DATES TO REMEMBER

TERM 2, 2016

News from the Principal Mr. Tristan Lanarus

Westall News

22ndApril2016

Westall Secondary College

88 Rosebank Avenue, Clayton South, 3169

Email: info@westallsc.vic.edu.au

Phone: 9546 3233 Fax: 9547 5785

NOW AVAILABLE

Integrity & Service

2016

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 7 Mrs. Travitz Email: rtr@westallsc.vic.edu.au

Year 8 Miss Paget Email: apa@westallsc.vic.edu.au

Year 9 Miss Dewhurst Email: sde@westallsc.vic.edu.au

Year 10 Ms. Kerwick Email: ake@westallsc.vic.edu.au

Year 11 Mr. Lockwood Email: slo@westallsc.vic.edu.au

Year 12 Ms. Nguyen Email: nng@westallsc.vic.edu.au

April 25—Anzac Day

April 26—WELC Curriculum Day

April 27—Equal Opportunity Sports Day

April 28—Parent-Teacher Interviews

May 3– WSC House Cross Country

- Yr. 11 Biology Excursion

May 2—Intermediate Round Robin

May 5—Yr. 11/12 VCD Excursion

May 9—Yr. 12 Business Excursion

May 10-12—Naplan Tes<ng

May 18—Kingston Cross Country

May 23—Big Science Compe<<on

June 6-9—Yr. 11 Exams

June 13—Queen’s Birthday

REMINDER TO ALL PARENTS/

GUARDIANS TO UPDATE

EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS

AND MEDICAL INFORMATION AT

THE FRONT OFFICE, IF CHANGES

HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE

EASTER VACATION

Dear Westall Secondary College Community,

Welcome back for Term 2. It has been a busy and exci<ng <me. I hope you enjoyed <me

with family and friends during the school holiday period. I also hope that as we finish the

2nd week of Term 2, that you and your sons/daughters have established a good homework

and study schedule for what is a long, 11 week term.

Some very exci<ng news, “hot off the press”. It has been announced that there will be

planning funding for the redevelopment of the Westall Secondary College and Westall

Primary School site in the 2016/2017 Victorian Budget. Building of the new Westall

Community Hub has commenced and this funding announcement means that the planning

for a rebuild of both Westall schools will also commence in the coming year. Whilst dates

and funding for the actual building are yet to be announced, this is a very important first

step and is fantas<c news for Westall. Please see the official media release in this

newsleIer and quotes from both Hong Lim (State Member) and Clare O’Neil (Federal

Member). I would like to take the opportunity to thank both Hong and Clare for their

support in receiving this funding and I look forward to working with them along with

Kingston Council, DET and Westall Primary School to redesign and redevelop the Westall

Educa<on Precinct.

We have now decided to produce and distribute our College NewsleIer on a monthly

basis. With a new website, our compass school portal program and our facebook page, we

are able to provide more immediate and “in <me” communica<on. In producing our

NewsleIer once a month we have added some new sec<ons and what we hope you will

find is a higher quality and more useful publica<on. For this term it means we will have an

April newsleIer (the edi<on you are now reading), a May issue and a June issue.

On Thursday 14th April we had a College Student Free Day to look at the new Victorian

Curriculum and what it will mean for Westall Secondary College in 2017. We will con<nue

the planning and work that sits around this throughout 2016. However, what we have

established is that a new elec<ve block will be created that will run every Wednesday

aNernoon across the school from next year. The elec<ves that will be offered through this

Wednesday program will be determined with students over the next 2 months. There will

be a VCE Study and Tutoring program, VET op<ons available for students to access and

many new elec<ves to choose from for students right from Year 7 including STEM (Science

Technology Engineering and Maths), Sports, Literacy and Numeracy Programs, Performing

and Visual Arts and Digital Technologies such as Coding, Game Making, Web page Design

and crea<ng Apps. We will also have an addi<onal Year 9/10 elec<ve block running with a

greater range of choice than currently exists. This is all very exci<ng and I look forward to

working with students through our SRC (Student Representa<ve Council) over the next 2

months to finalise what we will offer. Ul<mately it means every student in the school will

spend more <me in areas they are passionate about and that align with their career

pathway. It also provides an opportunity to provide students with extra support in areas of

need such as English, Literacy and Numeracy.

invited to aIend.

General Office Hours:

Monday to Friday

8.30am to 4.15pm

Assistant Principal—Mrs Eva Kesidis

2.

Welcome back to school for Term 2 everyone and a very warm welcome to all new students, and their families, who have joined

us this Term.

Wearing the correct uniform and taking responsibility for our property

All Winter uniform items are to be worn by students this term, including during travelling to and from school <mes. It is important

that jumpers, Blazers and jackets are labelled and easily iden<fied when lost within the school grounds. Students are reminded to

take responsibility for their belongings and look aNer their property. Repor<ng lost property weeks or months aNer an item of

uniform has been leN somewhere, is not a good communica<on strategy and oNen items cannot be located. Remember to label

each uniform item with your name, take care of your belongings by placing your uniform in your locker (when not wearing an

item) and report lost property to your teachers, as soon as an item has been lost or misplaced.

Dropping off/picking up students from school and walking through the front car park

Parents are reminded not to drive into the school car park when dropping off/ picking up their students from school, as it is a safe-

ty issue. Students are also reminded to walk across Rosebank Avenue by always using the Pedestrian Crossing and use the pedes-

trian path around the front of the school to get to the internal areas of the College. For everyone's safety, students are asked not

to walk through the car park area when arriving or leaving the school grounds.

Parent/Teacher Interviews and Reports’ distribuAon

We look forward to mee<ng representa<ves from all families at the Parent/Teacher Interviews on Thursday the 28th of April.

Please note that the Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held between 4pm and 7.30pm, with a half an hour dinner break for staff

between 6pm and 6.30pm. Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer and Burmese Interpreters will be available to assist with communica<on

on the night. Parents and guardians who require assistance in any other language, please let us know as soon as possible, in order

that we make arrangements for interpreters of all languages required.

InternaAonal Student Program news

A warm welcome to the six new Interna<onal students who came from Singapore, Vietnam and China to our College during the

school holidays.

An example of a new opportunity we are providing students is access to the New Stars Program. We have met with New Stars staff

a number of <mes and they have run some clinics at the school previously. The New Stars program does extend to other sports in

addi<on to Basketball. We are aiming to have coaches from the New Stars Team leading our Basketball program in Term 3 this

year. There is some informa<on aIached to this newsleIer if you would like to find out more about the other parts of the pro-

gram. Basically it is an aNer school program run in Springvale that combines support and tutoring with your school work with

coaching and training in your chosen sport. Definitely worth considering if you love sport and feel you would benefit from some

addi<onal support with both your school work and your sport.

Some key dates and events coming up next week:

Monday 25th April – ANZAC Day – no school on this day. For those interested, the Clayton RSL have invited members of our school

community to the Dawn Service on Monday 25th April, 6am at the Remembrance Gardens, Clayton Road, Clayton.

Tuesday 26th April – Westall English Language Centre (Student Free Day) Westall Secondary College classes run as normal.

Wednesday 27th April – College Council meets at 4.30pm where the Annual Report for 2015 will be presented. This is a public

mee<ng so anyone interested is welcome and invited to aIend.

Thursday 28th April – Parent Teacher Interviews from 4pm to 7.30pm. I strongly encourage all parents and carers to aIend these

interviews with your sons/daughters.

Un<l next <me.

News from our Principal cont’d….

3.

Year 7 News

On the 17th

March the Year 7 students, along with their parents and teachers (past and present), celebrated the learning they have

achieved so far at Secondary School. The evening began with excellent speeches by our year 7 scholarship winners who outlined

various aspects of their journey so far. Students then showed us how talented and skilful they are by performing a number of

Chinese based items. A video, created by Mrs Travitz, capturing the different experiences our students have already par<cipated

in, was enthusias<cally received.

With the comple<on of the formal part of the evening, students had the opportunity to showcase their learning to those in

aIendance. Each student had worked par<cularly hard to create a presenta<on that outlined their learning for each of their

subjects. There was a real “vibe” in the Balook Centre, with lots of laughter coupled with some anxiety as people moved around

the Balook Centre stopping to hear presenta<ons and to talk to students. As teachers, we were very proud of all the students who

took up the challenge of presen<ng their work to familiar and unfamiliar people. The Hospitality students conducted themselves

with confidence and friendliness and provided everyone with amazing food.

We are excited to see the con<nued journey of our year 7 students

Mrs Travitz, Year 7 Coordinator and the Junior Sub-School Team

'Robots'

In Year 7 Visual Communica<on Design students have been researching their favourite robot past and present. They have learnt

about geometric shapes, and how many robots are made up of these simple forms. The students were asked to develop a new

robot design with a name, and to also include its special features. They rendered their robot design using tradi<onal media and

coloured paper as a presenta<on technique. These designs can be viewed in the main school corridor display area. An extension

exercise to the Robot theme was to bring the robot to life using <mber off cuts. The Year 7 students worked in groups and collabo-

rated on the best design that would work as a free standing <mber sculpture. Many <mber shapes later, lots of glue and screws

the <mber robot forms evolved. The work is s<ll in progress. The robots will be on display shortly for you to enjoy, some have

many moveable parts.

Ms Ifandis, Arts Coordinator

Year 8 Physical EducaAon

During Term 1, in Physical Educa<on, the Year 8 students have developed a personal fitness goal. Each student par<cipated in a

range of fitness tests to assist them in iden<fying their strengths and areas for improvement. They all created a SMART goal that

they are striving to achieve by the end of this year.

“I want to improve my agility by December 2016. Decreasing my <me in the Illonois Agility Test by 1.85 seconds, achieving a <me

of below 17 seconds. I will achieve this by staying focused and prac<cing regularly before the test, reducing my <me each <me I

prac<ce.” - Yvonne Hoang 8C

Alice Paget, Year 8 Coordinator

Junior School News

4.

Year 10 News

Do you remember your own learning to drive experience?

This week at school, Year 10s took part in a VicRoads Keys Please session. Whether or not they already

have their Ls, this session informed them about everything they need to know about making the most of

the learner driver period.

At Keys Please students learned about:

• The reason young drivers are at risk and why driving experience is so important.

• The importance of learning to drive in stages – from simple tasks on quiet roads to more difficult

drives in all sorts of road, weather and traffic condi<ons.

• The importance of developing a posi<ve partnership between learners and their parents.

• Risks for new drivers.

Meet the Middle School Staff

Mr Tahos—Middle School Leader

Our Year 9 and 10 Middle School has now been running one full term this year. Each edi<on of the newsleIer

you will meet the staff and teachers of Year 9 and 10 and read about the exci<ng programs we have par<cipated

in.

We have an informa<on board outside A21 which all the students can keep up to date with events coming up.

Remember the following key thinking

• We are all responsible for doing everything we can that will lead to you achieving improved learning outcomes

• That we all work together to create a culture of learning

- Do you know what the learning process is?

- Have you heard of and know what these are and why they are important?

The Instruc<onal Model I CARE statements Learning statements Learning Inten<ons/Success Criteria

⇒ That we all work together to create a culture that promotes learning

- We keep building and maintaining posi<ve and caring rela<onships.

- We maintaining an environment that is safe, respecUul, tolerant, inclusive and where we work hard

- Create and follow our ‘Code of Coopera<on’

Create a culture of learning Create a culture that promotes learning Posi<ve Rela<onships

Middle School News

5.

Miss La

Mr Coco

Hello, My name is Miss La and I am a Maths and Science

teacher for the Middle School. This is my second year here at

Westall Secondary College. I own a liIle Pom-Chi dog Soo<

and I like to spoil and take her for walks on the weekend.

Hi, my name is Mr Coco and I have been teaching Drumkit/

Percussion at Westall SC for the past 13 years. I am currently

replacing Bella Litvak for term 2 teaching Music and

Humani<es at years 8,9 & 10 levels. I play drums in various

bands and am very passionate about my football team the

Western Bulldogs.

Success in WriAng CompeAAon Our students’ talents have once again been recognised in the wider community. Year 10 students Franz Yuan Delos Santos and

Wang Jie Zhong (Jay), submiIed winning entries in a wri<ng compe<<on organised by The Rotary Club of Glenferrie.

The students’ achievement was acknowledged in a recent mee<ng of the Rotary Club and as Franz was in aIendance, he was given

the opportunity to read his narra<ve to the Rotarians and the invited guests. Thank you to Mr. Charles Tran for working with the

club’s Youth CommiIee to organise this compe<<on. The following is the ar<cle that has been published in the club’s newsleIer.

AcAve April Guest Presenter

Here at Westall Secondary College, we are very big advocates for the benefits of geXng involved in physical ac<vity/sport.

The government also knows the significance of everyone geXng involved and not just for the physical benefits we get, the social

benefits are fantas<c and the mental health benefits associated with physical ac<vity are posi<ve. The government has come up

with a fantas<c ini<a<ve called ‘Ac<ve April’ where everyone is encouraged to be ac<ve everyday, we here at Westall have also

been promo<ng this through the guidance of Mr Newton.

This has been received posi<vely by our school community and because of our involvement, we had the opportunity for an elite

800m athlete called Kelly to come and speak with us. Kelly spoke with the en<re year 10 cohort during week one where she talked

about the benefits that sport and geXng involved has given her. She mo<vated us all with some wise words about the need to be

physically ac<ve and as oNen as we can. She took us through some fun team building ac<vi<es and we finished off with some fun

relay challenges.

Remember, we have to always look aNer our health and Health = Physical Health, Social Health and Mental Health so do your part

and look aNer each dimension of health.

Middle School News cont’d...

6.

Showcasing our Young People at the Club MeeAng April 5th

Students from Westall Secondary College and Auburn High School addressed the club mee<ng on Tuesday April 5th, when the

theme of the evening was 'Showcasing our Young People'. Organised by the Youth CommiIee, the evening focused on the

achievements of two promising students, Franz Delos Santos of Westall Secondary College and MaIhew Schipper of Auburn High

School.

Franz Delos Santos read to the club his prize winning essay en<tled 'The

Fates', an imagina<ve story recoun<ng a tale of the three Moirai from the

Greek Fates, wrestling with the challenge of protec<ng mankind from its

breakneck momentum towards self-destruc<on.

MaIhew Schipper reported to the club on his experience aIending the Sci-

ence Forum, sponsored by the club, and the impact it had on him personally

and scholas<cally.

The mee<ng also heard from Georgia Staikos, teacher of English at Westall,

and Maria Karvouni, principal of Auburn High School on the good work being

done at both schools.

The address by two intelligent and accomplished students was interes<ng,

enjoyable and mo<va<ng for those who aIended and leN no one in any doubt that the future is in good hands.

Years 9 & 10 Access Monash Champions Leadership Day

A group of Year 9 and 10 students were selected to be part of the Monash University Access Monash Champions Program. These

students have shown outstanding leadership potential an enthusiastic commitment to our school community.

Being part of the Access Monash Champions program will provide these students with the opportunity to develop their communica-

tion and leadership skills as they work in teams and prepare for leadership roles they may hold in the future, and for life after high

school.

The students attended their first leadership day and below are how the leaders saw the day:

Year 10 Student Leader perspective

On the 17th of March, seven Year 10 Access Monash students travelled to Cranbourne to represent Westall Secondary College for

Leadership Day. During the day, the Year 10’s were provided an opportunity to develop their leadership and communication skills

by working with students from 13 other Colleges and Access Monash Ambassadors who will come from time to time to visit the

students about an important project that they will have to create. Their task is to research and develop a 10 minute presentation

about Simon Bank’s proposal to build a brand new outdoor performance at Edwin Flack Reserve in Berwick. They have been as-

signed the role of an Environmentalist and will need to consider the environmental impacts of the new facility.

The Year 10 Access Monash students will be attending a Champions Leadership Conference on 30th June- 1st July located on the

Monash Clayton Campus to present their 10 minute presentation.

Year 9 Student Leader perspective

On the 17th of March, selected year 9's and 10's attended the

Monash Leadership day. The year 9's consisted of 7 students. We

woke up early and went on a train to Cranbourne. We caught a

bus afterwards then walked to the Venue.

Around about 9:00, we sat down and listened to Tanya, the Ac-

cess Monash Program leader. She guided us throughout the day.

A guess speaker called Sarah introduced herself, then gave a

speech that motivated and inspired us. She taught us important

values in life.

After having morning tea, we separated into 4 groups. The first

rotation we had was about leadership. We had to sort out differ-

ent types of leaderships and point out their weaknesses, when to

use them and their description. The second activity, we had to

point out positive and negatives things about public speaking.

The third activity we built models with pasta and marshmallows.

The last activity we had to assign 4 people with tasks base on their abilities. The activities taught us many skills. It was interest-

ing.

After lunch, the year 9's were given a task to own a farm and make money. It was difficult and chaotic but we managed to earn

some money. We worked well in a team but in the end it the goal was to make a lot of money.

The leadership day was a good day. We had a good experience and look forward to doing projects within the school and present it in

a few months time.

Middle School News cont’d...

7.

Middle School News cont’d...

Year 11 Excursion to Ecolinc

Monday, April 18

Students in Unit 1/2 Chemistry aIend an informa<on session at Ecolinc in Bacchus Marsh today. The workshop provided an

opportunity to extend and apply classroom based theory to prac<ce. Students undertook a series of interac<ve, team co-opera<ve

heavy ac<vi<es relevant to topics studied in class.

The day consisted of answering key ques<ons in regards to covalent and ionic compounds and proper<es and uses of

nanomaterial, through comparing molecular structure and behaviour of ionic and covalent compounds, and making gold

nanopar<cles.

The program enabled students to flick their thinking caps on; and at the same <me, s<mula<ng their eagerness and enthusiasm to

become engaged and learn. It was undoubtedly a rewarding experience, reflected by the grins present on each face at the end of

the day. Students broadened their knowledge, and developed a greater insight of Chemistry's place in today's society. Students

also ac<vely contributed to class discussion and it was evident the chemistry students thoroughly enjoyed the program.

All in all, it would not be possible without the posi<ve aXtude from the Ecolinc staff, Mrs Blias and Westall students in making the

day a successful one.

We are humbled by Ecolinc's effort to accommodate us and we'll be looking forward to collaborate again.

By LILY UNG

Year 11 Chemistry

Senior School News

Success in the Senior school

Students who prepare the best - perform the best

It is always interes<ng to have a conversa<on with students about what makes a successful senior student. Students all have differ-

ent aspira<ons and expecta<ons in rela<on to their own program as well as what success looks like. There are a few things that

are not nego<able; aIendance and comple<on of the learning outcomes. These are set by the Victorian Curriculum and Assess-

ment Authority and all schools work to the same guidelines. Well oNen parents and students, believe that the most intelligent

student will be the most successful in the VCE program. The VCE program is a 2 year program and so students need to set realis<c

and achievable goals - it is not a mad dash at the end of each year especially the year 12 exams in November. Students do best

when there is a dedicated space for them to work in. This is a space where there are fewer distrac<ons (phones, social me-

dia, television, family ac<vity etc) and where they can spread out and con<nue to work without needing to pack up all their materi-

als aNer each study session.

The most successful students do some of the following

• sit at a desk or table with no distrac<ons

• set a <mer and work in 45 minute blocks with a small reward at the end of each block

• they use de stressing techniques that work for them -smiley minds app, playing sport

• SLEEP at least 8 hours every night.

For VCAL students it is a challenge to manage all the demands of the various programs that they are involved in. It is being a

student in a school environment, a TAFE student in another environment and lastly an employee. It takes a great deal of

responsibility and maturity to achieve across all these programs. Rest and recovery is important for VCAL

students. 8.

Senior School News cont’d...

Success in the Senior school cont’d

Success is about knowing that you have undertaken an ac<vity to your personal best. It is not about the perfect score. A student

who finally masters a concept that they have struggled with, should be celebrated more than the student who is not extending

themselves. Effort does maIer.

Ms Nikolaou

Director of Learning - Senior School

Year 12 News

The Year 12s have been quite busy with one term down and two more to go.

Last week they received their long awaited jackets and on Monday 18th

April,

they had Master Han Jin Song, from Tai Chi Australia, come in to teach them

Tai Chi as a form of stress relief and self defence.

Ms. Nguyen

Our tai chi session was very relaxing. Our instructor Master Han

was very experienced and demonstrated for us how relaxing and

calming tai chi could be. Before beginning the actually tai chi

session he took us through the history of tai chi. Spanning over

2000 years of history tai chi origina<ng from China and was devel-

oped as a mar<al arts skill by Master Chen. He developed the Chen

style of tai chi but we prac<sed the Yang style which was remodi-

fied by Master Yang by order of the Emperor during that dynasty

because Chen style was too fast and too rigorous for the Imperials.

The Yang style was said to bring about longevity in one’s life. It was

also used to calm one’s self. We look forward to another session

with Master Han. By Frank Matai<

9.

WELC News

VCAL News

VCAL has made an exci<ng start to 2016 and the students are showing promising signs of a successful year ahead. Through various

hands-on learning tasks and workplace based ac<vi<es, the students are learning important skills that be applied in a number of

non-school areas. Based upon Literacy, Numeracy, Work Place Skills and Personal Developments, the students are becoming

well-rounded individuals that will become valuable members of any workplace or community. The students are also showing

maturity by organizing different school based ac<vi<es from spor<ng events to fundraisers to con<nue benefi<ng their fellow

students and raise funds for a charity. While par<cipa<ng in Market Day with the VCE students the students con<nue raise money

for a charity and build business management skills. The growth in individual students, with the support of a number of passionate

teachers, is also outstanding and they are becoming mature young ci<zens that anyone will be proud of.

Hoopsparx Incursion

On Thursday 14th April, Donna from HOOPSPARX, visited WELC and taught all the WELC students how to exercise using a hula

hoop.

Students exercised to music, learned a dance rou<ne and

played games using the hula hoops. It was amazing to see

how many different ways a hula hoop can be used.

It was a very interac<ve ac<vity and enjoyed by all.

Carmela Santucci

Coordinator

Westall English Language Centre

10.

Senior School News cont’d...

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Informa<on

11.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Informa<on con<nued ...

12.

Wanted: Homestay Providers

Community News

LOOK GREAT IN 2016!

The College Blazer can be purchased from

the College for only $110.

Students are encouraged to wear their

Blazer to and from School every day.

College Blazer—$110.00—buy direct from the General Office

13.

Community News cont...

14.

Drawing and Sketching

This drawing class is designed to

introduce the fundamentals of

drawing through a series of structured

exercises: line, tone, proportions &

contours. Students will be given the

opportunity to explore different

mediums such as graphite, pencils,

charcoal and pen.

Monday: 1.00 – 3.00pm

May 2 – June 6 (6 weeks)

Cost: $75, concession $65

Materials list supplied upon enrol-

ment.

For further information to enrol,

please phone:

Mordialloc Neighbourhood House;

9587 4534

Community News cont...

15.