Senior School Report
Message from the Director of Learning
- Mr. Jarrod Johnstone
It has been a busy time for students and staff in the Senior Sub-school!
Ms. Hari Nikolau has taken leave from her position as Director of Learning for the Senior Sub-school for the remainder of Term 2 and until late in Term 3. For this period of time, I will be acting in this role. I have been at Westall since 2017 as a PE and Humanities teacher, as well as Year 8 Co-ordinator in 2018.
Ms. Carole McMahon will be leaving Westall SC at the end of Term 2. Students and staff thank her for her hard work and dedication as VCAL Co-ordinator, and wish Carole all the best for the future. We welcome Ms. Freda Gatsios to Westall SC from Term 3, when she will begin as a new VCAL teacher. Freda is an experienced VCAL teacher who is excited to take on this role.
Year 11 VCE students have completed Unit 1 exams and have now begun their Unit 2 subjects. Students will continue their Unit 2 studies until the end of Term 4. Students should keep in mind that they need to complete 16 units to pass the VCE, thus they should ensure that they pass as many of their Year 11 subjects as possible.
Year 12 VCE students have taken the GAT test and completed their Unit 3 studies. These students have been assessed through SACs in Semester 1, and are working towards more SACs as well as end of year exams for their Unit 3 & 4 subjects. Many of our students have signed up for revision lectures during the July holidays. These can be an excellent way of building and deepening your understanding. Speak with your Unit 4 teacher if you are interested in these.
Senior Sub-school Transition Day
Monday June 18 marked the beginning of Semester 2 classes in the Senior School, and provided an opportunity to look towards 2019, and further into the future.
Students visited the Westall Careers Expo, which had a huge array of employers and further education providers set up to give students information about future work and study choices.
Year 11 and 12 students took part in a seminar on Interview Skills, learning valuable insights into these crucial employment skills.
Speakers from Young Workers provided our Year 11 and VCAL students information on their rights at work.
Year 12 students completed two workshops with Elevate Education, designed to hone their study skills as they begin their final semester of secondary schooling.
All of our Senior Sub-school students spent time working on MIPS, a program which assists students to choose and build understanding about chosen pathways after school.
Year 11 Exams & Year 12 General Achievement Test (GAT)
The week of June 12-15 was an important week for Senior students. Year 11 students sat Unit 1 exams, which are the culmination of their work for the semester. All students studying a Unit 3&4 sequence took the GAT, which tests general knowledge and skills and is part of the state-wide moderation process to make sure final VCE results are fair to students.
Mr. Jarrod Johnstone
Year 12 Business Management Excursion to Yakult
The Year 12 Business Management students completed their studies of Operations Management with a visit to the Yakult factory in Dandenong on Thursday, 7th June.
The students were able to put their knowledge into practice, watching the automated production line transform inputs into the output of Yakult drinks.
We were shown around the factory by Cor Nie Tan, who shared her knowledge of Yakult’s corporate culture and strategies for managing technology, materials and quality. We even got to sample one of the products!
It was a great day and we were very thankful to Yakult for providing us with the opportunity to see their factory and its operations.
Ms. Laura Good
Business Management Teacher
Market Day at School
Thank you to the Westall school community for their support of Market Day during lunchtime on Thursday, 31st May.
It was a great effort by the Unit 1 Business Management and Kidpreneur students, who set up market stalls to sell different products – ranging from food and snacks, to drinks, and even PlayStation games.
I congratulate these students for raising over $600 for charity to go towards the SRC’s fundraising efforts!
All the groups did well in learning about what it takes to plan and run a business, develop products that meet the needs of target customers, and provide customer service.
In particular, I commend the businesses HCK (made up of Jonathan, Richard and Gagan) and ChewyTime (comprising Monineath, Kim, Laura, Sandy and Mali) for making the most profit in each class.
The students found it a valuable learning experience and look forward to creating new business ideas soon.
Ms. Laura Good
Business Management Teacher