Secondary School News

Inter-House Games

Head of Senior School, Ms Kylie Virgo

Our Secondary community has had another busy few weeks in and outside of the classroom. Reflecting on the past events, there has been a strong theme of

‘Connecting and Competing with Spirit’.

The Inter-House Cross Country Carnival, run a couple of weeks ago, was our first full Inter-House event for the year. With great participation and some fantastic efforts, we look forward to revealing the winning House in the coming weeks. We also wish our Inter-School Team all the best when they represent the School at the end of May at the ACC Inter-School Competition.

Our annual Inter-House Games have officially begun! This year, to increase student participation and the competitive spirit amongst our four Houses, we have introduced Boggle to the traditional Uno and Chess games. These games not only promote some healthy competition, but also encourage teamwork and connection. Round One has been completed which sees the following match-ups to take place later in the term to determine the winning House:

Boggle – Ramsden v Hale

Chess – Ramsden v Scott

Uno – Ramsden v Hale

Inter-House Games

Under the leadership of our Sustainability Prefect and Council our inaugural Sustainability Book Swap has been launched. Students have been invited to bring in their old books to be part of this initiative.

A message from our Prefect, Anna Shaw:

Reusing books and sharing them with others, (i.e., through a book swap or Library membership) is a great way to cut down on paper waste and allows many people to benefit from the same book. Seeking and sharing knowledge is an essential value of John Wollaston, and by bringing in your books you are making a great contribution. Books will be sorted by age category, so feel free to bring in books that are aimed at a younger audience, as well as high school level reads.

House Volleyball

The Sport and House Prefects have led an initiative to encourage more students to be active at break times and connect with others from their House through the organisation of lunchtime House Volleyball games on Mondays. Round 2 occurs this coming week before a break due to Year 11 and 12 exams. Finals will be held in Week 9. The Prefects look forward to running similar events in Term 3.

Secondary Encounters

This term sees many of our students participate in their Encounter program.

Year 11 Encounter – A Day of Hope by the HopeFULL Institute.

The Year 11s spent the day with Glen Gerreyn, former Young Australian of the Year (Qld, Community Service). Glen’s workshop helps students understand the effects

that external influences and their own self-belief has on their decisions. Through sharing his own story, Glen helps students recognise negativity, step away from it and start making choices that allow them to tap into their talents and start to shine.

Some student feedback is below:

We did obtain some useful information and advice on how to look at life and how to approach it later in the future. We did find that Glen was very passionate about what he was saying about hope, passion and for people to venture off into their strengths in the future - Jake G and Isabelle S.

Glen was very inspirational and gave us many tips for achieving our dreams. It was eye-opening and gave us all a different perspectives on success. He was a very passionate man and his stories inspired us, especially the Youth group - Ella P, Megan F, and Josh H

I really, really enjoyed The Day of Hope Encounter. Glen really showed us the power in believing in ourselves, and allowing us to believe in our dreams and aspirations. I will take his advice with me into the rest of my life. I now know to believe in myself, and to set myself goals that will help me achieve my dreams little by little - Georgia S

Our Year 7 students recently embarked on their Year 7 Encounter at Fairbridge. An opportunity to enhance peer relationships, team building and having fun, the students enjoyed several activities over the 4 days. Thank you to the staff and parents who attended this Encounter. Their attendance, support and encouragement is greatly appreciated and ensured our students had a wonderful time.

Year 7 Encounter | Fairbridge Village

The Year 9 Encounter will be held next week in Collie.

WAASA Student Leadership Reunion Reflection

Earlier this term, some of our Prefects attended the WAASA Student Leadership Reunion held at Archbishop House.

On Friday 19 April, six of our Prefects had the privilege of attending the 2024 WAASA Student Leadership Reunion. We enjoyed reuniting with familiar faces from the event last year and were eager to learn from those who had walked the leadership path before us.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the interviews with experienced leaders. They generously shared their experiences, offering valuable insights and practical advice. As they recounted their leadership journeys, we realized that certain challenges transcend time. We discussed the complexities of being a “main character” in our school story and the universal truth that we’re all swimming in the same waters, navigating similar currents.

Another activity was learning about leadership styles, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. This certainly helped us address the issues we face as leaders in our school, and how we can develop ourselves to cooperate as a team more effectively.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, something we would recommend the next prefect body to definitely utilise.

As an extension of our Wellbeing programs, we will be welcoming Azelene Williams back to our school next week. Azelene will present to our Year 7 and 8 students her 'Beyond the Haze: The Path to Clean Air and Healthy Lungs' session. The presentation will guide our students through the intricacies of vaping, debunking myths and providing valuable insights. The 10, 11 and 12 students will listen to a presentation that forms part of our protective behaviours program. Information about this presentation has been sent to families via SEQTA.

Wishing our Year 11 and 12 students all the best as they embark on their upcoming Examinations or Work Placement.

Take care

Kylie Virgo

Head of Senior School