Senior School Report
Message from the Director of Learning
- Mrs. Hari Nikolaou
The senior school has been involved in a number of activities this term. Please see the following pages, as they represent the quality of opportunities available to our students. As a teaching community, we value our relationships with students, but our role is to provide quality teaching on a daily basis. With exams approaching, students should be thinking about how to get better at time management and organising their days. They need to strike the right balance between home, work and school life. They need to consider ensuring that they try and eat some brain food - and no, we don't mean coffee and energy drinks!
By taking the time to arrange priorities, this will give students the best chance of staying on track and organised during the senior program. This in turn can help reduce stress levels, something that can be the difference between success and failure at school.
Take a look at your time management skills, so that you can do your best at school and also find moments to relax and even earn some money on the side. Families can support Senior students by ensuring that they don’t burn the proverbial candle at both ends. Sleep is important, relaxation is important, but, Year 11 and Year 12 does involve some challenges. It is about stepping outside of your comfort levels and doing better than you did the day before.
To all our students and families, please enjoy reading about what has occurred in the school over the last couple of weeks.
Ms. Haritini (Hari) Nikolaou
Education to Business Networking Breakfast
- 1st May 2018
On Tuesday, 1st May our Senior School hosted “ Westall Secondary College's Education to Business Networking Breakfast".
We held this meeting as a 'thank you' to all our employers who have supported our students in their career paths. These employers have provided our students with work experience in Year 10, structured work placements for our VCAL students and school based apprenticeships, and traineeships for other students ranging from Year 10 to Year 12 and beyond.
We had 30 local employers attend this event and our wonderful Hospitality Teacher, Ms. Rochelle Travitz, who was assisted by Ms. Lynette Loczy and our very talented hospitality students, served a hot breakfast.
Employers were encouraged to recall their 15 year old selves and share what their career plans were at that time, including who helped them on their journey, and “where are they now”. We had great responses, which served to motivate our students in choosing their pathways. The Raffle prize was won by Mr. Harley Ambrose from ACTROL, part of the REECE Group.
Thanks our wonderful students and to Ms. Hari Nikolaou, Ms. Carole McMahon, Ms. Melinda Chee, Ms. Laura Good and Mr. Tristan Lanarus for a very successful networking breakfast event.
Employers were asked to give some feedback regarding their experience with our school and our students. Here are some of their responses:
“Passion and energy of the students”
“Seeing how progressive Westall is in its methods”
“Importance of work experience to students”
“Understanding the cultural backgrounds and challenges/barriers the students face”
“Students are inspiring”
“Westall’s collaboration with outside organisations”
“Depth of programmes available to engage students”
“The learning innovations @ Westall”
“The success of students”
“It was nice to hear from the students and great to learn about the school”
“Networking with other industries to see what programs they run”
Ms. Geraldine Borgonha
Careers/Pathways Advisor
Big Data Day Challenge
Monash Business School’s Big Data Challenge Day is an exciting opportunity for students to explore what they can achieve at university with their mathematics skills. Designed for high-achieving Mathematical Methods and/or Specialist Maths Year 12 students, the day is an opportunity for them to build on their knowledge and skills, while getting a taste of university life. As part of the day, students are placed in teams and will tackle a challenge in actuarial science, business analytics or econometrics. Over 100 students from 29 different schools around Victoria participated in 2018 Big Challenge Day. Jason Ung, Vitou Vathna, Amy Nguyen, Dominic Aingkruy were our representatives.
On the 5th of April, 4 exuberant students ventured off to Monash University, eager to crunch some numbers. The Big Data Day Challenge presented numerous obstacles for us, where in several instances, forfeiting seemed all but vain. The key takeaway from our combined experiences is that teamwork plays such a critical role in achieving that end goal… And for one of our lucky and bright students, an exclusive Monash hoodie was the handsome reward.
The day yielded challenging tasks in 3 categories: Actuarial Science, Business Analytics and Econometrics; all of which had us initially dumbfounded. Two placed their faith in Econometrics and the other two, Business Analytics. The packed groups were further divided into groups of 5-6 and thus, the challenge began.
Being grouped with unfamiliar faces and analysing, calculating and manipulating data, was no simple task. For some of us, the task was comprehensible and straightforward, but at times, a struggle. Whereas for others, it was not at all smooth sailing… It varied from student to student, depending on how fast one was able to make sense of the overwhelming details and how familiar one was with it.
We enjoyed a variety of food choices offered at the university during the breaks throughout the day, on top of the food that was provided at the event.
The conclusion of the 8 hours’ journey, brought along a worthwhile experience and well-deserved
rest.
To the winner, congratulations! And a thank you to the participants for attending this event as
the school’s representatives!
Melinda Chee
Mathematics Coordinator
Presentation at Parliament
On the 26th of March, I had the incredible opportunity to present at a Parliament inquiry on the current careers education within Victorian schools. I and three other students that I had met at a previous student led event realised, in the midst of our discussion of our key points before entering, how even the smallest of details that contribute to decision making can make a large lasting impact - things became complicated when we each realised that what we were about to say, actually mattered and would make a lasting impact on not just ourselves, but every student across the state and every student-to-be. As we walked into the room full of politicians and sat across the table from 8 professional-looking men and women, the room suddenly became too hot, and as I adjusted my microphone and prepared my notes, I wanted to leave. I was glad that I chose to stay and was given this once-in-a-lifetime experience, because I got to be part of something that would benefit students on a large scale. Although, it was daunting to be hypothetically put into the committee’s position to design what we viewed as a strong educational career system; I was put into a position that challenged me and allowed me to experience a sense of capability and just how valuable it is to voice our opinion despite how nerve-racking it can be. We were not only asked to build careers education from scratch, but we got to discuss the future, to get real with the pressure that many young people face when it comes to studying and life after school, and what we can do to ultimately improve a student’s schooling life, while also getting external organisations and our families involved. This experience is one that I’ll always remember, it was an experience that was a starting point for positive change, a wake-up call to just how advantaged and privileged we are to have what we have. It was an experience that enabled me to realise that your age doesn’t define your capabilities, and that you don’t need to be the smartest or most popular student, to have all the answers, or be the most confident, to be a part of something amazing.
Shannon Bone
School Captain
National Gallery of Victoria - 18th April 2018
On Wednesday the 18th of April, the Year 12 students visited TOP ARTS at the National Gallery of Victoria, Ian Potter Centre. The aim for the day was to gain inspiration and ideas for developing their studio practice. Students gained insight into a wide range of presentation techniques and use of materials. They developed a better understanding of exhibition purposes and the effectiveness of displaying art work appropriately.
A big thank you to the students for their enthusiasm and engagement in the art spaces, and to Ms Rigopoulos for assisting on the day.
Ms. Helen Ifandis
Arts Coordinator