Secondary School News

Year 7 Encounter

On Monday 24 March, the Year 7s went to Fairbridge Village for their Encounter. It was an experience that formed new relationships – affecting both students and teachers – and pushed students out of their comfort zone. 

Reflections from some of our Year 7 students are below.

We did so many fun activities that helped us in different areas of learning. Canoeing and high ropes helped our teambuilding, while the biking, swimming and riding helped our fitness. Archery and orientation were teaching us new things entirely, like how to hold a bow, or how to use a compass. The food was delicious, consisting of healthy and yummy meals. Our dorms were really nice, despite not having any aircon, which was a challenge to overcome. We had plenty of free time to spend with our new friends, and night time activities such as spotlight and games night, along with the 'theatre night' at the end, where our groups each performed a skit to the rest of the cohort. The camp staff were amazing, teaching us how to do all the activities safely. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and, on 27 March, we had to come back to school. Overall, I believe that the Encounter was a fun and unforgettable experience, and that it helped to form friendships all over the place!

Tim

There were a lot of different opportunities for us to try new things and overcome fears, such as abseiling and the giant swing. We enjoyed the fun night-time activities, such as showing skits, playing spotlight and team games. It was fun seeing a lot of animals roaming around the Village, like rabbits, peacocks and more! We did a lot of group work where we completed tasks together. There were many kind and amazing staff, building fun connections with us. Overall, we had lots of fun and really enjoyed the Encounter!

Chinmai and Erlyn 

The Encounter was exceptionally fun. We did a wide range of activities including archery, abseiling, canoeing and more. We played night games that were extraordinary and got to whack teachers with pool noodles which was of course, a lot of fun! It was amazing to stay in a place with a very interesting backstory, and it felt like we went back in time with the wooden houses, creaky floors and no electronics in sight. The food was nice and hot and tasted excellent. We were all full by the time dinner came around, but we miraculously made some room in our stomachs for dessert. We wonder how that happened?! During our time there, we saw a wide range of mammals and insects; peacocks were roaming around the campus, while the kangaroos were hanging out in the bushland, and the spiders, they had everyone screaming in terror! Overall, the experience we had at camp was nothing like we’d ever been through, and truly was an outstanding four days with laughter, smiling faces and new relationships.

Perry and Ivan

Inter-School Swimming Carnival 

A huge congratulations to our Secondary Swimming Team for an enormous effort to finish second overall at the ACC Inter-School Swimming Carnival.

Highlights of the day include:

• Junior Boy trophy winners
• U14 Champion Girl - Isla (Year 8)
• U15 Champion Girl - Sophia (Year 9)
• U14 Runner-up Champion Boy - Ryder (Year 8)

Well done, team JWACS!

FAME! Jr. Rehearsals

Excitement is in the air as our talented Secondary Drama students have officially begun rehearsals for this year’s musical production, FAME Jr.! With high-energy dance numbers, unforgettable songs, and a story full of passion and ambition, this show is sure to be a hit.

Mark your calendars for 14-16 August - tickets will be available soon! Stay tuned for more details on show dates and how to purchase your seats. We can’t wait to bring this production to life and share it with our school community. 

Year 11 

On Monday 17 March we welcomed back Glen Gerreyn from the HopeFULL institute to run the Year 11 Encounter – A Day of Hope.

Glen’s workshop helped students understand the effects that external influences and their own self-belief has on their decisions. Through sharing his own story, Glen helped students recognise negativity, step away from it and start making choices that allow them to tap into their talents and start to shine.

Reflections from some of our Year 11 students are below.

Glen's sessions were truly inspiring and motivational. I think it's awesome to be taught about our passion and purpose from someone who is filled with such purpose and passion for what they're doing themselves.

I left the presentation feeling inspired, hopeful and excited to continue with our futures and work towards our goals. I have so many quotes written down from Glen's sessions that I can connect with. I personally came home and decided it was the day to stop thinking and do something about my thoughts.

Thank you so much to Glen for the fantastic talk he gave at school, it was so inspiring and eye opening. It wasn't only informative but also relatable. As someone who is afraid of failure, showing up for myself can be daunting because it leaves opportunity for mistakes which are uncomfortable, but as you said being comfortable all the time doesn’t lead to growth. Being uncomfortable means I'm putting in the extra work. Thank you again for the talk, it was one that I will never forget. 

I found Glen's your presentation very moving and it made me feel more determined to chase my dreams and goals that before this I didn't think too much about. Thank you so much for the presentation, Glen, it was very inspirational. 

Student Leadership

Students from Years 8 – 11 have been selected for the 2025 Student Leadership Councils, without Year 7s having the opportunity to nominate and be selected in the coming days. The councils provide an avenue for students to collaborate and connect with other students to contribute to the life of the School through initiatives and events throughout the year. We look forward to all students being recognised at our Colours Assembly in Week 10.

Kylie Virgo

Head of Secondary School

Year 10 Art Gallery Excursion

On Friday 21 March, students from Year 10 Visual and Digital Art visited the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. They investigated an art installation in the Laure Prouvost Exhibition and explored the materials used by the artist to create their own bricolage sculptures. Students then commenced on a guided tour, discussing many of the artworks in the AGWA collection and learnt how they can expand their vocabulary when responding to art. Artwork included figurative sculptures, Indigenous art and contemporary paintings. Students in the Digital Art class, also took the opportunity to use the city backdrop to take photos for their portrait photography task.

Reflections from some of our Year 10 students are below.

Learning about how the Indigenous Art was painted directly on site in the art gallery by the artists, rather than being painted previously, was very interesting, especially as it was so intricate and detailed. 

Lex 

Being able to learn about the different types of artwork was really eye-opening. I also had a lot of fun taking portraits of my friends, with our many props, for our Digital Art class. This experience was so fun. 

Ruby

I really enjoyed taking the time to see the different art works displayed throughout the exhibitions. One of my friends brought props for our assessments and we had a great time taking photos for our portrait task.

Oviya

Luke Morgan

Secondary Visual Arts 

Humanities - Year 10 

As part of their History unit of study, our Year 10 students have presented their impressive 1919-1923 political cartoons for assessment. 

Thank you to Mrs Kate Campbell for sharing the work of your very talented students! Also to our Principal, Mr Tim Russell, along with Mr GaryBordoni, for making up the judging panel.

OREC Rottnest Excursion - Year 10