Residential Manager

Kelli Gillies

Kelli.Gillies@education.wa.edu.au

College Ball

The information for the Winter Ball has been provided and can be accessed on the College webpage.  Please access your approvals and pay through the Trybooking.com portal.  As you would all be aware our Year 10’s will not be attending the Ball and the Year 11’s are unable to bring  a partner.  We know that this is not ideal but we have to comply with the Covid19 requirements regarding venue size and  number of guests.  We thank you for your ongoing support during this very unusual year as we try to navigate events and excursions.

Tomorrow Man – is coming

The facilitators will be visiting the Great Southern region to speak to our young men. A two-hour experiential workshop ‘Breaking the Man Code’ creates a unique conversation about the secret life of us and our mates on the way to re-writing the rules on what it means to be a man.

What does it mean to be a bloke today? And what do we want it to look like tomorrow?

The tide is changing for men young and old, and the outdated stereotype is leaving some of our mates, dads, sons, uncles, teammates, workmates, and brothers stranded without the tools for a healthy life.

Tomorrow Man facilitates workshops for boys and parents in schools, and, men in sporting clubs, workplaces, and communities. We explore how we can look after ourselves, our mates and families are better while carving out our own version of the Aussie man.

It’s time we got in a room to have a no holds barred conversation about the state of man; face the stats and create room to break the stereotype.

Tomorrow Woman – is currently in Victoria, as soon as the borders open she will visit WA

Tomorrow Woman is a social enterprise that runs workshops to reconnect women with their authentic voice.  Amidst a barrage of confusing messages coming from all angles, depression, anxiety, negative body image and low self-esteem are on the rise in women.  

All women are born with a voice, a confident and outspoken voice that is not afraid to be heard. But the research tells us that around adolescence this voice is lost.  Girls become less likely to share their opinions and can lose their sense of self. 

Tomorrow Woman explore tricky topics in a relatable way and get to the heart of issues that women are facing everyday – unpacking things like gender stereotypes, internal and external pressures and pop culture topics like pornography, social media, beauty expectations, relationships and self-talk.

In this changing landscape, we ask the question “Who is the woman I want to be tomorrow?”

LEAVE – usernames and passwords

Please keep your username and password in you notes sections of your phones; quite often the reset can be completed by yourselves simply by reinstalling the app and logging in again. This is very important; you can reset your own password if you know where to find it.  I know that Reach can be troublesome but spending some time using the App might help with user issues.  Please make sure your Leave is in by Wednesday; of late there are many students who are relying on last minute messages to me to access Leave.  I will not be responding to messages on a Friday unless it is an emergency. 

Please make sure that all correct details are filled in when applying for Leave.  I have recently approved leave for students who submitted leave with incorrect details.  Sorting this out involved multiple phone calls.  In future I will decline leave if the information is incorrect. 

REACH APP Features

• Create leave events
• View and Manage Leave Events
• Sign in and out of school campus
• Manage Hosts
• Personal Leave Calendar

SPEAKUP! app – anonymous reporting

Powered by information technologists with over 40 years’ experience in hardware and software solutions, Speak UP!® is an international company that provides schools an opportunity to prevent the abuse and bullying that takes place on and off the internet.

When students anonymously report incidents through the web or phone app, they are not only helping the innocent victims of bullying and cyberbullying but they are also empowering themselves by standing up for others and for themselves.

It is compulsory that all students have the app on their phone.  All students will have access to the app.

WHY IT WORKS….

Students can report an incident when:

• They don’t want other students to know they are reporting
• They don’t feel comfortable talking to an adult about the incident
• They don’t know which adult to talk to
• There isn’t an adult available
• They want to report the incident anonymously

Tutoring and Homework Help

There is a Facebook group that you can join to access local tutor information.  Please contact the college if you would like more information regarding this.

Laundry

Our laundry staff have made a request that students take their clothing to the laundry in small lots every day rather than accumulating their washing.  This is now more important than ever for students to have their clothing laundered in the commercial machines.  Our domestic laundries have been temporarily closed.

Second hand clothing is available in the laundry.  Check with Carol and Mel our laundry ladies if you need to change sizes of clothing before buying anything new.  We welcome donations of the college uniform (in good condition) as students leave the college. 

Clothing without name tags will be displayed on the table for collection when the laundry is staffed, otherwise it will be packed away until the following shift.  A record of lost clothing is kept in the laundry.  If students have lost an item of clothing, please report it to the laundry staff.

College Uniforms

There are second hand uniforms available in the laundry and via our Facebook group WACoA Denmark – Buy and Sell – Second-hand uniforms 

Health and Wellbeing

The College continues to provide support to students requiring doctors and other health related appointments. Where possible these appointments are made outside of school hours to minimise disruption to the school program. For any follow up appointments with specialists the College asks parents and carers where possible to make these during school holidays.  Please contact the College if your child has any medical imaging needs before appointments are made in Albany.  When students are ill in residence the College will provide immediate care and will arrange necessary medical appointments. To minimise the spread of illness all students who are unwell are required to remain in their rooms, eat after all other students and minimise contact with other students until recovered. If students are unable to participate in the learning program for more than one day the College will contact families to discuss alternative care arrangements.

School Nurse

Paula Stretton is our school nurse and will be on campus on Tuesday and Thursday morning.  Please contact the college if you would like more information regarding appointments.

School Psychologist

Brigid Bolton is our Provisionally Registered School Psychologist for 2020; Brigid will be on campus on Tuesday and every second Thursday for students who would like to make an appointment.  Brigid can help students with strategies for settling into boarding life, managing relationships, study habits and exam stress.  We would like to encourage students to use this valuable service. Parents can contact Brigid on a Wednesday at the College.

Denmark Youth Outreach Worker - Andrew Talmage

Denmark Youth Outreach (DYO) is a free, outreach support service for young people 12 to 18 years of age, operating three days per week. The service is accessible for young people and their families who reside within the Shire of Denmark. The service provides early intervention and support to young people to prevent and address crisis, those experiencing a difficult transition through adolescence and needing additional support. Young people can be assisted with mentoring, relationships and information to assist in managing their health and wellbeing. DYO provides advocacy, referrals and support to access specialist services, including AYSA homelessness services. 

This service is a case management, client centred and trauma informed approach which has the ability to complement existing supports being provided to a young person. Referrals to DYO are accepted through DSHS via the Student Services Coordinator or directly from individuals/families, partner agencies, health related services and youth related organisations.   Andrew will be working three days per week in Denmark and can be contacted via email, denmark.outreach@aysa.org.au or on mobile  0419 247 161.

Travel Arrangements for Home Weekend and End of Term

The College will organise travel arrangements (bus tickets) for the home weekend, end of term; please advise the school or your child of the travel arrangements for the home weekend.  The College books outward travel for home weekend and the end of Term 3, the return ticket is booked by the parent/guardian and must be booked to arrive early afternoon preferably into Denmark; late arrival will incur a pick up fee if the student is arriving into Albany by the College of $100.00; all other travel arrangements throughout the term are to be arranged by the parent/guardian.

Vehicle Forms

We are experiencing students arriving on site with vehicles prior to these forms being completed.  It is very important that students and parents adhere to our vehicle guidelines.

Prior to any student vehicle/motor cycle being brought to the College please ensure all forms are completed and up-to-date and that any vehicle or motorbike that comes on to site has been approved.  Quad bikes will not be approved as part of our recreational motor cycle program.

Medication

Reminder for all parents and students -  we require students to hand in any medication that they have to residential staff; medication is recorded, stored and administered from the residential office.

Reminders

Weekend Leave – have it in REACH by WEDNESDAY NIGHT…..or no leave