28 April 2015

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Term one was a very short term but already the 2015 accolades for our students are beginning. Congratulations to the Mathematics team who achieved first place in the Have Sum Fun competition. Their achievement was exceptional and we congratulate all involved.

Also outstanding is the social conscience our students possess. In a superb fund raising effort, over $10 000 was raised under the leadership of the Interact group. A few staff and students were brave enough to have their heads (or moustaches) shaved in the cause and all monies raised was donated to the Leukaemia Foundation. A mighty effort!

Over 2500 appointments were made in our Year 10-12 interviews. Hopefully all parents were able to attend to discuss their students’ progress with teachers. Staff are always available for parents and most learning areas offer extra support to students after school. We encourage all students to avail themselves of the opportunity. Year 7-9 Interim Reports will be issued early in second term prior to the parent/teacher meeting to be held in week 4. We encourage all parents to make appointments when they open online.

We had the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett visit our campus as a speaker in a leadership forum for representatives from local schools. Mr Barnett gave advice based upon his own experiences about things which have and have not worked for him. It was of interest that he spoke on a variety of topics without referral to notes, a skill he said developed as a lecturer at Curtin University.

Our Stage 2 building plans have been signed off and will commence at the end of the 2015 school year. The final stage 1 buildings (Technology and Science) should be completed by mid-year, we look forward to further outstanding facilities by the end of 2016. Plans are underway to secure a state of the art telescope for the news Science building when it is completed. We will be one of only two West Australian schools with this equipment which will add another outstanding dimension to science at Willetton. The project is being supported by the School Board and I am sure parents will hear from them in the near future.

I will be on leave for two weeks near the beginning of term 2 and our Associate Principal Colin Marshall will assume the role of principal

Chris Booth

BOARD CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

The Annual General Meeting of the School Board was held on Monday March 23. At the meeting newly elected representatives were welcomed and retiring members were thanked for their dedicated service to the students of Willetton Senior High School.

Newly elected parent members are Mrs Karen Allen, Dr Kai Fai Ho and Dr Tele Tan who was returned. New staff representatives are Mr Peter Martyr and Ms Pia Palermo. Retiring parent members are Mrs Tania Rennie and Mrs Sarah Jeffries, and staff members Christine Petersen and Mr Phil Sherwood. I was elected as chair of the Board for a further year, with Simon Lappin vice chair (parent representative) and Peter Martyr vice chair (staff representative). The confidence shown in me is appreciated and I will continue to fill the position to the best of my ability.

We look forward to another busy and successful year in the role of support and oversight of the school. Next year is the second triennial assessment of the school’s performance as an Independent Public School and, as before, all Board members look forward to having significant input in the process. We are your representatives and our lines of communication for your trepidations and salutations are always open.

Lindsay Holland

YOUNG LEADERS DAY

On Thursday March 5, we went to the National Young Leaders Day. We met Mrs Atkinson at the Perth Convention Centre and our great day started.

We were lucky enough to be chosen to go to this convention because we were both awarded with the WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship.

During the day we heard speeches from seven speakers, whose words were inspirational and inspired us to make a difference. They all had a variety of different experiences in leadership and taught us valuable life lessons. In the breaks we learnt about lots of universities and volunteer programs, to keep in mind for when we are older. At the end of the day we even filmed a video about our leadership ideas, which helped us get our thoughts into action.

It was a fantastic experience which taught us that anyone can make a difference in this world if they set their mind to it. We left the convention with a new attitude towards how to pursue our ideas and make a difference.

We got lots of tips out of the day and one of our favourite quotes was, “Saying that something is impossible, is just a reason not to try!”

Brielle McKinlay -Year 8 and Leilah Warlik - Year 7

With speaker Josh Richards

With speaker Lorin Nicholson

INTERACT CLUB NEWS

Over the past month, the Interact Club, a youth branch of Rotary, consisting of students from Year 7 to Year 12, have, with the help of Mrs Lievense, Mrs Wong and Mrs Hood been diligently planning and coordinating fundraisers. Interact has held a free dress day, multiple bake sales and several raffles for our designated local charity the Leukaemia Foundation. Our fundraising effort included the World’s Greatest Shave being held at recess in the quadrangle on March 12. We were privileged to have radio station Mix 94.5 come to the school and share in all the excitement.

Four students (Brodie Hood, Taji Thomas, Lachlan Jackson and Franco Sauzier), two members of the Hood family, along with Science teacher Mr Hamley and Principal Mr Booth, shaved their heads. Mr Taylor, Head of Science, shaved his moustache, which he had been growing for thirty-two years.

A special acknowledgement to Dr Mike Nahan , Ms Sue Ellery, Gilberts Fresh Markets, Aztec les, Southlands Pharmacy, Go Vita, Priceline Southlands and Chris Cahill (Nutrimetics) for their support, and a huge thank you to all within and outside the school community, who aided with generous donations and support. As a result, Interact was able to achieve and exceed our target by raising $11,617!

If you would like to join us at Interact, we meet every Tuesday during recess in B12. We hope to see you there.

Marcus Wong and Genevieve Earl President and Vice-President of the Interact Club

WILLETTON ROTARY COMMUNITY FAIR

The Fair was held on March 29 at the Burrendah Reserve, and it was wonderful to see 30 students from Willetton SHS assisting with a variety of activities such as helping out at cardboard city, art & craft, sausage sizzle and face painting, to name a few. The Rotary Club of Willetton was very grateful for the additional support provided by the students, and the exemplary behaviour that each displayed. They did the school proud.

Helen Wong

Student volunteers with Willetton Rotarian Mrs Leith Singe

DECISION TIME: PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS FOR YEAR 10 TO 11

The Decision Time: Pathways to Success program at Willetton Senior High School is designed to assist Year 10 students with course selection for Year 11.

Year 10 results in Semester One are critical in making successful choices for Year 11, so we expect all students to be already working towards these goals.

The students will commence the Decision Time Program with a visit to the Career Expo on Friday 15 May.

Year 10 examinations are planned during June 8 – 12, week 8 of term two.

The semester one report will then be issued at the end of term.

The Decision Time sessions for students are scheduled to follow examinations and will take place in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities and Social Science classes during the last three weeks of term two. Year 10 students will receive a Decision Time booklet, a Year 11 Curriculum Handbook, a Selection Card and Student Guide and a Document Wallet to store this information.

A Parent Information Session is planned for week two of term three on Tuesday 28 July at 7pm in the Theatre. This session is designed to provide current information about Year 11 and 12 courses, the changes with the New WACE, available options as well as the requirements for entry to University and TAFE.

Individual interviews will be arranged with one of the Course Counsellors during August 10 – 21, weeks four and five of term three. This timing allows the students to carefully consider the courses that best match their interest and ability and to seek teacher advice.

If you have any queries about the Decision Time: Pathways to Success program, please contact either Colleen Hayes on 9334 7231 or Maura Sorrell on 9334 7229 in the Student Services Centre.

TROUBLE SLEEPING?? TRY THESE USEFUL TIPS!

We have recently had a number of students presenting to the health centre reporting trouble sleeping. Teenagers need about 9 -10 hours of sleep a night. Lack of regular sleep is likely to affect academic and sporting performance, and behaviour. The risk of emotional problems, such as depression, may also increase in teenagers who regularly do not get enough sleep. Even getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep each night will make a difference.

The typical teenage brain wants to go to bed late and sleep late the following morning, which is usually hard to manage. You may be able to adjust your body clock but it takes time. Suggestions include:

• Choose a relaxing bedtime routine; for example, have a bath and a hot milky drink before bed.
• Avoid loud music, homework, computer games or any other activity that gets your mind racing for about an hour before bedtime.
• Keep your room dark at night. The brain’s sleep–wake cycle is largely set by light received through the eyes. Try to avoid watching television, or using phones, iPads and computers right before bed. In the morning, expose your eyes to lots of light to help wake up your brain.
• Do the same bedtime routine every night for at least four weeks to make your brain associate this routine with going to sleep.
• Start your bedtime routine a little earlier than usual (for example, 10 minutes) after four weeks. Do this for one week.
• Add an extra 10 minutes every week until you have reached your desired bedtime.
• Avoid staying up late on the weekends. Late nights will undo your hard work.
• Remember that even 30 minutes of extra sleep each night on a regular basis makes a big difference. However, it may take about six weeks of getting extra sleep before you feel the benefits.

To get further advice contact your local Community Health Nurses at the health centre on 9334 7278, or for more information visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au or

WORLD HOME ECONOMICS WEEK CELEBRATIONS

All students were invited to join the Home Economics Department in celebrating World Home Economics week.

Mrs Gibson’s and Mrs Ialacci’s Hospitality and Catering classes invited students to indulge in range of tasty home-made food and drinks.

Each delicious item was prepared and served by the team of highly professional students at the student run café .

Miss Harrington and Mrs Worthington invited students to join them in Textiles, where they ran a number of fabric dying sessions. Students experimented with a range of dying techniques. The sessions proved very successful, with several students keen to dye every item of clothing they owned!

A big thank you to those who came and took part.

YEAR GROUP REPORTS

YEAR 7

It is amazing to see how well the Year 7s have become part of the school environment. Many still use the new block as their meeting place, which is great that they have such a lovely area to wind down at recess and lunch. Those that need a little more space have started to explore the school grounds and utilise the oval and basketball courts.

The highlight for the students in term one was, of course, the Big Day Out/Swimming Carnival. The attendance and participation was excellent with close to 300 of the 326 students being present on the day. Whether the student was a squad swimmer, a social swimmer or even a non-swimmer there was something to get involved in and it was wonderful to see all the smiling faces.

Term 2 will test the resilience of all of us and not only because it is an eleven week term. We begin in week 4 with NAPLAN, running over the Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 May. The format of the testing is that on Tuesday the students complete a Language Conventions paper (45 minutes) and a Writing paper (40 minutes). On Wednesday there is Reading paper which is 65 minutes in duration. Thursday there is a 40 minute paper on Numeracy with the calculator and in the afternoon a 40 minutes Numeracy paper without the calculator. If you would like more information on NAPLAN this can be sourced from nap.edu.au and myschool.edu.au.

Interim reports will be posted out during this term prior to the lower school parent interviews, which will be held in week four. Appointments for the interviews are booked on line. Details on how to book will be sent home before the booking system is open.

I hope that everyone enjoys their Easter and are ready to face term 2 head on!

Kimberly Atkinson Year 7 Coordinator

YEAR 8

Who can believe Year 8’ have completed one full term at High School?

They have settled in well, and many teachers have commented that they seem to have taken the transition to secondary school life in their stride. I have been very pleased with the way all students are behaving in assemblies and in classes. There is a high attendance rate overall with very few late to school each day. An example of this is the attendance rate at the Big Day Out/Swimming Carnival which was 94.2%. Only 18 absent from 309 students overall.

I love statistics like this as I take it to mean students are enjoying school life and want to be here!!

SCHOOL SPORT

Congratulations to the following Year 8 students who represented Willetton this term.

Tennis

Sonali Grover, Mahim Mendis, Gareth Chung, Tarenjit Dhaliwal, Dharamuir Bajwa

Swimming

Kelvin Lim, Rhys Dunn, Lyndon Tilbee, Luke Jackson, Kayla Thomson, Ben Ritson, Ahmad Mukuerji, Courtney Johns, Jae Brieffies, Simone Male, Emily Brown, Caroline Muru

The swimming coach Mr Kearsley acknowledged the efforts of Simone Male who was called upon to swim with the Year 10 team, two age groups above.

Year 8 Champion Girl Swimmer Caroline Muru, Runner Up Courtney Johns
Year 8 Champion Boy Swimmer Kelvin Lim, Runner Up Luke Jackson

It is an outstanding effort to be selected in any sporting team at Willetton. Due to our large numbers there is always lots of competition for team places.

OUT OF SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS

Zahli Jolly, Abbey Cilia and Courtney Johns competed in the Little Athletics State Competition on the March 21 and 22 at the WA Athletics Stadium.

Danni Barnes is a member of the Southern Sensations Little League Softball Charter Team competing in the State Championships at Easter. We wish her well as her team won this tournament last year and represented Australia in the Asian Pacific Qualifying Tournament.

Please email me your Year 8 child’s achievements at a representative level so that these can be recognised by our Year group.

WILLO WALK

Congratulations to all Year 8s who participated by walking (or running) the Willo Walk course during PE lessons in Week 8. Funds raised through sponsorship will go towards the purchase of equipment for our new fitness centre and will also be donated to the charity CANTEEN. Please ensure all monies collected are submitted to the Registrar’s office as soon as possible.

SHAVE FOR A CURE

The face (or head) of Shave for a Cure was Year 8 student, Brodie Hood who had a significant thatch of hair shaved for this worthy cause. Brodie raised approximately $3000.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

The following students scored the most merit points :

March 5 - Brielle McKinley - Wild Card Jacob Weller
March 12 - Celestine Christo - Wild Card Safiya Aljunied
March 19 - Liane Chua - Wild Card Shane Lim
March 26 - Jayda Billings - Wild Card Mihan De Silva

Thanks to the MCs of the last two assemblies who did a fantastic job:

Manas Sunil Madhuri and Cameron Kerr

CONNECT TO CONNECT

I have begun to use Connect to connect with the Year 8s and encourage them to use our school intranet. I have posted two messages of late and have had about 60 of 309 students respond. Parents and students can log in and see my messages. Student use their student id and password and parents can register through the school for a username and then will be sent a password.

Andrea Wheeler Year 8 Coordinator

YEAR 9

It has been generally a good start to the year for the Year 9s. I have been impressed in how many comments I still receive from teachers concerning the year 9s manners and behaviour.

It has been a busy time. Our main event that has come and gone has been the Year 9 swimming carnival. Thank you to all those students who came and supported other students on the day and for all of those who participated on the day. Thank you all must go to the hardworking Physical Education staff, it is a mammoth effort to organise such events and the Year 9s appreciate all of the hard work.

Congratulations to our swim team Marnie McKenna, Hannah Blyth, Mya Plumridge, Samantha Mathews, Ashlee Cronin, Chloe Sauzier, Georgia Pearcey, Aidan O’Brien, Jayden Bradshaw, Bailey Tucek, Andrew Lee, Jordan Hoffman, Lachy Forrest.

The Italian trip was a successful trip and three of our Year 9 students came back safe - Joyce Lee, Marnie McKenna and Lara Scarcella. Thank you to the Language teachers in providing such an excellent opportunity for them.

It is fantastic to see the students participating in events outside of school. Please email me at any time to let me know of their achievements.

Year 9 student Emma Johnson

Recently, Emma competed in two state events with the following results

6-Cadet ( U17) Women’s Epee 1
3- Junior ( U20) Women’s Epee 1

The latter event was Emma’s first podium result at Under 20 level, a significant achievement for a 13 year old.

Year 9 students; Nathan Box & Grant Box

YEAR 11

Year 11s are looking forward to celebrating their first term of senior school at Metropolis Nightclub in Fremantle next week. I have been really pleased with the way the group has settled into their various courses. FLiS students have made an awesome start to TAFE and work experience opportunities, while general and ATAR teachers report steady progress from most students in their classes. End of term 1 marked the last chance to change courses. We hope that everyone has made good decisions and will be successful in their studies for the duration of 2015.

Inspired by the Year 12s, Year 11 Councillors have resumed weekly meetings and among other things, they are currently looking at options for 2016 Leavers jackets. A number of students are also fundraising and preparing for Relay for Life. Willetton has a tradition of participating in this event. In addition to the three teams we will take this year, teachers always look forward to catching up with a number of former students who still manage to put teams together each year.

Over the holidays some Year 11s headed off to Italy and France for school trips. Beth Nolan who played representative Softball in Jakarta, Jessica Meachim who played in the state team for Netball in Sydney and Christian Newland and Eythan Yeoh who represented Australia in the Mens Under 19 Floorball Team in Sweden. These students have all been recipients of a Star Badge Award during Year 11 Assembly. Other recipients have included Shrenik Jobanputra for his selection and attendance at Space Camp last month in Alabama, USA and James Dow who was recently selected to attend a conference in Virginia later this year for his achievement in an international world history competition.

Judy Gauci Year 11 Coordinator

YEAR 12

Dear Year Twelves

Term one is almost over and it has been a somewhat stressful period for many of you. The way that you have handled yourselves as a group has been wonderful to witness. Together, you have made a great team as you provide support for one another through these tough times. The finish line is in sight so stay focused because you will be there very soon.

The Willetton Senior High School 2015 Ball is going to be the night of nights. The student councillors have put a lot of thought and preparation into the ball to make sure that it is going to be a special event. The “Red Carpet” theme will be very exciting. There is going to be a lot of special events to keep you entertained throughout the night. Make sure on the night thank them for the hard work they have done.

On the morning of the school ball we followed the tradition at Willetton for all the Year Twelves to dress up in a crazy costumes made by the wearer. The idea behind this charity event is to give back to people less fortunate then yourselves. It is always an exciting time as they gathered in the quadrangle to compare and contrast each other’s handy work on the costumes. Your donations of non-perishable food and paper (now plastic) money will make a considerable different to a wide range of people. During the parade “secret” judges chose two lucky people with the best costumes who won a free ball ticket. From there they marched through Southlands Shopping centre and then departed to get their hair done, spray tans and all dressed up for the night.

The semester one exams are coming up half way through term two. Now is the time to outline a study plan that works for you. It’s a good idea to study every day for each subject rather than cramming close to the end. This will give your long term memory more time to cope with all the information going in. Study hard over the coming weeks and you will be rewarded. Consider these exams as helpful practice for your exams at the end of the year. Look at how you prepare for these and analysis what aspects went well for you and what areas you need to improve in? Always strive to do better.

For some, I want you to ask yourself this question. “Am I working as hard as I could?” I am sure that you can squeeze a few more percent out of your brain if you attempt. By working just a little harder, it will have a dramatic effect on your final results. It does take something special to squeeze that little bit more in. Not many people are prepared to do this so those that do achieve amazing results. You all can do just that little bit more in your pursuit for success.

For others it is time to mature and put your efforts into your work. You have relied on your brains, your good looks, your winning smile or charming personality for too long. These tricks no longer work as you enter the adult world. Actions speak louder than words so start to demonstrate a good work ethic and apply yourself to your studies so that you have a good foundation to your future. Without this, life could be rocky for you.

Know that you are close to the end and it will be here before you know it. Remember there is no try. There is only do.

Take care,

Hoggie Year 12 Coordinator

ENGLISH

With the ongoing WSHS Reading Promotion and WSHS’s purchase of access to the internet learning site Education Perfect , students always have the power to lift their literacy levels and they always have homework.

When WSHS purchased Education Perfect for English and Language classes, we also received a free trial for 2015 for Maths and Science.

To log in, students google search Education Perfect and click on the login icon. Their user name is their surname followed by the first 3 letters of their first name, and their password is their first name. Student Peter Smith would have login in smithpet and password peter, all lower case without spaces. Since anyone could steal and use the log in, all students are urged to login and change their passwords as soon as possible. Anyone having trouble with their log in should see Mr Carbon in F3.

The appeal of Education Perfect can be seen in more than quarter of a million questions being answered voluntarily by students at home in the first six weeks. It operates on two levels - students choosing their own activities according to personal need and feedback from teachers, and homework set by the classroom teacher and emailed to the class. Students can see their point score for correct answers compared to class mates and the whole school, and teachers receive feedback on individual students’ completion and results on set homework.

An interesting aspect is that many students who do not engage as well with classroom bookwork really excel in the online activity of Education Perfect. If students make a mistake on a question they receive corrective information, and the question’s skill is repeated at intervals in different forms until mastery has been achieved. Family members, parents and tutors can gain information through the student’s log in.

WSHS Reading Promotion 2015

Head Librarian, Ms Bentley, is taking a leading role in the 2015 Reading Promotion which aims to lift literacy levels.

Parents can sign the inside cover of their child’s diary every time they finish a book. Each English class has a volunteer student Promotion Officer who will count the number of signatures and return the information each week to the library where Ms Bentley will record numbers on the shared drive, and Ms Grzelka will make student certificates. Each Year Group has two Reading Ambassadors who give out certificates at year assemblies and encourage students to read and improve their literacy levels.

To create promotional value, the School Council has provided movie tickets for leading readers, and year group winners from 2014 included Delwin Lee, Supini Sirisena, Jon Tan and Rathanayake Ranasinghe.

What to read is the big question and English teachers can provide input in the tri-weekly library reading and borrowing sessions, but this is where parents are empowered as the primary educator of their children to sign for completion of what is best. It might be a novel, a textbook for HASS or a website for Science. English HOLA Mr Munro continues to promote the cultural vale of reading through the Classics borrowing program for Year 8s.

OLNA Support Group

Mrs Saunders has been running a literacy support group on Friday and Wednesday lunch times in D7. This group was formed to assist students to pass the OLNA, which is the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment. Students have come to the group and received packages to help them with their reading and their writing skills. They have also been given activities to complete in the Language Perfect website, which has been a perfect tool to practise literacy skills in an on-line forum. Students sat the first test in March and will have another opportunity in September. The club will continue to run on Fridays until the September test has been held. Any students in Years 10 or 11 are welcome to come along and get some support.

LANGUAGES & EAL/D NEWS

TECHIE TIPS FOR LEARNING LANGUAGES

Bloom taxonomy for ipads

There is no single 'correct' way of learning a language; everyone is different and it’s just a matter of finding your style. A good idea when learning a new language is to link it to something you already like to do! For example, if you like listening to music you can surf the net for songs and lyrics in that particular language and learn pronunciation through music!

Using technology to learn a language can increase your child’s engagement, participation and excitement and enables anywhere, anytime learning! Here are some ideas to involve your child in their language studies:

• reading comics and newspapers
• downloading an application on your mobile phone.
• watching cartoons
• watching TV news/advertisements
• watching movies
• If you are learning Japanese or Korean, you can add the language bar to be able to word process in that particular language.

Websites for Languages Learning

Here are some websites your child can visit to improve their language studies.

Japanese

Great resources for the learning and teaching of Japanese

Excellent tool for learning hiragana and katakana Years 7-9

Italian

Years 11 & 12

Years 9-12

Years 11 & 12

French

All languages, including EAL/D

Years 7-9

Years 7-10

Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian

All Willetton students have a log on for language perfect.

Years 7-12

Welcome to the new staff in the Languages & EAL/D team

Ms Tammy Unkovich

Ms Tammy Unkovich is our new experienced and passionate EALD teacher from Morley SHS. She thrives on seeing her students’ language skills develop, and helping to shape their Australian cultural understanding. Ms Unkovich has a wide range of experience in teaching lower school and senior school EALD and English, and she looks forward to becoming a part of the Willetton SHS community. Her out of school passions centre around the Fremantle Dockers, culture and the arts, politics and music, and we look forward to her knowledge and enthusiasm rubbing off on our lucky EALD students.

Ms TJ Kim

We are pleased to have Ms TJ Kim as our Korean language teacher for 2015. A Korean native speaker, she has many years of experience teaching both Japanese and Korean in Australia and abroad. Always ready for a laugh but firm in her teaching, she loves nothing more than a class of enthusiastic students. Ms Kim has taught children of all ages, from primary to university level and is looking forward to promoting Willetton’s new Korean language curriculum. Her other areas of interest are ballroom dancing and Pilates.

Ms Sharee Loffman

After falling in love with French while studying at high school, Sharee completed a year long exchange attending high school in the south of France. She then returned to complete her higher education studies and then departed again to France to be a teacher’s assistant, helping French students learn English. Since her return to Australia she has been working at St Stephen’s School in the northern suburbs and we are now lucky enough to have her south of the river at Willetton!

Mr Matthieu Heimel

Originally from Toulouse in the Southwest of France, Mr Heimel is a graduate teacher from the University of Western Australia and is qualified to teach French as well as Health and Physical Education in secondary schools. His motto is it takes a village to raise a child, an African proverb. Mr Heimel a passionate and enthusiastic individual who enjoys working with positive people, and he is always calm and welcomes everybody with a big smile, regardless of the situation. When he was younger, Mr Heimel was really focused on sports. He used to play rugby union in first division in France and his favourite team is the Stade Toulousain. Today, other than education, Mr Heimel’s main passion is photography, filming and movie making. His dream is to go back to the Philippines in order to show his children where he was born.

Mrs Bae Kent

Mrs Kent is the newest Japanese Teacher to join our department. A qualified teacher of Science and Japanese, she spent her first year teaching Japanese in the WA wheat belt and the last seven years at All Saints' College. Both her professional and personal experiences have shaped her to become a very enthusiastic and dynamic young teacher with a passion for languages and multicultural understanding. Beyond teaching she loves travelling, cooking and spending time with her new little family. We welcome Bae to the team and look forward to the energy and experience she will bring into our classrooms.

Mrs Diana Dolzadelli

Diana has been a teacher of Italian and French for many years both in the primary and secondary sector in WA. Her expertise and passion is the Italian culture and language however, she also has a keen interest in all languages. Diana’s love for teaching, learning and inspiring others to be life-long learners is central to her belief that education is the key to success. She was delighted to join the Language Department at Willetton SHS this year, and says the collegiate support, positivity and exemplary professionalism by all the staff at Willetton SHS is to be commended.

French Study Tour

Students departed on a three week cultural and linguistic journey, discovering life in France. Students stayed with a host family in Toulouse and experienced school life at Lycée du Caousou and visited the south western region of France, including Carcassonne, a highlight of the tour! They then travelled by train to Paris, visited monuments and experienced the Parisian life. Quel voyage!

Italian Study Tour

The 2015 study tour of Italy included a seven day stay with families from the Istituto Statale d’Istruzione Superiore ‘Algeri Marino’, our sister-school in Casoli in the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. Students were totally immersed in the Italian environment giving them the opportunity to experience Italian culture first hand while at the same time helping to improve their language skills. The students also attended classes at school and participated in excursions of nearby towns.

The remaining part of the Study Tour involved visiting major Italian cities such as Milano, Firenze, Roma and Venezia, as well as some equally famous but smaller places such as Pisa, Verona and Perugia. For the first time the tour included time on the island of Sicily to see such highlights as the sweeping views of the Gulf of Nexos and Mt Etna in Taormina, and the Greek ruins in Siracusa. Students also put their cooking skills to the test as they prepared a meal while staying at an agriturismo. The study tour is held every two years with our sister school visiting us in between.

Seeking host families: Kagoshima Japanese Language Assistant 2015-2016

We are seeking host families from the school community for our next Japanese language assistant from Kagoshima, Japan. The aim of this program is to increase the students’ interest in the language and participation in class, and provide support to all students. This program is from May 2015 to March 2016. Please contact Nathan Harvey, Head of Languages, by email, for further information: nathan.harvey@education.wa.edu.au

Farewell to Konomi 先生

Hello everyone. I’m Konomi Nakayama, the language assistant from Kagoshima, Japan. I would like to thank you for all the help you have given me for the last ten months. Willetton SHS teaches a very high level of Japanese, which is why I was surprised that many students chose Japanese. Being in class with the students of Willetton, was a great experience for me as well as full of fun. It is unfortunate that time passed so quickly. I hope to be a wonderful teacher in the future. Thank you to all the teachers and students of Willetton SHS and my lovely host families.

SCIENCE

Year 11 Biology Excursion 2015

Taxonomy came alive for Year 11 Biology students when they visited Perth Zoo on the
February 25.

They were puzzled by puggles (the name of a baby echidna) and echidna reproduction, patted a python, gaped at gibbons, learned about lemurs, pointed at potoroos and were amused by emus.

All had a great time and learned a lot about the diversity of life on earth.

Our guide and presenter Claire was very impressed by the manners and knowledge of our students and their engagement with the subject. The “best answer” award had to go to Shreya for her answer on the cause of speciation.

Mr Harris and Mrs Wynhorst Biology teachers

YEAR 9 ELECTRIC FUN

David Zhou and Mansoor Khawaja: Electrostatics in action – Charging balloons

Left to right: Jose Joseph, Joel Biju, Ally Holdcroft and Hannah Swift – Investigating short circuits and fuses

TECHNOLOGIES

Home Economics

The students in Home Economics have been very busy of late.

The Certificate II Hospitality students have successfully completed a few school based functions, including the Upper School Parent Teacher Evening. The students worked very impressively as a team to produce a wonderful afternoon tea menu for staff with dishes including Lemon Meringue Tarts, Raspberry Slice, Savoury Chicken Skewers, Quiches and Antipesto Mini Rolls. The students also opened the Café to serve teachers and parents a range of tea and coffee beverages during the event. We are very proud of the efforts of our students.

The Certificate II Hospitality students have also been operating the Willetton Café at recess on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is a great experience for them working as a team to take beverage orders and serve staff and students their drinks and food products. During our promotion of Home Economics Week, the students were selling fresh, warm Banana Muffins and Fresh Fruit Salad. This experience is invaluable to the students who are gaining Industry experience and confidence when making coffees. Come along and try their hot drinks including lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites as well as cold drinks of iced coffee or chocolate and milkshakes.

The lower school students have been participating in class sessions to produce some amazing dishes in their practical assessment tasks in the past few weeks. It is inspiring to watch the students working as a team to produce their products – they have come so far since week 1 of Term 1. Congratulations!

ENGINEERING

Exploring engineering

The Exploring Engineering excursion to UWA was an enjoyable and highly informative foray into the many Engineering course options and Engineering career opportunities. Four Yr 11 Engineering Studies students were selected to attend this all day event that involved several engineering departments to show case their particular field of engineering. The University Engineering Club presented the 160 students, from many different schools, a pathway into Engineering at University. Over the course of the day the students completed activities which included:

• Building a miniature electric motor, discovering the difference between single-phase and 3-phase electric motors and how they work
• Using straws and masking tape (and a great deal of ingenuity) to protect a chicken’s egg from a five metre high drop.
• Learning the laminar and turbulent flows of water and the impact on the environment. Seeing a model of the Swan River and how contamination can be monitored and predicted
• Rigging mock explosives for the best clearance method to make a tunnel in an underground mine
• Making ice cream in the chemical engineering labs (the most enjoyable).

These activities helped give a basic insight into the sort of things the students of different disciplines of engineering do, both in their course and in their chosen career in their engineering field.

Matthew Wither and Mr B Dopson

Have robots - will travel

High school Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics students commit to real world mechatronics project for 7 weeks of summer school break!

A group of bright, capable and motivated Perth high school students will travelled to Sydney to compete in the Australian Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC).

The FRC project provides the students with a unique opportunity to apply and integrate their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and skills. These students also gain valuable life skills which include problem solving, teamwork, collaboration, public speaking, budgeting, website development, community engagement and promotion.

The majority of the students (18) represent 8 public schools (Applecross SHS, Ellenbrook Secondary College, John Curtin College of the Arts, Kelmscott SHS, Lesmurdie SHS, Perth Modern School, Rossmoyne SHS and Willetton SHS).

The following Year 11 & 12 students represented Willetton Senior High School: Vishnuram Arumugam, Nicholas Berryman, Nimesh Bhana, Daneesha Gopi, Joshua How Son, Brandon Pecoraro, Ashvini Senthilatiban and Hamish Vreeken.

Entering the three Team Curtin robots (4788, 5333 and 5663) in the FRC Sydney competition is the culmination of seven weeks of intensive teamwork onsite at Curtin University. Students designed, built and programmed robots to perform prescribed tasks. These students were mentored by the Curtin University Engineering Outreach team, Curtin mechatronics and computer science students, technical staff and relevant industry representatives: the students practically applied innovative mechatronics design ideas and high level programming to a real world engineering problem.

The robots will compete in a recycling-themed game played by two alliances of three robots each. Robots score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and properly disposing of litter.

The Western Australian Department of Education’s School Pathways Program proudly supports the Curtin FRC teams. The Program facilitates and supports students to actively engage in courses, integrated projects, further education, training and employment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Gail Manton, Program Manager School Pathways Program highlighted “the ongoing success of the FRC Curtin University initiative which provides high school students with an opportunity to integrate all aspects of STEM addressing real world applications.”

Follow your school representative and TEAM Curtin on

Mr B Dopson Science & Engineering

CERTIFICATE ll IN INFORMATION, DIGITAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

This is the first year that the full Certificate is being run at Willetton. This means that over two years students will complete 14 units. At the end of Year 12, students will have earned a Certificate II in Information, Digital Media and Technology which is recognized Australia-wide for employment opportunities and as an avenue to commencing further studies at a TAFE.

Over the two years students will complete competencies which will include:

• Operate application software packages
• Operate a digital media technology package
• Use social media tools for collaboration and engagement
• Design basic organisational documents using computing packages
• Connect hardware peripherals
• Capture a digital image
• Detect and protect from spam and destructive software

We are very keen for this Certificate II course to meet the needs and interests of students and for it to be a sound foundation for further studies after they finish their secondary school.

For further information about this Certificate II course for students entering Year 11 in 2016 please email Chris Carmody at chris.carmody@education.wa.edu.au .

Year 10 GT Jarrah Forest Field Work

A delayed start

Recording macro invertebrates

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Field sketching at the top of the dam

Ben Martini and Keegan Rivers filling in field notes.

2015 has seen the Year 10 GT classes engage in hands on geography in two field trips to study the natural environment and human interactions.

Our first trip was to Kingsford Drive (near the school) to do some practise field experiments and sketching. Despite the fact that the botanical sketches indicated that we had an epidemic of nine legged single celled organisms, we progressed to a local jarrah forest at Churchman’s Brook Dam. For some, it was their first trip into the Australian bush and after the initial shock of seeing a giant March fly had worn off, the day progressed without being accosted by some of the world’s most deadly creatures.

It was such a successful trip. Students found and identified a multitude of macro-invertebrates in a shallow water body, created outstanding field sketches and completed quadrant species maps at three separate locations within the park.

A special thank you to Ms Fourie who joined us for the day and facilitated the analysis of the ‘downslope’ location and to Ms Starling who came along to run the Water Critters activity.

Ms Bettermann and Mr Johnson HASS teachers

A student account:

On February 4, the Year 10 G&T students trekked to Churchman's Brook Dam, armed with little more than field notes and pencil cases. The aim of the day was to collect data as research to write an essay on a potential threat to the dam and its surroundings. Perhaps the biggest threat to the young explorer's happiness and wellbeing was the lack of reception and comfortable toiletry on the site. A stunning exhibition of native plant and animal life that will surely be looked back upon fondly... In a few years’ time.

Jasmine Beck Year 10 GT

UNITED NATIONS YOUTH ASSOCIATION STATE CONFERENCE 2015

The UN State Conference 2015 was on the theme of gender equality, and “Fighting the Good Fight”. There were numerous debates, workshops and political discussions within a forum that was free of judgement. We had the opportunity to put forward amendments to proposed resolutions in the General Assembly and our individual councils such as the Peace and Security Council and the Human Rights Council. There were also social activities, such as Friday night games and the Saturday night dance that formed a unique bond between the delegates. Romances were even allegedly begun.

The General Assembly at Perth Modern School, Sunday 8th March.

On Friday March 6, we arrived at UWA at 10 am, and after a few icebreakers we headed into the lecture hall for a talk from inspiring and successful women, such as Melissa Parke (federal member for Fremantle) and Prof. Lynn Beazley (chief scientist of WA), who spoke of their successes, barriers they’d overcome and the steps they have taken to try and break the glass ceiling of gender inequality.

On the second day, we participated in a number of Youth Motion workshops, educating us upon gender issues within various aspects of society, such as education, sport, health and the arts. After the workshops, we were split into two groups, one which went to the committee debates and the other participating in a hypothetical “crisis situation”, which evoked the need for problem solving but ended in world domination by an American Communist Government and the Chinese Communist Party. This led to the creation of the sovereign state of Moneyland and the subsequent nuking of the American Congress by the Chinese Communists leadership!

On the last day, Sunday, we participated in the all-important General Assembly, representing our individual countries in a mock United Nations scenario, with Annelle representing the People’s Republic of Mexico and James representing the Republic of Uruguay. Two resolutions were proposed, and after many amendments were made, the first resolution on political prisoners failed, and the second resolution on dealing with ISIS was passed.

Overall, we left with a greater understanding and passion for resolving gender inequality, a deeper understanding of the structure of the UN, and many great memories, experiences and new friends.

Annelle Angus and James Dow Year 11

From left to right: Prof. Lynn Beazley (Chief Scientist of WA), with James Dow, and Annelle Angus from Willetton Senior High School.

Contact: Martin Toohey (HASS) Martin.Toohey@education.wa.edu.au

WILLO PARENT GROUP NEWS

WILLO PARENT GROUP MEETINGS

The Willo Parent Group meets each term, coming together for parent information sessions or meeting socially over morning tea, lunch or dinner. This is a great way to meet with members of the school community and find out what is happening around the school. Suggestions for meetings are always welcome. Details of Willo Parent Group events can be found on the school website, or by contacting helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au

WELCOME NEW FAMILIES PICNIC – March 16

The Welcome New Families Picnic was held last term and it was lovely to meet so many families that evening. What a pleasing turnout!

It was wonderful to see our 2014 Head Boy Mark Brisbane and Head Girl Amberly Kilmartin return to help with the BBQ, whilst current Head Boy Jesse Tucek and Head Girl Georgina Earl mingled and welcomed the new families. Several Year 12 student councillors and members of the Interact Club were also on hand to assist with any tasks – thank you for giving up your time.

It was with great pleasure that the Willo Parent Group was able to donate the proceeds of $444 from the BBQ and raffle ticket sales to support the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.

A presentation on Laptops was given by Year 7 Coordinator Mrs Kimberley Atkinson, and on Resilience by Year 8 Coordinator Ms Andrea Wheeler.

A special acknowledgement and thanks to Mrs Tanya Picen and her team of parents who worked hard to organise everything for the BBQ and who baked delicious goodies to be served to welcome the new families.

MULTICULTURAL LUNCH – March 31

As an annual tradition, the multicultural lunch was hosted by the Willo Parent Group to thank students for their efforts in organising Multicultural Week. Once again, the parent group outdid themselves and many donations of delicious home cooked meals were received for the lunch – from fried noodles, chicken curry, fried rice, to pasta, to name a few, together with a wide spread of desserts. Several parents were unable to attend the lunch, but were happy to support it by sending in a plate of food. This was greatly appreciated by the students and invited staff. Thank you to all the parents for your enthusiastic support.

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.

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

The School Board AGM was held on Monday March 23 2015. The Chair’s Annual Report and the Annual Financial Report were presented and the new 2015 School Board announced. The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday May 5 2015 at 5.30pm in the school conference room. A list of Board meetings for this year can be found on the school website, under the School Board information. All are welcome.

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

It was pleasing to see a great deal of interest shown with seven parents nominating for the Board this year. It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2015 Willetton Senior High School Board.

Executive Board

Principal: Mr Chris Booth
Chairperson: Mr Lindsay Holland
Vice Chairperson (parent representative): Mr Simon Lappin
Vice Chairperson (staff representative): Mr Peter Martyr

Parent Representatives

Mrs Karen Allen
Dr Paola Chivers
Dr Kai Fai Ho
Dr Tele Tan

Staff Representatives

Mrs Jenny LeSouef
Ms Pia Palermo
Mr Tim Reinholz

Community Representatives

Mr Jeremy Chetty
Mr John Ahern

Ex-Officio Members

Associate Principal : Colin Marshall
Mr Jega Jegathesan, Business Manager
Mrs Helen Wong, Board Executive Officer
Ms Alex Mellor, Board Administrative Support

Seated (L-R) Karen Allen, Pia Palermo, Chris Booth, Paola Chivers, Jenny LeSouef
Standing (L-R) Alex Mellor, Tim Reinholz, Simon Lappin, John Ahern, Peter Martyr, Jega Jegathesan, Colin Marshall, Tele Tan, Lindsay Holland, Helen Wong, Kai Fai Ho
Absent: Jeremy Chetty

We would also like to thank Mrs Sarah Jeffries and Mrs Tania Rennie (parent representatives), Ms Christine Petersen and Mr Phil Sherwood (staff representatives) for their valuable time and contribution to the School Board. They have now completed their elected term of appointment. We wish them well in their future endeavours.

WA SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR SCHOLARSHIP

Congratulations to Leilah Warlik (Year 7) and Brielle McKinlay (Year 8) who were chosen as recipients of the WA Secondary School of the Year Scholarship for 2015. The scholarship recognises students who have demonstrated great leadership potential. The applications received were of an extremely high calibre, making it a difficult task for the selection panel. Both Leilah and Brielle are worthy recipients, already making a great impact leading their year group assemblies. Both young ladies are a credit to their parents.

A special mention must also go to the applicants who were shortlisted for an interview.

Year 7: Kate Donovan, Will Ho, Justin Moro, Roopsha Mukherjee, Damien Raja, Tara Tabei, Matthew Trowl.

Year 8: Rebecca Ayre, Jamie-Lee Beamsley, Kane Hanson, Courtney Johns, Kristina Joseph, Kelvin Lim, Jordy Moses-Montague, Tully O’Brien, Jacob Weller.

We look forward to watching their leadership skills continue to develop over the next five years.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK FUNDRAISER

Once again, the Entertainment Book will be available to Willo parents and friends to purchase through the School Board. Bonus coupons are available for early bird orders with payment. The Entertainment Books (digital form and hard copy) will be available from early May. For enquiries, please contact Helen Wong on helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217 or make a purchase at

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.

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 on email helen.s.wong@education.wa.edu.au or 9334 7217.