From the Principal

The first SEEDS Project event for the year, held on Monday 11 March, was a great success. Motivational speaker Glen Gerreyn,  Director of the HopeFull Institute, spent the day with our Year 11 students focusing on self awareness and goal setting. In the evening Glen presented to parents on the topic Five Steps to Successful Parenting. I attended the evening presentation and found Glen to be an engaging speaker with a powerful message. As a parent of four young children, his message was borne out of personal experience often couched in humour. What was most affirming was his encouragement to parents, "You are doing a good job." Feedback from students and parents was very positive leading us to invite Glen back to the School in 2020. 

If you haven't attended one of Glen's presentations to date, I urge you to consider attending the parent workshop next year. Be assured he will speak on a new topic of relevance to parents.

Many of you would know that one of our key partnerships is with Telethon Speech and Hearing (TSH) in Wembley. Telethon is synonymous with Western Australia for the millions of dollars it raises annually for charities and research supporting children's health and well-being. The Telethon Kids Institute and TSH are just two beneficiaries of Telethon. It is through our close association that, some years ago, TSH located an outpost for children with hearing impairment at John Wollaston. We are the only Anglican school outpost and one of few such facilities in the southern suburbs. Our outpost is located in the Learning Enrichment Centre and staffed by two Teachers of the Deaf and two Education Assistants. Students who attend this facility for specialised instruction are fully immersed in the life of the School, spending the majority of their day engaged in curricular and co curricular activities with their peers.

Last week I met with the CEO of TSH, Mark Fitzpatrick, TSH School Principal, Janene Hall  and Deputy Principal, Geoff Reeder in Wembley to discuss a range of opportunities moving forward. We are keen to grow the number of students accessing the John Wollaston outpost and promote it as a centre of excellence in educating children and adolescents with hearing impairment. I toured their campus and observed firsthand the wonderful programs in place for two to five year olds. Early intervention is key and I know that the programs TSH teachers, Kendra Buss and Melissa Lewis, implement at John Wollaston improve students' confidence, skills and learning outcomes. If you or your friends wish to enquire about the outpost, please contact the School or Telethon Speech and Hearing. 

With best wishes.

Anne Ford

Principal