Senior School Report

Message from the 

Director of  Learning 

Senior School 

Mr Denholm Pickering 

Senior school kicked off with a bang in 2025! We welcome Year 11s to begin their senior school journeys, and welcome back Year 12s to continue and finish theirs.

I’m your host, Mr Pickering, and I wanted to share some of the programs, workshops, and opportunities our senior students have experienced upon their return to school. 

Start of Year Program

The first week was jam-packed with activities as we welcomed students back for 2025. Both year levels participated in a welcome program that involved a magical presentation from Cosentino the magician and a police workshop on safe partying. Year 11s received some introductory tips on good studying, while Year 12s enjoyed a city day visiting various universities and TAFEs, finishing at the indoor ice rink for skating shenanigans. 

Staff vs Students Sports

The first game of the Staff v Students competition has been and gone, with staff emerging victorious in a cricket match against Westall students’ finest. 

Study Without Stress

Both Year levels will engage in a program called Study Without Stress, which aims to help students set and reach their goals by studying smartly as well as avoiding place excessive stress on themselves in the process. The aim of this program is to aim to set students up for success throughout the year by embedding good study habits that also allow students to manage anxieties around exams and testing, and will run for several weeks across Terms one to three. 

Mentor Program

At the beginning of Week 5 the Year 12 Mentoring program kicked off. In this program, students who signed up were paired with a volunteer staff member who will help support them and guide them to set goals, meet regularly to review progress, and offer solutions to any barriers they encounter. With lots of signups, we look forward to checking in with students throughout the year and helping them reach their aspirations. 

SAC Calendar

A SAC Calendar is now available on Teams and Compass. Please check with your teacher for the exact day. Students should make their own SAC Calendar from their subjects and plan ahead. If a student has 3 SACs on one day or 5 SACs in one week, you are entitled to have one SAC extended – please contact the Year Level Coordinator before the week of your SACs to arrange this.

Attendance and At-Risk Letters

Attendance is one of the primary indicators in a student’s success at school no matter their pathway. The first round of at-risk letters have been sent home for those students whose attendance is not above 90%, or for those students who have good attendance but are not completing the necessary coursework. This should serve as a identifier that the school is concerned the student is not currently on track to pass the subject. If one of these letters is received, please discuss with your child and encourage them to adjust any habits they need to in order to make better progress. If you have any questions or would like support in this, please get in contact with the school by reaching out to the Year Level Coordinators.

Wrap Up

As a brief note before wrapping up, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the Westall Community. My name is Denholm Pickering, and I am new to Westall, having moved here from Sandringham College over the summer. Having reached double figures as a teacher, I have been privileged to teach in schools in both London and Melbourne throughout my career.

Upon joining Westall, the most defining feature I’ve been struck by has been the welcoming and inclusive nature of all students and staff at school. I’ve never been received somewhere new so enthusiastically or with such a friendly, supportive welcome. Thank you to all the students who have gone out of their way to introduce themselves, talk premier league, or just say hello to me; your welcome has made me feel right at home, and you are a credit to the Westall community. 

Thank You

A huge thank you to the Year Level Coordinators for their efforts in organising the vast majority of the programs and workshops mentioned today; Ms Ifandis, Mr Gropel and Ms Vasilakis work tirelessly behind the scenes and in front of the scenes (they are everywhere!) to support students and are the kind of teachers without whom the school would grind to a halt. ON behalf of the senior school, we are so grateful for your time. 

Thank you as well to all senior staff, who as one have launched straight into Unit 3, teaching with energy and excitement. 

Good luck for 2025, but let’s not leave it to luck – work hard and strive for your goals and see you at the finish line! 

Mr Denholm Pickering

Director of Leanring Senior School

Y12 EAL Excursion 

On Wednesday 19th February, the Year 12 EAL students set off for the city to view the wonderful film, “Sunset Boulevard” at the Australian Centre for Moving Images (“ACMI”) in Federation Square. They were accompanied by 3 EAL teachers. The students are studying this film this term and have already completed one assessment task for it. They have a second assessment task on the film, an essay, to complete at the end of this term.

It was wonderful to watch the film on the big screen as it enabled the students to pick up much more nuance and information than watching it on their laptops or in the classroom allowed for. The film was followed by a very insightful and informative lecture, which was given by an expert on the film. She provided fascinating information about the characters, plot and themes, as well as encouraging the students to think about the director’s intention and film techniques that he used. All this information will support the students greatly when they come to write their essay at the end of the term. After the lecture, the students bought lunch in the city before meeting teachers back at Flinders St station for a final rollcall and dismissal.

It was a great day, with much learning and fun had by all.

Year 12 EAL Teachers