Junior School Report

From the

Director of Learning

Junior School

Miss Jessika Cichy

It has been a fantastic start to the 2026 school year, and I would like to thank our students, families and staff for the positive and supportive approach that has set such a strong foundation for learning. Across the Junior School, we are continuing to build a culture of high expectations, strong organisation, and care for learning. We value the important role that families play in supporting students to be prepared and ready to learn each day, and we look forward to working in partnership with you throughout the year.

The Road So Far

Year 7 Alternative Program & Adventure Day

Every year, our Year 7s begin their Westall Secondary journey with an alternative program for the first three days of school. Throughout this, students complete team building activities, learn their way around the school (and their timetables!) and get set up, ready for a success start to their regular classes. All Year 7s had a positive attitude during this process, and we all are incredibly proud of them! Well done 😊 

To celebrate their first official week, our Year 7s also ended Week 2 with an excursion to the Enchanted Gardens – filled with tube slides, tree surfing and mazes to navigate through. We all had an absolute blast – but maybe it’s best for you to hear from one of our Year 7s first-hand!

Adventure Day 2026

For Adventure Day, the Year 7s took a bus to the Enchanted Gardens, and there was a look of excitement on everyone’s faces. 

Once we placed our bags, we all separated into our form groups to go to either tree surfing or tube sliding. I first tried tube sliding with my friends and it was extremely fast going down but that was what was the fun part about it.

Then, I went to tree surfing where my fear finally opened. I was terrified for some parts of it, but I had a teacher by me, so I felt safe. Then, we had lunch which the café was amazing, but the prices were not. Lastly, we all went to the big, gigantic mazes and it was so confusing and we almost got lost. 

A few fun facts, my favourite place in Enchanted Garden to go to was tube sliding and I’m hoping to do that again someday because the mist was perfect for the weather that day, and I think almost everyone was the most excited for that. 

Back to the tree surfing, that was my biggest challenge yet. I was so scared, but I kept telling myself that I was going to be fine and eventually, I made it to the end which was a fun zip line. 

Overall, Adventure Day was one of my best excursions I have experienced, and I will always remember that day. 

By Mikayla Hipolito, Year 7 Community Scholarship Recipient

A big thank you to Mikayla for taking the time to write us a piece for the newsletter! 

Year 7 – Adventure Day Excursion – Friday 6th February

I arose on a Friday sunrise to a surprise! I realised it was Adventure Day today. This day marked my first excursion in Year 7. Of course, excitement does not pause time in the slightest… so before I knew it, it had been 20 minutes. I wore my luxurious sports uniform and put on my pristine white socks. Of course, my socks were odd and not a correct pair… But, nonetheless, the hour went forward!

At school, my friends and I talked about the wondrous things that might be happening today. What would we eat?  What would we see? The bell rang and the Year 7 Cohort sat in a circle on benches. Unfortunately, we had to separate into our classes as Mr. Smith had to do the attendance roll… I fatefully waved goodbye to my friends who were about two feet away from me. On the bus, it was nothing like I’d ever expected. Lino floors… Clean seats… Great airflow… ‘Was our school really this rich?’, I thought.

We shared the bus with 7B. I sat with Elleina, and on the other side was my great buddy, Ruby. I spoke with overwhelming cheerfulness to my classmates and peers— well, I had just said a “Good morning” or a “Yoo-hoo!”  We reached our destination Enchanted Garden at Arthurs Seat.  How I radiated eagerness! I ran to my friends from the other bus, as well as my friends from my original bus. Now, I do not remember what we talked about, but I do remember tree surfing and those frustrating mazes! It was as hot and sunny as a diddly-darn freshly glazed and baked donut!

For a first, I have never gone tree surfing (to clarify) and my helmet didn't even fit because of my claw clip! Well, that was probably my fault. When I went on the obstacles, I felt myself sweat profusely… Not from fear, but from the heat! I was very confident in my ways, though the zipline was honestly really scary for me. As for the mazes, it was so hot and irritating I forgot how it was. I really interacted with my classmates whom I don't really speak to, as well as staff. The tubing… Well, I will say, it was quite energy sucking. Walking up the hills was tiring for both me and my pair, Elleina; But it was forgotten once I went down and saw the water mist on us like a refreshing cup of lemonade! I had asked Ms. Stallman to take photos of us, and I was very satisfied. At the end of the day, I slept on the bus as we went back to school. It was a very pleasant experience!

By Mila Nguyen 7A

A big thank you to Mila for taking the time to write us a piece for the newsletter! 

Term 1 Focus: Care for Learning – Textbooks & Laptops

A key focus for Term 1 is Care for Learning, with an emphasis on students coming to class prepared with the correct materials. Being organised with the right tools is essential for students to fully engage in their learning. We ask for your support in ensuring that your child brings a charged laptop to school every day, as this is a required learning tool across all subjects, particularly for students accessing digital textbooks.

Textbooks also play an important role in supporting student learning. In Global Literacy, they are used for homework and extension tasks to address skill gaps and build confidence, while across other subjects they are used to reinforce and extend classroom learning.

For Year 7s, these include…

• Edrolo Subscription (Science)
• Mathspace Subscription (Maths)
• Year 7 Good Humanities Textbook (Global Literacy)
• Two Wolves OR Onion Tears (English / EAL)

For Year 8s, these include…

• Edrolo Subscription (Science)
• Mathspace Subscription (Maths)
• Year 8 Good Humanities Textbook (Global Literacy)
• Crow Country OR Rowan of Rin (English / EAL)

Supporting your child to be organised — by checking they have their laptop, charger, and required books each day — has a significant impact on their engagement and success. Students without the correct materials can find it difficult to keep up with learning and may rely on others, which can impact both their own progress and the learning of those around them.

We greatly appreciate your partnership in supporting students to develop these habits. If you require any support or are experiencing financial hardship, please contact myself or Reia Grey in the Junior School so we can assist.

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 – Firas, Zrhani, Sabrina, Sakina, Yesha, Abel, Stevem, Adam, Gauri, Alya

• Year 8 – Zackary, Toni-Patrick, Muhammad, An, Tom Tom, Alex, Xander, Natalie, Sophia, Yacub

   

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 Duong (Year 7) – “Thank you Duong for being on time, organized and hardworking this lesson!” – Miss. Smetana, Global Literacy
• Shoutout to Alya, Yesha, Sri & Grace (Year 7) – “Worked very positively and productively in English. Completed the 'Wonderful Words' worksheet. Well done!” – Mr. Smith, English
• Shoutout to Muhammad, Riley, Ghina, Serena & Cyndie (Year 8) – “Worked well & studied hard in class during Week 4” – Mr. Phan, Maths
• Shoutout to Eisa, Alex, Laraib, & Emily (Year 8) – “Students have shown a great start in their 2026 English classes - coming to class with the right tools and the right mindset. They bring the right books, complete the homework on time, and ask insightful questions. Keep it up!” – Miss. Cichy, English

Upcoming Events in Junior School

Please refer to the below outline for some of the important upcoming events for Junior School students:

• Week 7: Swimming Carnival (Tuesday 10th March) & Year 8 GLIT Excursion (Fri 13th Mar)
• Week 7 – 8: NAPLAN for Year 7s (Wed 12th March – Tues 18th March)
• Week 8: Harmony Day (Thursday 19th March)
• Week 9: Year 7s Project Rockit Incursion (Tuesday 24th March)
• Week 10: Junior School Team-Building Day (Monday 30th March) & last day of Term (Thursday 2nd April)

Thank you to everyone for their great start to the new year. I look forward to the journey together!

Warm regards,

Miss Jessika Cichy

Director of Learning – Junior School Westall Secondary College