Principal's Page

Education Week, 19 - 25/5/19 - 'Careers'

It was Education Week last week with the theme, 'Careers' being used by the Department of Education (DET) to help mark the occasion.  We provide significant support to our students in the area of Careers.  All students for example are required to develop and reference a Career Action Plan from one year to the next, whilst different presentations and activities are offered to students throughout the year.  Please read on on our Newsletter to learn more about how we support of our students in this area.

National Reconciliation Week, 27/5 to 3/6/19

This week is National Reconciliation Week. It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared history, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation (Jenny Atta, Secretary - Department of Education and Training, 28/5/19).

Please see an article below from one of our Year 11 students, Jared Cooke, :

"Reconciliation is all about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-indigenous people, for the benefit and celebration of all Australians. On May 27, 1967, Australians voted in favour to change our laws to improve and provide more services to our Indigenous Australians. These changes focused on two sections of the constitution the first of which specified that our federal laws, designed to protect all Australians, now included indigenous people. Another change to the constitution allowed indigenous people to be included in the national census, thus for the first time, being recognised as Australians. This week is a designated time to teach others and learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, including the five dimensions of reconciliation; Historical Acceptance; Race Relations; Equality and Equity; Institutional Integrity and Unity. This year’s theme to Reconciliation Week is “Grounded in Truth, Walk Together in Courage”. Australia has come far over the past years when it comes to reconciliation. Learn about the importance of this week at https://www.reconciliation.org.au/"

The National Reconciliation Week provides pause for reflection on the importance of Reconciliation, together with opportunities for us all to further recognise and pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their culture.

College Tours, 2019

We hold regular College Tours for families thinking of enrolling their children here at WHSC.  Every Wednesday offer a tour of the College allowing families to see our school in action.

The interest in our College from these tours remains strong.  We are hoping for a similar number of Year 7 students to enrol with us in 2020 as we have had this year in 2019.  We expect to know our Year 7 numbers for 2020 by the end of the semester.

Attitudes to School Surveys, 2019

DET expect schools to implement their Attitude to School Surveys during this time of the year.  The Surveys are a way for schools to capture and analyse data.  Students are asked a series of questions from a number of areas ranging from engagement with their learning, to wellbeing and connectedness to school.

All of our students completed the Survey last week.  The data captured is analysed by staff to then consider and develop areas for improvement throughout the College.  It is hoped that we will have access to the data as soon as possible.

Division Cross Country, 2019

Congratulations to over 60 of our students who competed in the Division Cross County event last week (23/5).  The event was held at with students completing quite a challenging course on the day.

As a result of their achievements, over 30 of our students were able to move through to the next round of competition being the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Finals on the 18th of June at Yarra Glen Racecourse on the 18th of June - we wish these students all the very best with this next level of competition.

Mid Year Assessments, 2019

As mentioned in an earlier Newsletter, the Mid Year Assessments are coming up very soon.  Already exam timetables for relevant year levels (Years 9 to 12) are being developed and considered.  It is a very busy time for our students (and staff!) as we embark on the Mid Year Assessments, and we wish our students all the very best at this time of year.

Value of the Week - Creativity

A number of our Year 8 students traveled to the Monash Tech Schools complex this week to further their learning in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). 

The Monash Tech School is one of ten new Tech Schools across the state, and is the only one in metropolitan Melbourne.   Wheelers Hill Secondary College is one of 12 partner schools that are able to access their cutting-edge facilities.  The overall goals of the programs offered to our students by the Monash Tech School are to use new technologies to encourage a fresh understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), to develop collaboration skills and to introduce students to the Design Thinking model in an experiential way.

Our year 8 'Superpowers' program has been centred on development of new energy, where students were able to take a tour of the facilities of Monash University and use programs, equipment and software such as Cospaces, Metaverse, smart grids and simulation tables.  Our students have collaborated to explore energy use in different types of households, as well as creating a profile of a local town in Victoria. They then use their new knowledge of technologies to develop prototypes for cleaner energy use, which has significant applications to everyday life.  Well done to our Year 8 students!

And Finally..........

Please be reminded that all of our Year 10 students are expected to complete Work Experience in the last week of this term (24 to 28/6/19).  The Work Experience Program is invaluable to our students allowing them to experience how a work place operates.  Any queries concerning our Work Experience Program should be directed to the General Office.

Also, please be reminded that we have a Professional Development Day on Friday 7th of June - this is a student free day

Aaron Smith

Principal