Secondary School

The foggy mornings have added a mystical feel to the start of the school day, and I have been impressed with the groups of staff and students who continue to train at 7.00am in the cool, wet weather.  From running club to football, soccer and hockey training our students and coaches have certainly been displaying their commitment!

World’s Greatest Shave and Crazy Hair Day

Friday was incredible!  A credit to the leaders who have become more than competent at organising big events. From marketing and planning to set-up and pack-down on the day, the Year Twelve leaders ran a seamless and joyful day.  And they raised over $12,000.  

A truly fantastic achievement.

A Learner’s Toolkit

I thought it might be time for an update on how strategies from 'A Learner’s Toolkit' are being used. 

At our Secondary School staff meeting this week, our Head of Learning Area from Humanities, Mr Tone Ritchie, shared how he and his team have used SketchNotes with students to help them learn about the impacts of earthquakes.  Mr Ritchie explained that while the process took time, the students were able to retain the information they had learned and that many found the process engaging and fun.

Our Head of Learning Area from Science, Mr Darren Hughes, showed us how he had developed the use of electronic flashcards with his classes using a platform called Quizlet Flashcards, learning tools and textbook solutions | Quizlet . 

Year Eleven and Twelve students use this resource well and Mr Hughes shared the platform with his Year Eight class who loved the activities Quizlet offers once the flash cards have been created. Perhaps you could explore these strategies with your child at home to support their learning.

Mrs Victoria Turnor | Head of Secondary School

Camfield News

Camfield has been participating in an Uno competition over the past two weeks culminating in a Grand Final pitting homeroom versus homeroom. The winner to take the glory (and the chocolate!) is Ulrich from Ms Kate Valleri's homeroom (Camfield Four).

Congratulations Ulrich and all the competitors. 

Mrs Alexis Stone | Head of Camfield

Mokare News

Students in Mokare have settled well back into Term Two. There is always a buzz about the homerooms each morning and I love getting around and catching up with what’s happening. Whether it’s table tennis in Ms Mordy’s room, daily puzzles and chats in Mrs O’Donnell and Mr Hughes’ room, life chats with Mrs Cooper or scheming about how to stay on top of the tipping ladder and life with Mr Donaldson. There is always something happening.

I was thoroughly impressed with everyone's involvement and effort in the Cross Country, and it was awesome to see our eight runners put in amazing performances in the Running of the Flags to claim an epic victory.

That’s just a little check-in from Mokare. 

Take care everyone!

Mr Bryce McLean | Head of Mokare /Teacher

Careers

Rural Clinical School of Western Australia visit

Recently, Great Southern Grammar had a visit from Emma Cooper, from the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia. She was joined by past GSG student Michael Wolter (2007, Baudin), who is currently on his regional placement in his third year of Medicine at Notre Dame and Juliet Bateman who is a project officer for The Regional Training Pathways, here in the Great Southern.

A group of GSG students interested in pursuing a career in Medicine, Podiatry and Dentistry soaked in the informative presentation learning about entry requirements, pathways to medicine, and the UCAT entrance exam. It was also beneficial to hear from Michael, a current medical student about his pathway from school to university and the enjoyment and success he has achieved throughout his university degree.

Year Ten Work Experience Update

The focus for the Year Ten students in Career Education this term is Work Experience. Students are busily brainstorming ideas for placement and working towards securing a rewarding, fulfilling ‘real-world’ experience. This program is one of the many value-added opportunities for our students at Great Southern Grammar and is a very useful tool for our Year Tens when choosing pathways and subjects for their senior schooling pathway.

Careers in the Australian Defence Force

Students who wish to explore options after graduation may consider university. The Defence University Sponsorship (DUS) through the Australian Defence Force (ADF) allows students to apply for sponsorship for a broad range of job-relevant degrees whilst they study at any accredited university in Australia. They will have their university fees paid for, earn a salary while studying, receive benefits, and walk straight into a great role in the Navy, Army of Air Force following graduation. Courses that qualify range from Engineering, Healthcare, Science, Business, Administration, and Education. For all information about sponsorship, visit Defence University Sponsorship - ADF Careers.

Murdoch University Year Nine and Ten and Year Eleven and Twelve Parent Information Evenings Wed 22 May 5.30pm to 7.30pm

Murdoch University has some amazing events coming up for your students and their families! You can join Murdoch’s Future Students Team for an informative evening designed to help parents support their children through senior secondary school and onto tertiary studies. See flyers for more information.

The Parent Information Evening will cover:

1. Course offerings
2. How to help your child choose preferences
3. Understanding university lingo
4. Fees & scholarships
5. and much more!

You can register online for your desired event:

Years Nine and Ten Parent Information Evening

Years Eleven and Twelve Parent Information Evening

Mrs Renae O'Donnell | VET and Careers / Teacher

Year Twelve Geography Camp

Student reflection from Pheona Lefebvre

"We began our journey by heading out to the Porongurups, only to be greeted by some miserable weather as we stepped off the bus. Aunty Carol arrived shortly after and led us to an indigenous art piece where she explained its profound meaning and cultural significance. 

After boarding the bus again, we set off for Monjebup and arrived at the Red Moort camp site. There, we were introduced to Heather, a Bush Heritage worker, and Aunty Carol Petterson gave a heartfelt Welcome to Country. It was then time to explore the Red Moort Forest, one of the last of its kind, making the experience even more special. The walk also involved some bush bashing and observing the unique flora and surroundings. Upon returning to the campsite, we set up our tents and enjoyed a much-awaited lunch. 

Feeling rejuvenated, we drove to a Bush Heritage revegetation site. Heather explained the critical work they do there and its environmental benefits. The highlight of this visit was participating in a worldwide search for a mallee fowl mound. When we finally found it, Brianna’s reaction to its monstrous size was priceless. 

Day two began with preparing our lunches before heading off to Nowanup, where we were welcomed by Eugene Eades, a Noongar elder who manages the property. Eugene shared the history of Nowanup and showed us some of the seeds harvested from the property. After a chat, we embarked on a path with steep steps up to a meeting place.  

Eugene invited us to listen to a tree, and to our amazement, we could hear the water flowing inside it, a truly mind-boggling experience. As we continued along the path under Eugene’s guidance, he taught us a song about the motherland as we walked. After one final gathering to express our thanks and say our goodbyes, we made our way back to camp to pack up and head home. 

Overall, this was an incredible experience that I highly recommend to any Geography ATAR students looking forward to their Year Twelve adventure."

Values and Christian Service

Random Acts of Kindness

On 8 May, three Media VACS students headed to the Art buildings to have a peek at what the random acts of kindness VACS might be like. We saw the very beginning of one of the projects which looked to be sewing bags. The classroom was alive and friendly with Mrs Henderson taking a strong lead and creating an energetic environment. The students were each set out with different tasks and seemed to be very on top of what they were doing. It was nice to be in such a colourful and fun environment.

We interviewed Anne Fitz Gibbon (Year Nine), who said that she chose this VACS club because she wanted to help people in the hospital by sewing them bags to carry things around and hoped that she would make them happy. Anne says that it's good to make people bags as it will help make sure their backs don’t get hurt as easily while carrying things around. 

They used fun and colourful fabrics to also bring a bit of light and colour into the hospital. Anne's favourite thing about the VACS so far is that she can spend time with her friends and enjoy her VACS while still getting to help the community and bring joy to people.  

Grace Eckersley | Year Nine VACS student

Media

For VACS this term, the Media students went on a journey to observe different activities, such as crochet, building games with wood, math tutoring etc. Separate groups went to different activities, bringing a camera and a clipboard with a pencil and paper. All these groups brought questions and came back to the Media lab with different answers with photos and their experiences depending on what they were doing. The point of Media in VACS is that everyone gets a go at taking photos, asking questions, writing an article about it and seeing what others are up to for what they chose for their VACS choices. 

Our group, Gus, Kaie, and Archer followed a separate group who went to building games with wood in the workshop to ask questions, get answers and take photos. While we took photos of them and interviewed the people in that group. The point of the VACS choices is to help around the school and see what it’s like to experience being kind. The point of media in VACS is that everyone gets a go at taking photos, asking questions, writing an article about it and seeing what others are up to for what they chose for their VACS choice. 

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and it was fun to see everyone having an enjoyable time, asking questions, and taking photos of them. Our group learned a lot from this experience. We had a good time, and we hope everyone has a good time this term for VACS.                           

 Archer Coghlan | Year Nine VACS student

Peer Coaching Sport 

On 15 May, Media students investigating the Sports coaching VACS walked into a loud active environment. With people running around and teams playing a game that involved running around throwing a small ball. All teams were very communicative yelling for the ball and supporting one another with some friendly competition. All the coaching was done by Year Twelve peers who were very involved with supporting their younger teammates in the games. Every person was trying very hard and were very involved in their team.

We interviewed three Year Twelves who were all coaching a small group of students through multiple games per term. The reason these Years Twelves chose to invest themselves in this VACS was to help kids form a positive connection to sport, and help the older kids form valuable connections with the older peers. 

Each student said that they enjoyed getting to have a break from academics and that they got to meet and interact with the younger peers of the school and form bonds, as well as the large variety of activities they were allowed to teach. 

Woodwork Workshop - Board Games

Let’s take a peek into the workshop. This group is the Woodwork Board Games, run by Mr Sarre. People in the workshop are cooking, not literally but figuratively. Everyone is doing something different, one of the Woodwork groups is making a wooden Connect Four. That group is making Connect Four because, well they were either forced to, or just because they didn’t know what to make. They don’t know when the project will be done, but that may or may not change in the upcoming weeks. The group we interviewed has Lachlan Ellis, James Waldron, and Connor Occhiuto Wright. Pictures are taken by D’Costa Hardey and Harry Newman. 

Ayden Johnson | Year Eight VACS student