Secondary School
From the Head of Secondary
Asking for help is a strength
When thinking about this simple but powerful message, I am reminded of the children’s book, “I Do It”, by Andrew Daddo. The book is a light-hearted tale about a toddler insisting that he does not need his parent's help with anything; I am sure many of you have this book on your bookshelves at home. I could not help wondering about why as individuals we are compelled to be so fiercely independent, and from such a young age.
I accept that there is a wonderful sense of satisfaction when we achieve something or complete a task without help but if we have the choice of completing a task with help or not completing it, then why are we so reluctant to ask for help?
Of course, the phrase ‘Asking for help is a strength’ does not just refer to tasks and projects, it can also refer to our health, financial position, clashes on our schedules … the list is endless. Even here at school, the phrase can relate to so many aspects of a student’s life: a class task, homework, how to study, managing stress, feeling down, managing a busy schedule and so on.
When realising that we need help with something, we can often be guilty of forgetting all of the things we manage very capably, and instead focus on feeling useless because of the one or few things we need help with. We are, at times, our own worst enemy!
And so my reason for this week’s article: I encourage you all to seek help where needed and to foster this thought as a strength with your children and families.
Residential College Visits
This week we welcome visits from Trinity College and University Hall. At a a time when sourcing accommodation in Perth is particularly challenging for young people leaving school, I am keen to foster positive relationships with our Perth Residential Colleges. I encourage all students in Years Eleven and Twelve to attend these opportunities to gain an insight into College life and to seek answers to any questions they may have about moving to Perth.
Year Seven visits to Homeroom
Our Year Seven students have been enjoying their visits to Year Eight to Twelve Homerooms. This week was their second visit and they have been busy making connections with older students and exploring the feel of a multi-age homeroom.
Message from Year Nine Leaders - Social
On 23 August (Wednesday Week Six) there will be a Years Seven to Nine Social hosted at the Hall. The Social theme this year is 'neon', so dress in your brightest colours for a night of fun.
It will run from 6.00pm to 8.00pm, and tickets can be purchased from the Secondary School administration building for $5. Tickets are on sale now and are available until the day of the social. Students in Years Seven to Nine, join your friends for a great night of colour!
Message from Year Eleven Cert IV in Business class
The BIG Sleep Out is an annual fundraising initiative that encourages you to get out of your comfort zone for one night to raise funds for the less fortunate in our city who are homeless by joining the organisations that are working tirelessly to combat Albany's homelessness issues as we raise awareness of what it is like for over 9,000 Western Australians who are homeless on any given night. The funds we raise will directly benefit those living in our town who through no fault of their own find themselves unable to support themselves. This year we focus on What Homelessness looks like in our city and what we can do to help. We have been so excited to see the support of the community as next weekend draws closer, and the BIG Sleepout takes shape. You can join us here
We held a cake stall this week, and it was a massive hit! This helped raise over $300, as we get closer to our goal of $57,000. Our total stands at over $24,000 so far.
A note for Year Ten students and families: As you are currently doing your subject selection forms for Year Eleven, if you are considering Cert IV Business, we would like for you and your family to consider attending Albany’s BIG Sleep Out at Centennial Oval on 26 August (from 4.30 pm).
This year, the Year Eleven Certificate IV class has spent a significant amount of time in and out of class organising and preparing this special event. By attending, you will get a good idea of the context of this event – you will be carrying it forward under our mentorship in 2024. Overall, Certificate IV Business is very rewarding if you are willing to put in the effort, we hope to see you there.
Mrs Victoria Turnor | Head of Secondary
Wilson News
Wilson House worked together this year to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Young House. Young House is a safe space for young people who seek crisis accommodation. It is a house with eight bedrooms that welcomes people aged 15 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Unfortunately these beds are full almost all year round.
On the 14 August we visited Young House with Mr Scott to find out more about Young House and see where the $500 we raised for Young House went to. Upon arrival we were met by Brad, the manager. He spoke extremely well and informed us of where the money we donated went.
We learnt just how bad the homeless issue facing young people in Albany is. Most people see homeless people as the poor who sleep on the streets but do not realise that it also includes those who simply cannot live at home due to family issues such as domestic violence and, as a result, are forced to live elsewhere.
Young House works to face this issue by providing accommodation to those without safe homes, whilst also educating these people in areas such as renting, working and drug and alcohol safety in the hope that they will gain the skills to be able to live independently.
It was an incredible experience that allowed us to better understand where our money went. We would once again love to say a huge thanks to everyone who donated and participated in Wilson Day and would like you to know that the money raised will be well used to help face the issue of homelessness in the youth of Albany.
Zac Beeck and Annie Wilson | Wilson House Captains
