Junior School Report

From the

Director of Learning

Junior School

Miss Jessika Cichy

Hello all! As we move through the semester, it has been wonderful to see our Junior School students continue to grow, challenge themselves, and embrace opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. This term has been filled with exciting experiences, strong student participation, and continued focus on our Westall iCare values.

The Road So Far

Year 7 & 8 Project Rockit Incursions

One highlight of the term was the Project Rocket incursions for both our Year 7 and Year 8 students. Project Rockit is a youth-driven movement against bullying, hate and prejudice who empower school students to challenge bullying in school, online and beyond through focused workshops and programs.

Our Year 7 students explored the idea of being an “upstander” — understanding how standing up for others can sometimes feel as challenging as presenting in front of a crowd. Students reflected on the barriers that may prevent people from speaking up and discussed practical, manageable strategies they can use to make a positive difference in protecting and supporting others.

Meanwhile, our Year 8 students focused on personal values and how these can guide advocacy and meaningful change. Through surveys and discussions, our Year 8 cohort identified happiness, love, and family as their common top three values. It was fantastic to see how strongly these aligned with and reinforced the CARE values we promote at Westall Secondary College. Students engaged thoughtfully in conversations around how their values influence their choices, relationships, and the ways they contribute to their community.

Year 7 Healthy Eating Workshop

Last week, our Year 7 students also participated in a healthy eating workshop as part of their Brain Care classes, where they learned about the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and explored what a balanced food plate looks like. Students discussed the importance of including a variety of foods from different food groups and then designed their own healthy plates using what they had learned. It was great to see students thinking critically about nutrition, balance, and the role food plays in supporting energy, concentration, and wellbeing at school.

Healthy lunches can look different for every family but generally include a balance of foods such as fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, protein sources, and plenty of water throughout the day. Even small changes — such as including an extra piece of fruit, reducing sugary drinks, or adding more variety to lunchboxes — can support students’ focus and learning throughout the school day.

Our Current Goals & Foci

Care for Learning & Self – Attendance 

Attendance continues to be one of our most important focuses this semester, and we encourage families to monitor both lateness and full-day absences. Even approved absences affect a student’s learning, friendships, and confidence. Students who miss more than 19 days a year (below 90% attendance) are at greater risk of falling behind and disengaging from school. These small patterns of lateness or absence can add up quickly and put your child significantly behind in their learning and growth.

At school, we are continuing to work closely with students to promote positive attendance habits. This includes providing support and accountability for students who are frequently late or absent, while also celebrating and recognising students who consistently demonstrate positive learning behaviours. We love seeing students earn Westall Points, arrive on time, come prepared for learning, and consistently “do the right thing.”

Thank you to families who help their children arrive on time and ready each day — home routines make a big difference.

Some ways that families can help:

• Setting consistent bedtimes and morning routines
• Using alarms and reminders to support punctuality
• Preparing school bags, uniforms, and materials the night before
• Talking with your child about why coming to school matters
• Encouraging attendance even on hard days, unless your child is sick

Care for Others – Audience Etiquette 

We have also been focused on how students behave as an audience — during assemblies, incursions, workshops, and presentations. 

Recently, we have been explicitly teaching students what it means to be a positive audience member by focusing on three key expectations: be silent, still, and supportive. This means no side conversations, staying engaged, and showing respect for presenters and peers. These skills are important at school and beyond — and students’ behaviour reflects on our whole school community.

Families can help by modelling good listening at home, encouraging children to take turns speaking, and talking about respectful behaviour in public places.

Celebrations and Looking Ahead

Westall Way Leaderboard & Shining Stars

Every fortnight, we present our Westall Way leaderboards to our Junior School students. Westall points are awarded to students for demonstrating our iCARE values – Care for Learning, Self, Others & their School – and we celebrate these achievements in our sub-school fortnightly assemblies.

Let’s give a big shoutout to our Top 10 Westall Way Leaders across Year 7 & 8:

• Year 7 – Alya, Yesha, Sabrina, Grace K, Sakina, Steven, Zi Ming, Hasna, Lee & Elleina!

• Year 8 – Alex Le, Ruzgar, Ghina, Reach, Maahi, Ngan, Muhammad, Dominic, Bradley & Evelyn!

   

Also, I wanted to highlight some students who have shown positive starts to their learning and which teachers have noted on Compass. I’d like to dub them our ‘Shining Stars’ of the term so far. These students have all received Westall points for their attitudes below – and these can be seen on students’ Compass portals by both students and parents. 

Let’s recognise some of the amazing work across Year 7 & 8:

• Shoutout to Dilraj & Eric (Year 7) - Dilraj “supported the teacher” by helping “clean the whiteboards”, and Eric volunteered to “support other’s learning through sharing” (Mrs. Luong-Nguyen, Maths).

• Shoutout to Darsh, Cyndie & Alex Le (Year 8) – “These students were the top three scorers in the Body Systems Kahoot today, well done!” (Miss. Fisher, Science)

• Shoutout to Tepy, Elaine, Kalie, Maahi, Eliana, Sophia, David, Natalie, Coco & Franchesca (Year 8) – These students showed a “positive learning attitude and completed the classroom activities” (Mr. Song, Science)

Warm regards,

Miss Jessika Cichy

Director of Learning – Junior School Westall Secondary College

One Fire Dance Troupe

On Wednesday, the Year 7 students had a special opportunity to participate in an engaging incursion led by One Fire Dance Troupe. Recognised as one of Melbourne’s premier Indigenous dance groups, One Fire has an impressive history of performances at major cultural and sporting events, including appearances at the AFL Grand Final.

The workshop was designed to complement the Year 7 PE Dance Unit, where students explore and perform a variety of dances from different cultures throughout Term 2. 

Through this interactive experience, students gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of Indigenous culture, storytelling, movement, and performance.

Ms A and Ms Jenkin