Secondary

Dear Families 

Welcome back for Term 2! We hope that students and families enjoyed a restful break and quality time with friends and family over Easter and the holiday. It has been wonderful having students back on campus this week and we congratulate them on settling back into the new Term well. 

Congratulations to students, staff, parents and alumni involved in this year’s College musical whose months of hard work have culminated in a series of stellar performances for the audiences this week to enjoy. They have worked incredibly hard to bring the razzle-dazzle of Chicago to life on our stage, from the dances, songs, live music and acting, to the costumes, set and audio visuals. It has been uplifting to see everyone developing their skills, gaining confidence, and coming together as a team to create something special for our community to enjoy.  

Our rowers enjoyed a successful camp over the holidays as part of their preparation for this Term’s season. We look forward to seeing them in action at regattas throughout the Term. Thank you to Jerram Gibson, head coach, his team of coaches and the parent helpers for supporting students through this valuable experience.  

During Monday’s professional learning day, Secondary teaching staff engaged in collegial discussion to reflect on their classroom practice. Teaching staff finalised their 2024 goals and engaged in peer coaching to reflect, refine and set new actions for the Term ahead. Members of the Academic Leadership Team and Secondary Leadership Team spent the day with Ben Calleja from Growth Coaching International to develop their coaching skills to support teaching staff to attain their professional goals and build their capacity to enhance student learning.  

In support of our Wellbeing Framework, this Term’s theme for the Year 8 Wellbeing Program and Life Skills classes relates to relationships grounded in empathy. Yesterday, Claire Eaton - author, speaker and youth coach, presented to the year group on ‘Finding their fit: building healthy relationships and staying true to themselves’. Emphasising the importance of kindness, curiosity and generosity, Claire provided students with practical strategies for navigating friendships during a time when group dynamic changes are a natural part of life.   

It was my pleasure to attend two functions this week to celebrate our students’ talent and leadership. On Wednesday evening, I accompanied Wim Parker, College Captain, to the inaugural UWA St Catherine’s College Emerging Leaders' Dinner. The dinner not only provided an excellent opportunity to network among student leaders from Year 12 and UWA, and to hear from keynote speaker, Peter Bol, Olympian and West Australian of the Year 2023, who shared his insights on values, focus, determination, resilience and gratitude in pursuit of his goals as an elite athlete. Jacinta Sturley’s (Year 12) artwork is being exhibited in the Lester Prize Youth Art Awards, one of the country’s most recognised and prestigious fine art prizes for young artists at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. At last night’s exhibition launch, Jacinta’s portrait of Miriam Rose - Aboriginal Elder, Artist, Educator and Member of the Order of Australia was celebrated as one of 30 finalists from over 200 submissions from across Australia. Congratulations, Jacinta!

Term 2 Uniform 

Term 2 brings the transition from summer to winter uniform, and students are required to wear the correct winter uniform, including tie and blazer, as of Monday 6 May. Due to the warmer weather forecasted, students may wear the summer uniform or the optional tie, trousers, and blazer from the winter uniform until then.  

Secondary Photo Day is on Tuesday 7 May and students will be required to wear full winter uniform, including stockings if wearing a skirt.  

Term 2 Dates 

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Join us for our annual Community Autumn Planting: supporting native wildlife and sustainability

Join us for our annual community autumn planting session on Saturday 4 May, from 8am until 10am, as part of our sustainability initiatives at the College. Together, we'll be planting native trees and shrubs that offer vital food and habitat for our native bird species, focusing on supporting the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo. Parents, students, and teachers are all encouraged to attend this meaningful event. We will meet at the Year 12 car park on the eastern side of the College. We look forward to you joining us and helping to make a positive impact on our environment together.

Adrian Sims

Sustainability Coordinator

SPORT

Winter Northern Associated Schools (NAS)

Year 7 Winter NAS is well underway. A big well done to all Year 7 students involved in the trial process; it was seamless, and all students conducted themselves with great energy and willingness to participate. All NAS teams and Lightning Carnival teams have now been posted in the notices. We ask all students to have a look to ensure their name appears once and to email Miss Pillera or Mr Kowal if there are double-ups or any errors. 

All students in NAS teams are required to attend four training sessions in the lead-up to the Carnival on May 6. If students have clashes with music or rowing they will be required to attend 50% of sessions. For students selected in the ACC Lightning Carnival teams, training will not be compulsory; however, there will be sessions available (same schedule as NAS) that students are strongly encouraged to attend—the more, the merrier. 

Students are to meet in the Pavilion before training sessions, where attendance will be taken. We look forward to the next two weeks of training and can’t wait to see you working hard in the lead-up to the big day. 

Interhouse Cross-Country 

We are getting ready and excited for the second major house carnival of the year, the Fr Gaetan Pereira Interhouse Cross-Country on Friday 3 May.

All students will attend Homeroom, Periods 1 and 2, as normal. Students have permission to wear their House shirts for the day and will be required to wear hats. 

Years 7 and 8 students will run 3km and Years 9 to 12 students will run 4km. 

The canteen will be available at recess for students to purchase food. There will be no canteen at lunchtime as lunch breaks will vary for each year group.  All students are encouraged to pack plenty of food and fluids for the day. Students will have time to collect their lunch and snacks in their rest station time after their race. Students will also participate in House novelty events, with results contributing to the overall Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield. There will be St John First Aid set up at the finish line on the day, however, it is imperative that all students who require asthma puffers, EpiPens or other medication keep this on them at all times throughout the day. 

Students will be competing for their Houses on the day, but also for a chance to make the School Sport WA Cross-Country team (Years 7 to 10, on Thursday 16 May) and the prestigious ACC Cross-Country Team (competing on Thursday 30 May). 

The program for the day is below: 

Cross-Country Training 

Cross-Country training takes place every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00am to 8:00am and will continue until the Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival on Friday 3 May. This event provides students with the opportunity to train on the course, ready for the big day. All students are welcome to attend. Please see the updated schedule attached. 

Basketball

Our ACC Senior Basketball Championship team took on Kingsway Christian College in the Round of 16 play-offs. Mr Osnain and Mr Carrello's expertise guided the students in the competition's lead-up. It was a tough game that was close all the way through, with Kingsway just taking the win. Well done to all the boys, we are proud of your efforts. 

Congratulations

The following students attended the 2024 Australian Age Swimming Championships in the Gold Coast: Grace Czajko (Year 8), Sylvia Czajko (Year 11), Braden Fyneman (Year 12) and Angelina Smythe (Year 10). Congratulations to them all for their impressive performances!

Grace

• B Final for 100m Breaststroke
• Selected for one Club relay and state relay

Sylvia

• 50m Freestyle Gold in all-time WA record 25.27s
• 100m Freestyle Bronze
• Three Bronze medals in state relays

Braden 

• 800m Freestyle Bronze
• 1500m Freestyle Silver

Angelina

• Selected to compete in the 50m Backstroke and three club relays

Sylvia Czajko

Congratulations to Sylvia (Year 11) for her selection to join the Australian Team for the 2024 Oceania Championships! Taking place on the Gold Coast from 21 April to 24 April 2024, this prestigious event recognises Sylvia's outstanding achievements and dedication to her sport. Her hard work, commitment, and recent success at the 2024 Australian Age Swimming Championships have rightfully earned her a place on the team. We extend our warmest wishes to Sylvia for a successful performance at the upcoming event, and eagerly anticipate hearing about her experiences upon her return.

Ruby Johnstone 

Congratulations to Ruby (Year 10), who has been selected to represent Australia in the Junior World Diving Championships 2024, which will be held in Dresden, Germany. This is a fantastic achievement, and we wish her all the best for the upcoming events. 

Conor Bradley 

Conor (Year 10) made the WA U16 State Basketball team and will attend the National Championships in Bendigo in July. We wish Conor and his team all the best for the tournament.

Christie Ho 

Christie (Year 9) has been selected by Junior Auroras to paddle for Australia’s National Dragon Boating team. She will compete in the upcoming Australian Dragon Boat Championships. Well done, Christie, we wish you all the best!

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport