mooing to one another
How does it happen?
So simple but so stupendously clever,
too smart for our generations
And they are the only ones who realise that…
Who realise that even a spoon or pencil is so valuable in our evolution
That even talking is far beyond our comprehension, but seems to be so simple
It is all about the simplicity that they develop into enormous new dimensions.

I want to be with people who submerge
into undesirable labour
And carry on without hesitation
just moving along the lines
Feeling content being one in a million
Not the sloths or the koalas
But the horses and the camels
Who are made as solid as steel and work hard to be rewarded.

But instead, reward is not what they need
Because they work for the acceptance, not expectation
Not wanting a reward but asking for respects
Casing their hands to be covered in sludge
Their voices speaking normally but weeping in their mind
Soon to burst open with emotion
But they shall carry on to work
Only to be known as the most important type of person…
Persistent.

Jeevanpreet Singh Year 8

Image by Abhinav Gaddela

UNREAL

The people I like best are of the fictional kind
men of many faces
timeless warriors and immortal peacemakers
bow tie wearing aliens neither good or bad
villain and hero united as one.
Charisma and charm leaking through masks
of indifference
faults easier to forgive in face of their virtues.

Man silhouetted in the moonlight
hat tilted
eyes sheltered from the glare of a gunmen
whip, a crack of thunder.
Acquirer of rare antiquities
impossible yet plausible
remedy to lacklustre moments.

Seeking clues in a deerstalker
inept genius
content with sole friend.
Adverse reflection transformed
into positive parallels.

Paranoia stands veracious
red hair and shoulder pads dancing
in the chase for the truth.
Partners in lore and affinity
touchstone of constancy.
Distraction from actuality and isolation
fidelity caused by predictability.

Tessa Davies-Thillainath Year 8

Image by Charvin Solanki

ENGLISH GT YEAR 9

In Year 9 GT English, we have been working very hard on researching how different societies and cultural contexts treat people.

We are currently studying the art of debating with great enthusiasm in class. Debating requires teams of students to create an argument and to argue against another team. Debating teaches students how to research and create an argument, team work and oral presentation skills.

Dr Fiona Coble-Neal

L to R Sumira Wijesuriya, Aidan O'Brien, Sergio Arellano Rivas and Matt Robson

ENGLISH GT YEAR 10

A couplet:

Year 10 GT English
A Bustling City Centre

Saying that our final semester together in GT English was busy would be an understatement.

We began this semester by independently exploring the ways that Australian national identity has been expressed in two texts of our own choosing. After the investigation, we analysed Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road. It was quite interesting as it was set in a future dystopian environment and explored themes that are not for the faint-hearted. The novel can be read as a cautionary tale, warning future generations that if we continue to live an anthropocentric lifestyle, we could be the cause of our own destruction.

Finally, we journeyed into the world of poetry - much to the dismay of the class but to the joy to our fabulous teacher, Mrs Rowe. We have explored a variety of poems and have written an in-class essay (yay essays). This year has been one filled with learning and growing, and we're looking forward to the rollercoaster they call senior school - BRING ON THE WHITE SHIRTS!

Mikayla Johns and Carmel Palan Year 10

GT HaSS

HaSS GT YEAR 7 - ASIA WISE COMPETITION TERM 4

The Year 7 students are currently participating in the Asia Wise competition for 2015. The aim is to provide students with a broad introduction to Asia and reinforce generic skills developed in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Students studied Ancient China as a part of their Ancient History course in term 3 and this competition offers an extension opportunity to increase their knowledge about history, geography and the cultures of Asia.

The competition also provides opportunities for students to increase their awareness of the growing interdependence of Asia and western countries, improve research skills, critical thinking and analytical and interpretative skills.

Students are required to answer 50 multiple-choice questions by synthesising information using a variety of sources. All students will receive a certificate for their participation. Both classes have taken on the challenge with the enthusiasm and diligence that I have come to expect from them and I am confident that the outcomes will be positive.

John Maxwell

Year 7 students working on the competition documents in the library.

GT MATHS

MATHS GT YEAR 9

CHRISTOPHER CHIVERS

What a year!

Chris has achieved the following mathematics competition results in 2015

• One of only two students in Australia to achieve full marks in the Computational and Algorithmic thinking competition.
• A prize in the Australian Maths Competition (top 0.1%)
• Equal second place in the Western Australia Junior Maths Olympiad
• A member of our Have Sum Fun competition
• Close to a perfect score in the ICAS maths competition
• Bronze certificate in the Infomatics competition

MATHS GT YEAR 10

Not only are we preparing for the Mathematics Specialist and Mathematics Methods courses next year, we're also prepping for exams that will ultimately decide our futures. Daunting as it seems, this exceptional group has knuckled down to tackle the whole year's curriculum and have been working towards surds, logarithms, cubic functions, algebraic long division and the factor and remainder theorems. While foreign now, these words will eventually be less intimidating to Year 10 GT students.

Jasmine Beck and Niklesh Warrier Year 10

GT SCIENCE

SCIENCE GT YEAR 7 SLEEK GEEK SCIENCE COMPETITION

In Science, there is always something interesting going on. Our latest project is the Sleek Geeks Eureka Science Schools Prize, one of Australia's most comprehensive science awards. We have all been preparing for some time to perfect our projects. In each group there are around two to five people working together, each doing their own part to contribute. We have to make a film about a scientific concept of our choice that goes on for up to three minutes. The main aim is to communicate the scientific concept in a way that is entertaining, engaging and easy to understand for people of all ages. This prize is about content and creativity, not production values.

The winning group is awarded with a prize $2000 with $1000 for second. Prize money is divided equally between the winning students and their school. Representatives from the finalist teams will also win a trip to Sydney for the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Award Dinner.

This opportunity is all because of Mrs Atkinson. Thanks to her for motivating us to complete our projects to the best of our abilities

Sanjana Banerjee, Ilona Pinto & Sharaba Ahsan Year 7

SCIENCE GT YEAR 8

We have had an outstanding year in our science class in 2015. The students have been working at a very high level which is a result of their dedication to learning, scientific skills and mathematical ability.

We are currently studying the effect that mass and radius of a planet has on the strength of its gravitational field. We are then looking at how this field combines with the average kinetic energy of the gas particles to determine the possible combination of gasses in planetary atmospheres.

For our project work this term, we have been working on a number of different remotely operated underwater vehicles. We spent a lot of time trying to master our 3D printers to print submarine components. These remote submarines will be used to photograph and take sound recordings of dolphins.

Over the last holidays, I set the students the task of photographing endemic Western Australian plant and animal species for a competition. Jae Brieffies' photograph of a violet shell on Cheyne beach near Albany did not win the competition, however, Chevron, the competition sponsors, selected her photo to feature on their corporate Christmas card this year.

Darren Hamley

SCIENCE GT YEAR 9

After a year of solid work, the Year 9 Science class is busy getting a fun head start into Year 10 Chemistry. The Footy Colours lab challenged students' ability to write and balance chemical equations. Next we look forward to Forensics which will apply all the Science we have studied this year.

Ramona Elliott

Keegan Reynolds, Roshan Prashant and Leo Ng

SCIENCE GT YEAR 10 - FINDING 'G'

Students in Year 10 had fun using equations of motion to calculate the value of g - acceleration due to gravity.

Marcus Tan and Aaron J Roque are positioned upstairs and had fun dropping different types of balls whilst Minki Kim(back turned) the results on his laptop and Dylan tan recorded the time on a timer.

Mita Munshi

GT SENIOR

SENIOR GIFTED AND TALENTED

Our Senior Gifted and Talented Year 12 students have recently finished their WACE examinations and can finally relax. We congratulate them for their dedication right up until the final day at school where the most eager wanted a final study group with their favourite tutors and ex-GT students Ben, Harshana and Jemma.

We hope they all get their first preference for university, which is the best measure of success and look forward to catching up with many of them next year.

Julie Hind and Shelley Genoni

Senior study group 2015

CLUBS

TRADING CARD CLUB

Trading Card Club is a great place to spend the recess or lunch trading, playing and winning at assorted card games. It is a way to meet people who have similar interests in collectible cards. There are currently games of Pokemon, Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh being played at recess and lunch on Monday in B14, with groups of all ages coming and playing together. It is guaranteed that you will have a great time challenging your friends and is also a way to socialise with your year group or people that you have never met before.

BOARD GAME CLUB

Running after school on Monday until 4:30 in Media 2, Board Game Club is a chance for you to try out new or old board games each with their own exciting twist. Mr Mitchell runs the club and always has an assortment of games for you to play but you are welcome to bring in your own and play with friends. There are fantasy, horror, sci-fi, adventure and other board games for you to play and experiment with. Board Game Club is a great way to spend your Monday afternoon.

CUBE CLUB!

You've seen people solve cubes before, and have you ever wondered how they do it, and how they do it so quickly? Have you ever thought I wish I could solve a cube like them? Well come to cube club to learn how to solve the amazing Rubik's Cube!

Cube Club runs on Thursday lunchtime at the new Science Block in the Class with the new garage. Here you will learn the different ways to solve a cube from Beginners method to F2L.

Everyone participates in learning even Mr Hamley the teacher who started the club. You can either search the internet for how to solve the cube and have some of the people who already know how to solve the cube help you, or learn directly from them.

So come to Cube Club and learn to solve the Rubik's Cube!

HaSS

YEAR 12 MODERN HISTORY WITH MS BISHOP

The year 12s were lucky enough to have a very experienced former WACE marker and examiner conduct a series of workshops throughout semester two to help extend an already talented group of students.

On four separate occasions, Ms Bishop came to Willetton to present two hour workshops that included document studies, timely advice on essay writing and a challenge to think critically about the events that have come before us.

Ms Bishop also set targeted assessment revision tasks and marked them with valuable feedback, giving students valuable tips to support their learning in class. There is no doubt that the students were enriched by the experience and the teachers, Ms Bettermann and Ms Joyce also benefited from Ms Bishop's vast understanding of history.

We are very grateful to the Administration for supporting us to run the program and we are very confident that the students will achieve their full potential in the WACE this year. Congratulations Year 12s for taking on and living up to these extra commitments this year, we are very proud of you.

Ms Bettermann and Ms Joyce History Teachers

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

BOYS JUNIOR GRAND FINAL

The Year 8/9 Boys Basketball team displayed a solid and consistent brand of basketball throughout all stages of this year's Junior Boys Basketball Tournament. The squad was placed into two teams for the early rounds of the competition against local schools. Although this competition was quite strong, both teams acquitted themselves very well enabling us to progress to the Semi Finals.

We continued our great form into the Southern Conference Semi Finals where we met the best south of the river schools. Great wins against the 2014 Champions Mandurah CC and then against Rockingham SHS saw us advance to the grand final.

To the boys credit they were able to play their best game of the year when it mattered most. Our willingness in offence to move the ball in order to create and take the best shot was very pleasing for a team of this age. Our defence was also strong, keeping continual pressure on the opposition's best players. Even though the grand final was a little more intense than our qualifying games, we were still able to run out comfortable 19 point winners.

Willetton SHS 57 def La Salle College 36

Well done also to the Year 12 coaches Aaron Stewart and Lachlan Evans.

Congratulations boys!

Team
Clifford Matt	Nobensi Adrian
Cummings Hamish (Team MVP)	Tucek Bailey
Di Iorio Stefano	Yarran Mitchell
Forrest Lachy	Jackson Luke (Grand Final MVP)
Foster Louey	Travers Luke
Squad Members
Farrugia Jordan	Kohr Tyler
Mashongarka Panashe	Lawson Christophe
Schonemann Luke	O'Brien Tully
Rhee Joohun	Rosier Marcus

Junior Boys Basketball Grand Final Winners

Mike Forsyth HPE Teacher

INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On Tuesday October 20, the Willetton Senior High School Athletics Team participated in the B Division Interschool Carnival at the State Athletics Centre.

This is always a great day and was the culmination of our athletics program for the year. The students as always, gave their very best to achieve some fantastic results as well as demonstrating sportsmanship, peer support and team work.

Some of the great results on the day included:

Year 7

Teya Saville	2nd	Girls 800m Div A
	3rd	Yr 8 & U Girls 400m Div A
	2nd	Yr 9 & U Girls 1500m Div A
Tilbee Tiama	3rd	Girls 800m Div B
Darcy Garlett	2nd	Long Jump Div A
	1st	Boys 200m Div A
	1st	Boys 100m Div A
Roosevelt Williams	2nd	Boys Long Jump Div B
Imogen Bloxham	3rd	Girls 100m Div C
Esther Chang	3rd	Girls 100m Div C
Joel William	1st	Boys 100m Div C

Year 8

Zahli Jolly	1st	Yr 8 & U Girls Triple Jump Div A
	1st	Yr 8 Girls 80m Hurdles
	1st	Yr 8 Girls 200m Div A
	1st	Yr 8 Girls 100m Div A
	2nd	Yr 8 & U Girls Shot Put Div A
Kutemba Njamba	1st	Yr 8 & U Girls Triple Jump Div B
	1st	Yr 8 Girls 200m Div B
	1st	Yr 8 Girls 100m Div B
Courtney Johns	1st	Yr 8 Girls 800m Div A
	1st	Yr 8 & U Girls Discus Div A
Wesly Brown	3rd	Yr 8 Boys 200m Div A
	2nd	Yr 8 Boys 100m Div A
Joohun Rhee	1st	Yr 8 & Under Boys Triple Jump
Kobe Dees	3rd	Yr 8 Boys 100m Div C

Year 9

Chloe Sauzier	3rd	Yr 9 Girls Shot Put Div A
	2nd	Yr 9 Girls Discus Div B
Mitchell Yarran	2nd	Yr 9 Boys High Jump Div A
Isaac Karafilis	2nd	Yr 9 Boys High Jump Div B
	2nd	Yr 9 Boys 100m Hurdles
	1st	Yr 9 Boys Long Jump Div B
Ashlee Cronin	1st	Yr 9 Girls 90m Hurdles
	3rd	Yr 9 Girls 200m Div A
	1st	Yr 9 Girls Discus Div A
Dwijen Nautiyal	1st	Yr 9 Boys 800m Div B
Lucas Vernon	1st	Yr 9 Boys Shot Put Div A
Lachlan Forrest	3rd	Yr 9 Boys Shot Put Div B
Alexandra Holdcroft	3rd	Yr 9 Girls 800m Div A
	3rd	Yr 9 Girls 200m Div B
Hannah Blyth	3rd	Yr 9 Girls 800m Div B
	1st	Yr 9 Girls 1500m Div B
Aedan McLeod	2nd	Yr 9 Boys Long Jump Div A
Serio Arellano Rivas	2nd	Yr 9 Boys Triple Jump Div A
Khalisa Ashik	2nd	Yr 9 Girls Triple Jump Div B
	1st	Yr 9 Grils 100m Div B

Year 10

Elisha Renner	3rd	Yr 10 Girls Long Jump Div A
Lachlan Jackson	3rd	Yr 10 Boys 800m Div A
	3rd	Yr 10 Boys 400m Div A
Keiran Scott	3rd	Yr 10 Boys 800m Div B
Thomas McDonald	1st	Yr 10 Boys Discus Div A
	3rd	Yr 10 Boys 100m Hurdles
	1st	Yr 10 Boys Shot Put Div A
Dillon Dechasenee	3rd	Yr 10 Boys Discus Div B
Mikayla Johns	3rd	Yr 10 Girls Discus Div A
	1st	Yr 10 Girls Shot Put Div A
	3rd	Yr 10 Girls 400m Div A
Tessa Miotti	1st	Yr 10 Girls Discus Div B
Chloe Tucek	3rd	Yr 10 & Over Girls 800m Div B
Jennifer Clifford	2nd	Yr 10 Girls 200m Div B
Nickolas Spence	3rd	Yr 10 Boys 100m Div B
Cherralee Clark	2nd	Yr 11 & Over Girls Discus Div A

Year 11/12

Taylavie Frost-Klement	3rd	Yr 11 & Over Girls Shot Put Div B
Tiffany Mitchell	1st	Yr 11 & Over Girls 100m Hurdles
Ravindhu Gunaratne	2nd	Yr 11 & Over Boys High Jump Div B
	3rd	Yr 11 & Over Boys Long Jump Div B
Brodie Bosito	1st	Yr 11 & Over 100m Div C
Turazza Asia	2nd	Yr 11 & Over Girls High Jump Div A

Relay Results

Yr 7 Boys 4/100m Winner
Yr 8 Girls 4/100m Winner
Yr 9 Girls 4/100m Winner
Yr 10 Girls 4/100m Third

Willetton finished third this year and were only 35 points behind Ellenbrook who finished in second with John Curtin winning the day. Next year, Willetton will remain in B Division but with the strength of the team this year we hope to push our way into A Division by the end on 2016.

Willetton has some very talented individual athletes with two age group champions and two runner up age group champions.

Congratulations to:

Year 7 Boys Individual Champion - Darcy Garlett
Year 7 Girls Runner Up Champion - Teya Saville
Year 8 Girls Individual Champion - Zahli Jolly
Year 10 Boys Runner Up Champion - Thomas McDonald

Willetton SHS Team Captains and Champions

Our Athletics Team Captains for this year, Sherman Roch (Year 12) and Bo Davie (Year 11) undertook the role with enthusiasm and engagement. Both of these senior students have been involved with athletics throughout their Willetton Senior High School years and have been a pleasure to be associated with in my role as Events Manager and Athletics Coordinator.

The running or the athletics carnivals and team development requires input and support from a number of people. I once again wish to thank Mrs Di Tuxford for all her efforts in Athletics this year as well as the entire Health and Physical Education staff.

Until next season,

Jacqueline Bogunovich HPE Teacher

LANGUAGES

Italian Film Year 8 Excursion

Year 8 students with their teachers Mrs Maria Pinto and Mrs Bianca Petale.

Cinema Paradiso, Northbridge, is a beautiful, vintage-style cinema tucked away into James St so that if you weren't looking for it, you probably wouldn't find it, but on Wednesday October 14, it housed over 100 Italian students from schools all over Perth, including a small group of Year 8s from Willetton Senior High. The atmosphere was buzzing with life - school kids turned around in their seats to talk to each other, some flicked popcorn at their friends, but when the lights faded, a hush fell over the room - the film had started.

We were all there for one reason - to see Italo, the critically acclaimed Italian-made film. The film followed the story of Italo, a charming, intelligent stray golden retriever who roamed the streets of an Italian town with a strict ban on stray dogs. However, when the mayor's son brings the dog home, he soon begins to win the hearts of the town, and especially the mayor himself.

Although having subtitles in the movie was a great comfort, I found myself listening in to what the actors were saying and following the storyline myself. The story was heartwarming, funny and sad all at the same time, entertaining the audience from us, the youngest Year 8s, to the teachers who made the trip possible.

At some times, we were laughing until our sides hurt, others we were holding back tears. We watched as Italo mended the relationship between a father and a son, between two friends, between a man and his wife, between a mayor and his community. The story was relatable and visually pleasing, set in a stunning Italian town called Scicili, in the South-East of Sicily, Italy. At the end of the film, we were amazed to see photographs of the real Italo, the dog who inspired the film, which made the story even more incredible.

I feel as though the film was not only a great way to expand my Italian vocabulary, but showed us home key points in Italian culture and lifestyle. Italo was a touching, beautiful film about the power of one dog to bring people together, and watching it was a great educational experience I would recommend to all language students.

Jae Brieffies Year 8

Italo

On October 3 2015, some lucky students studying Italian were privileged to go on an excursion to Northbridge to watch an Italian movie Italo.

Italo is a 2014 comedy film written and directed by Alessia Scars. The movie is based on a true story on how a homeless, mongrel dog comes into Sicily and changes the way the town thinks of homeless dogs. His talents lead him to being awarded honorary citizenship of Sicily, Ragusa.

At first the dog wasn't welcomed to the town and the citizens wanted to get it out of the town. They tried several ways but at the end they saw his beautiful talent in protecting people, always being at the church when the clock struck twelve no matter how sad or happy he was there showing his loyalty to people. Even though at the end Italo died but the whole town changed because of this little member of society.

We enjoyed watching the movie and we certainly learned lots more about the Italian language and the culture. By watching this movie, we improved our Italian reading comprehension, speaking as well as viewing. We are very grateful that our teachers have gave us this great opportunity.

Grace Kim, Lydia (Wenshan) Lin and Angela (Yin Yin) Sun Year 8

JAPAN 2015

Japan's culture and day-to-day life is certainly different to that of Australia's, and it was very interesting to observe these differences. One of these differences that was probably the hardest for me to even conceptualise, was how early my host sister (and myself inevitably,) had to wake up, and how late she slept, every single day, except on the weekend, as a student equivalent to a Year 9 here in Australia.

As a daily routine, after partaking in their compulsory daily afterschool club activities and such, and coming home, many of us would enter the ofuro, a bath that is shared with the whole family. It may sound pretty severe, but it is a common daily routine for many Japanese families and you must shower before entering anyway. It is great for helping you de-stress after a long day.

After our farewells and leaving Hyogo prefecture, Perth's sister state, and thus our host families who resided there, we got to travel around Japan, visiting many beautiful places; first staying in Kyoto, the oldest city of Japan, travelling by bullet train! We stayed in a traditional Japanese styled inn, ryokan, and even had our first dinner there with everyone wearing yukata (traditional Japanese Summer wear). After Kyoto, we traveled to Nara, Miyajima Island (full of deers), Hiroshima and Tokyo! It was overall a very fun trip, where the 20 of us students got to learn many things, grow and get closer as a team. Also a special thanks to Mr Harvey and Ms Barratt for looking after us throughout the trip and Mrs Kent for making this experience possible!

Matt Ong and Jocelyn Foo Year 11

Japanese Film Festival

On Friday October 30, 50 of the Year 8s learning Japanese attended the Japanese film festival at Carousel Cinemas. The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) is presented and run by The Japan Foundation, Sydney and is now an established calendar event. The JFF started in 1997 with three free film screenings by former Festival Director Masafumi Konomi and is now the largest Japanese film festival in the world.

Last year, the Festival celebrated its 18th year with an audience of approximately 31,800 Australia-wide. The Festival has enjoyed great success over the years, with the opportunity to showcase a vast variety of cinematic delights from classics to newly released films currently screening in Japan. The JFF brings out special guests from Japan for Q&A evenings and film screenings.

The movie we watched was Wood Job. Having flunked his university entrance exams, the main character, Hirano, sees a recruitment ad for a logging company and decides on a whim to apply. This launches him into a year-long traineeship in rural Japan, where he learns more than just the finer arts of forestry. In his new environment, everything is awkwardly unfamiliar. But can Hirano's interactions with the villagers and their old style traditions and beliefs (not least, their fertility rituals) win him over to their way of life? With a good sprinkling of comedy and drama, Wood Job is a coming-of-age story that focuses on the myriad emotions teenagers experience during periods of change and personal growth—ultimately leading to empowerment.

We then have done some activities in class related to the film.

We would like to thank Mrs Onishi, Mrs Nomoto and Minako sensei for organising the excursion.

Year 8 students

Year 11 and 12 French students

The year 11 and 12 French students have been working very hard this year! They have had the great opportunity to work closely with our native speaker assistants Quentin and Carole, and I am very proud of their efforts and achievements.

This July, we had Year 11 student Natasha Gould participate in the Reunion Island Student Exchange and she host back these summer holidays. This has been a great opportunity to help Natasha master the French language. Term 3 we welcomed Michèle into our Year 11 class. Michèle is an exchange student from Switzerland and will be with us for one year. She has settled very well into the class and look forward to having her in Year 12 next year!

The Year 12 French class has been a very lively and enthusiastic class! Not only have they dedicated themselves to work in class, they have also been involved in an after school movie session, helping the year 7s with the poetry completion and attending speaking workshops over the school holidays. I wish them all the best for their future endeavours!

Mrs Sharee Suburuth and her Year 12 students at the Ball

Sharee Loffmann (Mrs Suburuth) French Teacher

LIBRARY ILLUMINATIONS

I love the Knowledge is free at your library. Just bring your own container sign posted on a pillar in the Willetton Senior High School library. The words come with an image of an empty head with plenty of space inside, and it seems as though plenty of students at the school take the message to heart because, when I recently took up a short term post to cover for Teacher Librarian Sheryl Bentley, I found plenty of students bringing in their personal 'containers' before and after school.

Of course, plenty of classes come into the library each day – in fact, four classes come in each session, which makes twenty classes a day filling the library either for reading or research. When I used to teach English here (for more than fifteen years) before I retired, I puzzled at the times that I sent a couple of students to look up something in the library and they came back saying that the librarians denied them entry because the place 'bulged at the seams'. Now that I hang out here all day I know the truth of that statement. Upon rare occasions, we take a breather because only two classes come in – usually after exams when one year group takes a breather too – but generally the place 'bulges'. And that only accounts for school time.

Two Library Officers and I arrive at 7:30 each morning and usually find students waiting outside. The place seems empty only for a few seconds while we unlock the door and students pour in to do homework, research and private study. At 8:25, the library lights flash off and on and all students pack up and leave the building, collecting their bags from the crowded shelves outside. Then four classes with their teachers arrive, one to the reading area, and three to research areas with access to books and working computers. This progression continues throughout the day's sessions until, as the clock shows 2.45, students rise, en masse, and exit, briefly leaving space for the 'after schoolers' to settle in – those many students who stay to do research and homework until a teacher and a library officer close the library at five o'clock. Students like to study here.

Mind you, the library looks a lot more inviting than in my teaching days. Apart from replacing the old dingy furniture with colourful and comfortable furniture (thanks to Mrs Bentley, the Library Officers and the planning and saving habits of previous librarians Barbara Wright and Jen Keiran), the staff spend a good deal of time helping the Art Department put up remarkable student art and craft works around the walls and in cabinets. Being in here all the time, I realise just how many students and staff walk in and take time to stand and look at the exhibits. I copy that behaviour frequently. The work impresses me a lot, and I consider the whole staff and student body very lucky to be exposed to such a visual feast. In fact, as I write, I keep looking up to see Library Officer Debra U'Chong creating a terrific Halloween display out of students' work.

If only we had room for more displays and students. 'Aye. There's the rub'. The library staff manage everything they can to make the library run efficiently and smoothly. For example, they investigated, organised and purchased for the library a new, improved library management system which makes research much easier, says Library Officer Patrycia Grzelka. And following its recent installation it takes serious amounts of time from Patrycia, Debra and Library Officer Karla Law, as well as the school computer 'techies', to make it work. Then 'Webinars' stream in from the program's Head Office in Queensland to the library's audio-visual interactive board, and the staff settle down to nut it all out and ̶ voilà ̶ we're in business!

Of course, we're still crowded. I don't know if anyone noticed, but the student numbers increased radically this year. Instead of giving a fortnightly reading session to the 1,441 Years 7 -10 students (as of week 2 in term 4), we simply cannot find the space, so now they only come in for reading every three weeks.

Luckily, plans exist for a new library. School Manager of Corporate Affairs Jega Jegathesan said that a new library and new administration building were earmarked for Stage 4 of the new school buildings (Stage 2 starts this December) so students of the future look like enjoying a thoroughly modern approach to library usage.

Meanwhile, all students can make good use of the existing building before, during and after school when they bring those empty containers and turn up for the free knowledge?

Annie Girard Acting Teacher Librarian

MATHEMATICS

WA JUNIOR MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD AWARD WINNERS

Jordan Hoffman, Andrew Lee, Claudia Goh, Christopher Chivers

Andrew Lee, Christopher Chivers, Mrs Hatch (teacher), Claudia Goh, Jordan Hoffman

Christopher Chivers and Mrs Hatch

Mrs Hatch, Kelvin Lim, Mihan De Silva, Jeevanpreet Singh Missing from photo Araan Kousari

SCIENCE

BIOTECHNOLOGIST SPEAKS TO SCIENCE STUDENTS

Willetton was fortunate to have Dr Paul Wood present a Careers in Science seminar. He is well recognised in the medical world for his work in microbiology and immunology, especially his successful work with tuberculosis. He has recently been recognised for his contribution in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Maths) and awarded a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology, Science and Engineering, 2015.

He discussed his science career and posed questions regarding the future and what challenges lay ahead for mankind in global food production, potential endemics and future careers that students will undertake that do not exist today.

Students listening attentively

Mr B Dopson and Dr Paul Wood with his 2013 Clunies Ross medal for science.

Dr Paul Wood

Bruce Dopson Science Teacher

TIE-DYE

Year 10 students learning about fabrics have designed patterns to make these stylish shirts with their old clothes. The shirts were first soaked in a salt solution that acted as a setting agent for the dye.

Grace Hamilton Science Teacher

TECHNOLOGIES

HOME ECONOMICS

What a very busy term this has been for our students. The Certificate II Hospitality students have been working very hard develop their food skills to produce some amazing quality food products. They have been giving up their own time to come and prepare and serve an array of morning tea and lunch products and beverages on many a Saturday. The guests and visitors have been extremely impressed with the skills of our students.

The Willetton Café has been doing very well. The support given to the students by the school community in buying the food products and coffee beverages has been brilliant. The students have developed many of their required skills and knowledge through this valuable experience.

What a brilliant job our Certificate II Hospitality students did for the Official opening of the new buildings for Willetton SHS. Guests were treated to a wonderful array of lunch finger foods and were given gifts jars of Lemon Curd and Tomato Chutney specially prepared by our students.

The lower school foods classes have been hard at work developing their skills and completing their first assessment tasks. Wow, how far have these students come since their first lesson this term! Many of our students are participating in assessment tasks for SCSA – Judging Standards Project. The students have done a great effort on this as many of the photographs show.

How lucky we are to work at Willetton SHS as Technologies staff in Home Economics.

Kristen Gibson Home Economics Teacher

YEAR 7 PROGRAMMING FOR PUPS

The year 7s this year have enjoyed our new Digital Technology course, Programming for Pups. The culmination of the students' learning in this programming course is when they develop a game. This semester the students have produced a version of the original computer game, called Pong.

Nathan Prosser has taken the game idea one step further by putting together another early arcade game, Space Invaders. Nathan has worked on this game in and out of class time. It has been a delight to see a student take their learning and apply it to another topic.

Nathan Prosser

Mr Carmody Digital Technology Teacher

THE ARTS

VOCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TRAINING

CAREER AND ENTERPRISE MOCK JOB INTERVIEWS FOR YEAR 11 AND 12 STUDENTS

YEAR GROUP REPORTS

YEAR 7

As the end of 2015 comes rushing towards us it is wonderful to see the growth of our Year 7 students. They have retained their sense of fun and enthusiasm, which was expressed during the organisation of the Halloween Movie Night. Those who volunteered worked tirelessly prior to the night and many from 3pm till the end of the evening at 7pm. I was so proud of their work ethic and all of the student's behaviour and attitude on the evening. The costumes were AMAZING!

During the term our Year 7 interschool athletics team competed valiantly.

Willetton Reps

Our Dream Team, 100 metre relay team won first place:

100m Relay Team
Roosevelt Williams, Jett Ng, Darcy Garlett, Joel William

The school is proud of all our participants:

Athletics Carnival Participants

Position Winners

A huge congratulations to Teya Saville who earned the runner up Champion Girl for Year 7 and Darcy Garlett who was the overall Champion Boy for Year 7.

Darcy Garlett

Term four has seen a change in our assembly committee who continue to meet once a week and run the assembly on Thursdays with confidence and clarity.

Assembly Committee Term 4
Andrew Liang, Mitchell Bell, Henry Lindsell
Tara Evitt, April Rafferty, Lucky Daniswara

Congratulations to Jett Ng and Aeron Linham, who have been selected to represent WA for both the U12 WA State Schoolboys and U14 WA Metro State Development basketball teams.

The boys will be travelling to Adelaide late November for 10 days to compete in School Sport Australia's flagship event, the Pacific School Games, which is an international school sports championship that provides opportunities for around 4000 school-aged students to participate in nine different sports at the highest level.

Then, in January 2016 they will head to Melbourne to compete over four days at the Southern Cross Challenge tournament against teams representing the ACT, NSW, SA and VIC.

We wish the boys the very best for an enjoyable and successful time at both events.

Jett Ng and Aeron Linham

Continuing on the theme of sporting achievements, Natasha Camer-Pesci has qualified for the Australian National Tennis Championships -The December ShowDown . This is the single most prestigious tennis event for any junior to attend played at the end of each year at Melbourne Park on the very courts that the Australian Open is played on. Even though Natasha is only 13 she has qualified for the 14 age group. It will be the best 14 year-olds from all of Australia and 16 International Wild Card players from overseas - the draw is restricted to 64 players only. So our best wishes go with Natasha and we look forward to hearing all about it when she gets back.

Natasha during the qualifying tournament in Perth

Upcoming events in which the Year 7s will be involved are the merit excursion on December 9, where approximately 25 of the top merit award students from each lower school year will be treated to a day in Fremantle, further information will be sent out when this is finalised.

All students should have received their information and permission slips regarding the end of year Great Escape day out in Hillarys which we are all looking forward to and I'm sure there will be plenty of wonderful photos to post next newsletter.

Our next newsletter will see this wonderful cohort progress to Year 8 and I would like to thank all family, friends, students and supporters of the school for making this year such a wonderful and enjoyable experience.

Kimberley Atkinson Year 7 Coordinator

YEAR 8

It seems very hard to believe that the end of the year is nearly here!

Our assemblies have been full of awards and certificates. I would like to congratulate the interschool athletes who competed at the WA Athletics stadium on Tuesday October 20.

The Year 8 Interschool Champion Relay Team 2016
Jessica Spence, Tiffany Toh, Katemba Njamba, Zahli Jolly

The student councillors and peer leader have been selected and I look forward to working with them all from now on and into 2016.

Councillors Year 9 2016

Kelvin Lim	Meng Zhun Yuen
Brodie Hood	Char Min Ng
Jordyn Montague	Sowbagya Nagendran
Manas Sunil	Lara Mathew
Todd Billett	Celestine Christo
Jeevanpreet Singh	Jade Choong
Harleigh Harris	Brielle McKinley
	Emilia Hayes
	Kristina Joseph
	Ella Kent
	Duli Jayalath

Peer Leaders Year 9 2016

Mihan De Silva	Lucy Mc Ginn
Amos Choo	Bianca Stevenson
Sage Matys	Isha Nagar
Draveed Surendran	Emily Counsel
Joohun Rhee	Jessica Rolfe
Ashan Abeywickrama	Nandana Binu
	Sharifah Safiya
Courtney Stothard	Carolin Muru
Lauren Cherry	Grace Tan
Hannah Hall	Erin Boey
Jean Creelman	Lea Bouskas
Susan Si	Zaina Shahid
Ruo Ling Li	Jie Ru Lim
Aaaliyah O Connor	Courtney Johns
Merci Tuiavi'i

Absent from photo: Ashan Abeywickrama

The Year 8 River Cruise was held on Tuesday November 1. Two hundred and twenty six students attended and I was impressed with the manners and enthusiasm of the year group. The girls looked very beautiful and the boys very handsome!

My thanks go to the student councillors and peer leaders who assisted at the roll call and during the distribution of pizzas. The teachers who attended were very impressed with your initiative and efficiency.

I have loved my first year as a coordinator with this year group. They are lots of fun and keep me on my toes. I am looking forward to Year 9 2016. Best wishes to all families over the holidays. Stay safe and see you in 2016

Andrea Wheeler Year 8 Coordinator

YEAR 9

Important dates

Wednesday November 25: Year 10 Pantomime: Cinderella.
Monday November 30 : Lower School Semester Drama Showcase
Wednesday December 2 : Music Showcase
Shakepeare performance at school
Thursday December 3: Lower School Dance showcase
Wednesday December 9: Drama Club performance of Sammy
Merit Reward excursion
Friday December 11: Adventure World
Tuesday December 15: Zero to Hero Day
Wednesday December 16: Academic Award ceremony
Thursday December 17: Final Day for students

Tickets for all performances available from the registrar's office

I am surprised that the Year 9s have already been on the high school journey for two years. A lot has happened in the past few months.

Recent events include the athletics carnival, Zero to Hero camp, the peer leading training days, Duke of Edinburgh camp, maths competitions and the recent movie social. I have been impressed with the level of commitment and how many Year 9s have been involved in the many different events and programs that have been offered within the school.

Thank you to the Year 9 councillors who have been working hard on a lot of areas for the year group, By the time you receive this newsletter, the votes are being tallied for the Year 10 student councillors, six boys and six girls will be chosen out of 23 applicants. I look forward to working with the newly elected council next year. Well done to all applicants who submitted a written application and delivered a 30 second speech at recent assemblies.

In the next few weeks 20 of our top Year 9 students will be attending the Merit Award excursion. These students have been recognised by their teachers in being involved in the community and demonstrating positive behaviour in and out of the class.

Congratulations to the following students

• Marnie Mckenna who will be participating in the Pacific School Games swimming team in Adelaide.
• Daniel Roach has recently travelled to Moscow and spent a week there as a guest of the Russian government after winning an essay competition.
• Cameron McLean who is going to the Australian Institute of Sport to represent the State in the U16 NTC Football Challenge.

If your child has some exciting news to share with the community please let us know.

A very important day on the calendar is Zero to Hero Day. This day will be on Tuesday December 15. This day is all about raising money for Zero to Hero in which we have been involved with a few years now. Some of our students have been involved in the camps and all have been involved in workshops. Exciting programs and groups including Youth Focus and Headspace are coming on the day. These are activities for students to become involved and have the opportunity to speak up. It would be great to see all parents/students be aware of this important day and students are encouraged to dress up as their favourite hero.

If you have changed your contact details or email address, please let me know and I will inform administration. Important information is communicated via emails and we do not want you to miss out.

Thank you for your ongoing support in your child's education. As always please get in touch if you are concerned about anything.

I wish you all the best for the festive season and look forward to continuing the journey into Year 10 with decision time and the introduction to exams. At the beginning of 2016 please sit down with your child and discuss new goals for them to make a great start to the school year.

Stefan Brand Year 9 Coordinator

YEAR 10

Year 10 examinations are over and I hope all students have done their best and achieved some pleasing results. Please re-consider 2016 subject selections if results are not what you expected or there has been a change of mind regarding pathways.

Students have continued to go on work experience placements and it has been a real highlight this year to read the excellent reports from employees as they excel in their chosen employment. I would thank the VET staff who have been working tirelessly with the Year 10s to ensure their applications for STP (TAFE) courses and the FLiS program are completed and submitted. Students are reminded that placement in these programmes is a privilege and any poor behaviour may see them removed from the FLiS programme.

This is an exciting time for many Year 10s and an anxious time for parents are our 16 year olds applying for their Learner's Permit. To assist with this process the RAC are holding a very worthwhile information evening on the December 8 for all parents who will soon be supervising their learner drivers. Over many years the school has enjoyed a very strong relationship with the RAC who continue to offer free informative talks to our students in both Year 10 and 11. Throughout the year they have offered many valuable lessons and advice to our students, which are always well received.

Tyler Hares and Jayden Millard show off their new L plates

As a mother of a learner driver I understand how stressful supervising can be and strongly recommend parents attend this evening to gain some very useful tips to save your sanity.

Congratulations to the Year 10s who have competed in many sporting events this year and in particular the Interschool Athletics carnival where the students competed admirably, winning many places across a range of events.

Voting for Year 11 councillors is taking place in week 7 and I am looking forward to seeing which of the worthy nominees make the final eight. The councillors for next year will have many important decisions to make regarding senior school events, including the school ball and leavers Jackets. I look forward to working closely with closely.

The end of year excursion for this year takes place at Metros in Fremantle. It is important that as many students attend this as possible to ensure the end of year is celebrated in a fun, safe environment. Tickets can be purchased from the registrar's office before school and at recess.

Colleen Hayes Year 10 Coordinator

YEAR 11

Year 11s are looking a lot more relaxed now that their final examinations and assessments have been completed. Students have been working hard with Student Services and VET staff to make sure they are in the right course for 2016, their final year of school. We will acknowledge outstanding achievements for Year 11 students on November 27, their final day of school.

In amongst all the seriousness of exams and finalizing courses, there is plenty of fun on the horizon with ball tickets being purchased for the big event at the end of February next year. Organizing seating arrangements, outfits and limos has been a hot topic of conversation. Everything is set for an amazing night.

Thank you to James Dow and Carly Stokes who took time out of their exam schedule to represent Willetton Senior High School at City of Canning's opening of their new War Memorial on November 11. Carly and James did an excellent job with their readings and representatives from the City of Canning have been most complimentary of their input.

Rotary have offer some wonderful opportunities such as RYPEN Camp and sponsorship of voyages on the Leeuwin Ocean Adventure. Each year Rotary also recognises three students from Year 10 and three students from Year 11 for outstanding achievement. Congratulations to this year's Rotary Award Winners who will collect their Awards at a special dinner with the Willetton Rotary Club on November 23; Ebony Bernard – Academic Excellence, Bo Davie – Sporting Excellence and James Dow – Community Spirit.

As this is our last newsletter for the year, I will take the opportunity to thank the Year 11 councillors who have gone above and beyond their peers, contributing to the ongoing planning of social events, leavers' jackets and whatever else is asked of them. They have been an amazing group to work with and a great support to me throughout the year. Thank you councillors; Molly Brann, James Dow, Mark Markovich, Lachlan Holling, Madeleine Shehade, Carly Stokes, Cole Bannister, Jason Lai, Lachlan Gatland, Emma McLean, Sonia Bouska, Ben Madlener, Simran Vijayakumar, Briiana West.

All the best to Year 11s for their early break up from school. Have a nice long rest over the coming two months in preparation fora final fast and furious Year 12.

Judy Gauci Year 11 Coordinator

Carly Stokes speaking at City of Canning's War Memorial Opening

James Dow speaking at City of Canning's War Memorial Opening, with Lindsay Holland, Willetton's Head of school board looking on

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

The last Board meeting for the year will be held on Thursday Dec 3, at 5.30pm in the school conference room. All are welcome.

The AGM will be held on Monday March 21, 2016, 5.30pm in the staffroom.

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS COMMITTEE

One of the Board member's on the Partnerships Committee, Associate Professor Tele Tan from Curtin University will be conducting a pilot program in 2016. The program will give opportunity to harness the unique talents of students with special needs, or who are on the autism spectrum, through a weekly activity based class in computer programming and coding.

SECOND HAND BOOKSHOP

Year 11 and Year 12 students - would you like to sell your textbooks when you have completed your end of year exams? The School Board will accept for sale on your behalf the following items:

• Second hand or new textbooks
• Calculators and class pads
• Study guides
• Dance shoes
• Safety glasses
• Language dictionaries

Items for sale must be placed in a bag together with the completed bookshop form and dropped off at the school front desk, bookshop or School Board office. Copies of the bookshop form may be obtained from the front office, bookshop or School Board office. All items are received on consignment, and priced at approximately half to two thirds the cost of new items, based on their condition. When items are sold, a 20% commission is retained by the School Board, which is used to fund projects around the school.

Current Year 10 students are also invited to visit the second hand bookshop to purchase your booklist requirements for 2016. Many of the textbooks are half to two thirds the price of new textbooks. Please note that due to the new WACE requirements introduced in 2015, a limited range of Year 12 books will be available.

The 2016 Year 11 and Year 12 booklists will be available on the school website from late November.

Additional trading times for Term 4 2015
Friday	27.11.15	9.00am-11.30am
Wednesday	02.12.15	9.00am-11.30am
Wednesday	09.12.15	9.00am-11.30am
Thursday	10.12.15	1.00pm-3.30pm
Friday	11.12.15	9.00am-11.30am
Tuesday	15.12.15	1.00pm-3.30pm
Wednesday	16.12.15	9.00am-11.30am
2016
Wednesday	27.01.16	9.00am-11.30am
Thursday	28.01.16	1.00pm-3.30pm
Friday	29.01.16	9.00am-11.30am
Week 1 Term 1 2016
Monday	01.02.16	9.00am-11.00am
Tuesday	02.02.16	1.00pm-3.30pm
Wednesday	03.02.16	9.00am-11.30am
Rest of Term 1 2016
Wednesday		9.00am-11.30am
No eftpos facilities are available. Payment is by cash or cheque only. Cheques should be made payable to Willetton Senior High School Council, and please include your driver's licence details on the back.

The bookshop is located next to the canteen.

For further enquiries, please contact the bookshop on 9334 7282 (during trading hours) or Helen Wong on 9334 7217.

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SHOP – DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED

The second hand uniform shop is very low on stocks and urgently need your donation of outgrown school uniforms. Items can be dropped off at the front desk during office hours or at the second hand uniform shop during trade on Wednesday mornings. Thank you for your support.

Second Hand Uniform Shop Trading times 2015

Wednesday	25.11.15	9.30am-11.30am
Wednesday	02.12.15	9.30am-11.30am
Wednesday	09.12.15	9.30am-11.30am
Wednesday	16.12.15	9.30am-11.30am
2016
Wednesday	27.01.16	9.30am-11.30am
Thursday	28.01.16	1.00pm-3.30pm
Friday	29.01.16	9.30am-11.30am
Term 1 2016
Wednesdays		9.30am-11.30am

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.

To ensure sufficient supplies in time for the summer school holidays or for Christmas gifts, please place your order with payment by Friday December 4.

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

Tickets may be purchased from the bookshop on Wednesday mornings during term, or by arrangement with the School Board office. Order forms are available from the School Board office by contacting helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au

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 CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Our last meeting for the year will be our much enjoyed Christmas lunch! An open invitation to all parents, grandparents and community members of the school, join us for a festive lunch on:

Date: Friday December 11, 2015
Time: 12 noon to 1.00 pm
Venue: WSHS Staff Room

Come along wearing your Christmas reds or greens and bring a plate of food to share.

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

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

Parents of our new 2016 Year 7 students are warmly invited to join us.

EMERGENCY MEAL ROSTER TEAM

From time to time, a school family or staff member may face an unexpected crisis such as a medical emergency or death of a loved one. We have a team of parents who are on a meal roster, ready to provide delicious home cooked meals during a time when a little extra support could make a world of difference. If you would like to assist by being on this roster, or simply get more information, please contact Sharon at smclarennz@gmail.com The more people that are on the roster, the lighter the load for everyone. Thank you for your consideration.

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.