Junior School Report

Message from the

Director of Learning -  Junior School

Mr Kristian Gropel

Term 4 is well and truly underway, and we are almost to the end of the 2023 school year. Well done to our Year 7s on their first year at Westall Secondary College thus far. 

Upcoming events in Term 4:

• Grade 6 ’Welcome Night’: on the 21st November at 6pm - new students, parents, and guardians will have the opportunity to meet the teachers and begin their transition into Westall Secondary College. 
• Grade 6 Orientation Day will take place on the 12th December. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new students and parents, and we look forward to making the transition for your son/daughter a positive and supportive experience. 
• Selection of our Junior School Captains for 2024. All Year 7 students, going into Year 8 next year, have had the opportunity to apply for this leadership role. The 2 selected captains and vice-captains for 2023 will have an array of leadership opportunities, including student voice, public speaking, promotion of the college, assistance with the transition of our new Year 7s into the college, and input into the running of the junior school at Westall Secondary College. I would like to congratulate Farhanah, Peter D, Zoe M and Sokhuy K on their successful appointment as Captains for 2024! Thank you and well done, Aleasha Rodgers, Sofia Ho, Jade Petersen, Christian Pham and Ghibran Deddy for your outstanding role as Junior School Captains this year!

Headstart will begin in Week 9, 1 week of Academic skills followed by 1 week of Lifeskills. During Academic skill week, Year 7 students will transition into their new Year 8 timetable and Year 8s into their Year 9 timetable for 2024. It is important that all students continue striving for excellence as the 2023 school year ends.

Year 5 Taster Day – Clayton North PS

On Wednesday 18th October Clayton North Primary School visited Westall SC for a taste of secondary school. During this time, they participated in multiple sessions run by Jessica Cichy (EDI Sustainability lesson), Sean Weston (Physical Education lesson) and all iCreate teachers. This gave the students an idea of what it would be like of they attended Westall and how we do things.

The feedback from the school has been extremely positive saying the students had a blast and multiple saying they wanted to return to Westall when they finish primary school. 

A big thank you to all the iCreate staff for giving these students a taste of what it would like to attend Westall Secondary College.

Year 7 Science works Excursion

Our year 7 students had an amazing day at Scienceworks in Spotwood on Monday. We set off by train for a journey across town to Spotswood – underneath the West Gate Bridge!

When we arrived we first stretched our minds and our muscles at Sportsworks. Here we were able to race against Cathy Freeman, try out for soccer goalkeeper, and zoom down the slopes in our snowboarding simulator.

We enjoyed an amazing feature created by NASA in the planetarium – the search for the most precious resource - water - in our solar system. Our search for water took us to Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and the moons orbiting these planets.

In the lightening room we were mesmerised by science show where many of our students participated in live experiments! The spectacular finale was witnessing the giant Tesla coil light up the theatre with lightning using more than 2 million volts of electricity.

On arrival back at Westall all agreed they had a great day with their friends learning all about our solar system, electricity, forces while having lots of fun!

A big thank you to our staff for joining us to help supervise and join the fun! 

Mr Kristian Gropel

Coordinator Junior School

and 

Ms Erica Tickner

Teacher Aid 

Year 8 Global Literacy

In year 8 global literacy, students are studying Polynesian Expansion as a part of their history unit. This includes learning about the different values, practices, and innovations found throughout the Polynesian Triangle. 

While learning about navigation techniques and how Polynesian wayfinders were able to travel vast distances, students were asked to create their own waka hourua, a double hulled canoe from Aotearoa (New Zealand). The canoes had to have two hulls, a sail, be able to float, and be able to be propelled by the wind. The class took advantage of a sunny day to test the canoes in the pond next to Balook.  Anthony and Bill were voted best double hulled canoe!

Thanks everyone for putting so much effort into your canoe building! 

Miss Moore and Miss Tomkins

Classroom Teachers 

Year 8 Visual Arts - Ancient Greek 'red figure and black figure' Vase

In Year 8 Visual Arts the students have been studying 'Art and time'. The students researched ancient Greece, life and the arts, specifically exploring ancient Greek vases.

Their design ideas were developed using everyday scenes in their contemporary world today. Ideas reflected culture, beliefs and customs from their own upbringing.

The students were limited in their choice of colour palette. They used traditional colours of 'black on red' and 'red on black', this is what the ancient Greeks used to decorate vases.

The students selected a traditional vase shape and designed a wall plaque to accompany their vase. Displayed in the corridor are these magnificent vessels of amphoras, hydras, kraters and modern day jars. The students used line and shape as the base for designs.

Ms Helen Ifandis 

Arts Coordinator

Year 8 Visual Arts 'Pop Art'

The students in year 8 Visual Arts researched popular culture in the 1960's, and compared then to our world today. 

Popular and commercial products were turned into sculptures, using plaster bandages, armature wire mesh form and acrylic paint. The students developed ideas based on their own personal experiences of favourite foods and products. 

Crushed coca cola cans, 'rubber duck's, drum sticks, donuts, wine glasses, Doritos and chip packets, and bubble tea were top on the list of ideas. The sculptures are works in progress and slowly merging to life! 

Ms Helen Ifandis 

Arts Coordinator

Today is a New Day 

(Student Work – Year 8 English Aaron Bui)

Today is a new day. 

    I wake up in my white room as usual. I walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I find it strange that people offer to help me brush my teeth. However, I let them anyway.

    My brother says that I must go to bed after I brush my teeth. But whenever he says that I ask myself why I woke up in the first place. My brother visits as I lie in my bed. I don’t hear what he says, but it’s something about medicine. He hands me a pill and cup of water and heads off. I drink the water while swallowing the pills, of course. I hear beeping sounds that seem to come from next door. They annoy me, but I ignore them. 

    I get tired as I begin to doze off. I think about the day today. All I did was lie in bed. I quietly go to sleep as the beeping sounds quieten down, too. 

    Today is a new day.

    My brother visits again. He is telling me about things that are going to happen to me. I don’t hear him quite well because of the beeping sounds. I try to get him to repeat himself, but I still can’t hear him. 

    My brother drops off the usual— one pill and a cup of water. He tells me these pills will help me feel better, but I don’t understand. How will these help me feel better? I already feel well, so I don’t think medicine will do anything. I take the pills anyway. 

    I begin to feel tired again as the beeping sounds quieten down. I reflect on my day. I was in bed most of the time, so I would say it was boring. I begin to go to sleep.

    Today is a new day.

    I wake up again in the usual white room. I get up and brush my teeth as usual. I go to bed after brushing my teeth when my brother visits. However, he is with a strange woman crying. 

    The woman hugs me as she says through her tears, “I love you.”

    I am confused. Why does this woman, whom I’ve never met before, love me? Why would this woman be crying about me? She then exits the room as my brother gives me the usual— one pill and a cup of water. 

    I drink the water and take the pill. 

    I begin to go to sleep as the beeping sounds turn into one long beep. I go to sleep as the long beep continues. It then stops.

Special Spaghetti Recipe by Aaron Year 8

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons oil

½ onion, diced 

½ carrot, diced

¼ cup parsley, chopped (optional)

¼ cup cheese, grated (optional)

¼ cup crushed tomato 

¼ cup thickened cream 

½ cup ham, diced (optional)

250 gm spaghetti

Method:

1. Start by cooking the ham over LOW heat in a frying pan, put the ham somewhere else
2. In a separate saucepan pour in water till half full, wait till it boils, add a pinch of salt then pasta till cooked, drain 
3. Throw the onions into a fry pan till slightly wilting, pour in tomato sauce, wait till thick
4. Pour in thickened cream.
5. Put the carrots in.
6. Add the diced ham from earlier.
7. Mix till thick, add cooked spaghetti.
8. Assemble and add cheese

Other Junior News 

Here are some photos of other activities happening at Junior school.