Junior School Report

Message from the

Director of Learning -

Alice Paget

What a great start to the year it has been in the Junior School. The Year 7 students have had a very smooth transition into the beginning of their high school experience and starting to settle into their new routines, with ease. Congratulations to all the Year 7s on completing their first year of Secondary Education!

It has been also fantastic to see Year 8 students demonstrating the school values and climbing their way up the Westall Way Wall of Achievement. We have celebrated their achievements of the Westall Way Points throughout the year in our sub-school assemblies and also put a special lunch on for the students who managed to achieve an award this term. 

It is coming up to that time of the term where the students have several Common Assessment Tasks (CATs). It very important the students are using their diary to ensure they are tracking their assessment schedule and putting aside time for revision outside of class. 2 weeks after the CAT in each subject, teachers will provide feedback to the students through a rubric on Compass. This feedback is vital in providing each student with the next step in their learning progression. Using the Compass Parent Portal you are able to see the assessment mark and rubric. I encourage you to have conversations with your child regarding their learning progress.

I hope you all have a lovely break over the school holidays and the students come back refreshed for Term 2.

Westall Way leader board (Term 1):

The Westall Way are a set of learning behaviours that bring together the College values that students endeavour to demonstrate in College life. We have a reward system (Westall Points) around these behaviours where students are awarded points for demonstrating these behaviours on an ongoing basis.

Well done to the following Year 7 and 8 students who have made it into the top 10 students for their respective year levels this Semester:

Students can continue to work their way up the Westall Wall of Achievement, achieving progressive awards based on the number of points they receive. Keep up the great work and strive for your Personal Best!

Aim High students:

I would like to congratulate the Year 7 and 8 students who have been selected into the Aim High program at Westall Secondary College this year. Aim High is a selective program, which is offered in all subjects at the college. Students are identified when they show they are working above the level for a particular subject. Students are challenged with different, advanced work, to ensure they are constantly learning. I would like to thank all the staff for providing differentiated work in their classes to ensure all students are constantly challenged and in their wobble zone. 

The selected Aim High students below have been acknowledged and congratulated in their sub-school assembly this week. I would like to also offer a special acknowledgement to the few Year 7 and 8 students who have been nominated for multiple subjects. Congratulations and keep striving for excellence!

Year 7:

Year 8: 

Year 7 Science 

Bunsen Burner Licence

One of the major milestones for students studying science in a secondary school setting, is getting their Bunsen Burner licence. Year 7s have been busy revising on the different components of a bunsen burner and understanding the instructions involved in using it. The day finally came when each student showed their science teacher how they can safely light, change colours and turn off the bunsen burner. Congratulations for receiving your Bunsen Burner licence!

Year 7 Science Teachers

Ms Smrithi Buyya, Mr Dean Goulimis & 

Ms Loan Luong-Nguyen

Year 7 Science Investigation

After receiving their Bunsen Burner licence, the Year 7 students have been busy using their scientific skills for their CAT by investigating which liquid would boil the quickest. The students have guessed and written a report based on their practical. Was it water, lemonade, milk or orange juice? Ask a Year 7 student to find out! A big thank you to Ms Jenny Philips for helping us set up and run the experiment as well as Ms Reia Grey, Ms Priscilla Hansen, Ms Bernadette Clancy and Ms Fatima Khan for supporting the Year 7s during the experiment process. 

Year 8 Food Technology

Throughout Year 7 and 8. all students get to experience a taste of a variety of Elective subjects they may choose in Year 9 and 10. Currently, Year 8 students are studying Food Technology. They have spent the term learning about kitchen safety, hygiene and basic methods of cookery. The students' favourite dishes to cook were definitely the stir-fried noodles, Korean fried chicken and chocolate brownies. Next term, students will focus on Healthy Eating and Sustainability. 

Well done to 8A on their outstanding efforts in the kitchen, I think we definitely have a few chefs in the making!

Year 7 Design and Technologies Woodwork

Our Unit in Year 7 is about designing 'fun functional products'. The Year 7 students developed designs and produced a 'ready to go' cutting board. They researched two design ideas and fulfilled a design brief including clients' requests.

Students executed their design in pine timber, and they used a pedestal drill to create a hole for hanging, sandpaper for smooth edges, and olive oil to finish. The cutting boards were based on a geometric shape design which included the circle, rectangle and square. The challenge was to use a ruler in centimetres and accurately measure the length and width of the board.

Who said that Maths is not part of design! You can view these on display between A and B corridors.

Ms Helen Ifandis

Year 11 & Arts Coordinator

Year 8 Visual Arts

Students in Visual Arts have been exploring 'Hair' throughout the ages. The images demonstrate how the scaffold of skills evolved for both two and three dimensional artworks. Drawing from observation began with the backward portrait. The students drew what they normally don't focus on which is the back of their heads. What they know is the traditional portrait, 'the face'; the challenge was to explore the hair, neck and shoulders from behind the head. Students found this fascinating as they began to explore hair styles, and the lines found in hair and tone that was affected by light sources.

Charcoal drawings on a large scale and ceramic relief sculptures were produced. The skill level in drawing and clay manipulation was high! 

Ms Helen Ifandis

Year 11 & Arts Coodinator

Year 8 Global Literacy Fieldwork Excursion

On the 28th of March, the Year 8s went on a fieldwork excursion to Half Moon Bay via train. This fieldwork trip was for our Global Literacy Common Assessment Task (CAT) on geography, more specifically, on landforms and landscapes. The excursion's purpose was to teach us how to identify landscape features and the effects of various coastal management methods on coastal processes and communities in Half Moon Bay. 

After getting off the train, we arrived at a park where we had a little break and got our CAT handouts. We answered our hypothesis and filled out some questions. After everyone had finished, it was time for our long journey to begin! 

We walked along the path and made our first stop at the Bay Trail where we took photos of the beautiful view and answered some questions from our CAT handout. 

After completing most of the questions from the handout, we continued walking on the route and eventually made it to our second stop, Red Bluff Lookout. In comparison to the other areas on the bay, Red Bluff was quite distinctive and unique as it stretched out of the coastlines. At the lookout, we began drawing our field sketch on what we observed and answered some more questions. 

Half Moon Bay was our last stop. When we arrived, we finished answering the last few questions, drew a field sketch, and created a topographical map. We grabbed lunch and spent about an hour at the beach after finishing our primary source sections of the CAT handout. Some kids were able to get a closer look at the red cliff that we had seen from afar at Red Bluff Lookout.

The excursion had many enjoyable aspects. The whole trip was a great way for the year 8s to spend time together while also learning more about fieldwork along the way. This trip was a wonderful experience, and we hope to do more excursions like this in the future.

By Zaeemah & Pim