COLLEGE NEWS

From the Principal

Ryan Mills, Year 12 Vice Captain, has been interviewed on ABC radio with the Secretary of Education Murat Dizdar and STEM Enrichment Coordinator, Professor Scott Sleap to talk about how space STEM programs are literally helping public school students to reach for the stars. Ryan, Jasmine Holland and Jewen Loh from Year 12 worked on developing an experiment to test which plants could be grown in space while they were students at Seven Hills High School. Since transitioning to Wyndham College the students have continued to stay connected with the project which concluded this year.

High Potential and Gifted Education at Wyndham College

To further enhance the strong HPGE learning opportunities in our school, all teachers participated in professional learning to support high potential and gifted students in our classroom. We focused on honing our skills in explicit teaching for HPG students and learning about high potential and gifted education for students who show potential in the creative, intellectual, physical and social-emotional domains of potential. High Potential and Gifted Education is a pillar of quality education at the College and we are proud of our learning programs that develop talent both inside and outside of the classroom. For more detailed information on what is available in each of the domains of potential please see our website:

In our next newsletter there will be information about HPGE learning in the creative domain.

Year 12

It was great to recognise the strong learning performance of so many of our Year 12 students based on Semester 1 of the HSC course and then to speak with parents at our Parent-teacher interviews this week. There are 80 school days left of the HSC course and students were reminded of their areas of focus and next steps to enable them to continue to build their skills, knowledge and understanding as they strive towards mastery in each of their subjects.

Student Representative Council

We welcome 13 Year 11students to the College’s Student Representative Council. These students were elected by their peers after a rigorous pre-selection process where they had to demonstrate their communication, teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking skills to deliver a hypothetical project. We are excited to see their skills in action to support students across the next 18 months.

Kristine MacPhail - Principal

Western Sydney University - HSC True Rewards

On behalf of Western Sydney University, we’re proud to share an overview of the amazing achievements of our class of 2024 students as they begin their journey into tertiary education in 2025.

Total Course Offers Received: 93

HSC True Reward Offers: 44

Our students have shown strong interest in a wide range of study areas, including:

Business
Education
Engineering, Design & Built Environment
Health Sciences
Humanities & Communication Arts
Nursing & Midwifery
Psychology
Science
Social Sciences
The College

We are incredibly proud of our students and their hard work — this is a fantastic reflection of their dedication and the support from our school community.

iStem Program - Collegiate Opportunities

Congratulations to Wyndham College Vice Captain Ryan Mills who was interviewed by Hamish MacDonald on ABC Radio about the iSTEM Program he was involved in at Seven Hills High School, our Collegiate partner school.

Ryan represented Public Education with DOE Secretary Murat Dizdar and spoke brilliantly showing Australia how impressive a young man he is and what fabulous opportunities he has had in the Public Education system.

Sydney West Student Spotlight

A huge shout out to Jameson Clarke from Year 12 who competed at the NSWCHS Rugby Union Championships in Singleton this week. As a member of the Sydney West squad Jameson was undefeated over the 3 day championship with a 28-3 victory over North West in the final to take the state title. Congratulations Jameson.

NSW Public Schools Student Online Survey

In Term 2, we are offering our students the opportunity to participate in the NSW Public Schools Student Survey. The survey gives students the chance to share their thoughts and feelings about life at school, including questions about their engagement, learning experiences and wellbeing at school.

Hearing directly from our students will help us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made to our school. The survey is confidential, takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and will be conducted online during school hours.

Participation is voluntary. If you prefer your child not to participate, please complete the opt-out consent form, which will be sent home, and return it to the school. Further information about the survey is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/npss

NPSS_consent_form_English.pdf

ACU Uni Step-Up 2025 Now Open

Selected participants who successfully complete two units of an ACU course become eligible to receive an early entry offer to a related ACU course after the HSC. The Uni Step-Up program is free of charge for eligible participants. All completed units will be credited upon entry into ACU.

Students can choose to study -

Criminology
Nursing and Midwifery
Sports and Exercise Science
Business

Applications close Sunday 8 June 2025 or when classes are full.

www.acu.edu.au/usu for program flyers, dates, and more information.

Apply Now - https://acu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bQvXyqCpSThwKHA

See Sally in the Library for more information.

The Push-Up Challenge 2025

CALL TO ARMS AND ANY OTHER WORKING BODY PART. This is the 3rd consecutive year that Wyndham College is entering a team in the PUSH UP CHALLENGE. Our team is open to all Wyndham Staff and students. We are taking on The Push-Up Challenge from 4-26 June 2025 and would love you all to join our team.

The Challenge is to complete 3,214 push-ups (or 1,607 if you choose the half target) in 23 days to raise awareness and funds for mental health. OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL FOR THIS YEAR IS TO BREAK THE 3K FIGURE. This represents the 3,214 people who died by suicide in Australia in 2023 (the most recent stats), which is why WE want to push for better, and hope you will too.

Sound like too many push-ups? No worries, you can do the half target and substitute push-ups for alternative exercises, like squats and sit-ups or any body movement.

It’s free to take part and there is an app where you get daily targets and Mental Health Facts, track your progress and can check out our Team stats.

Visit our Team page to join the WYNDHAM COLLEGE team and push with us:

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/WYNDHAMCOLLEGETEAM1

You can also head to The Push-Up Challenge website or come and see me if you have any questions.

Chris Minol- PDHPE Teacher

Student Leaders for Mental Health

Fourteen of our high potential social leaders attended the Mental Health Forum hosted by the Positive Vibes Foundation and Burn Bright, and what an inspiring day it was. Together with students from other schools, they explored the mental health continuum, learned practical ways to support their own wellbeing, and discussed how to be there for others.