Message from the Director of Learning

- Mr. Tom Tahos

As we approach the end of Term 3, I would like to congratulate Year 9 and 10 students for their great approach to our ‘Westall Way’. Our Westall Way policy sets our behaviour towards each other and the way we approach learning. We are seeing some very positive outcomes/results from our students. Keep up the great work.

Students and staff, who attended the Middle School camp had a great time, and the feedback from the venue and organisers was really positive. Thank you to you all for your efforts and behaviour on camp.

Please ensure the following:

Getting to class on time and with the correct equipment.
Coming to school in correct uniform (Term 4 is the summer uniform).
No mobile phones and headsets are permitted in class.
Keep your lockers secure, make sure you use your locks correctly.
Completing set tasks and on time.

As the September break approaches, I would like to wish all the middle school students, their families and staff a wonderful and safe holiday.

Take care.

Mr. Tom Tahos

Middle School Camp

12th to 14th August 2019

The Middle School Camp held at Campaspe Downs, Kyneton, provided us with three days and two nights full of fun, laughter and enjoyment. While, assisting students in breaching their comfort zones and promoting socialising amongst students, teachers and the camp staff.

We arrived at the campsite in no time, with students ecstatic and eager to escape the bus, start the activities and just enjoy the scenery and freshness of nature, which was absolutely breathtaking.

Campaspe Downs had a whole range of thrilling activities planned in the day, a few of those being; the leap of faith, abseiling, the giant swing and many more, with the flying-fox being a definite crowd favourite. However, the fun was still going after the sun went down. For the two nights we were there, we spent one having a whole cohort campfire; where we sang songs, roasted marshmallows and listened to spooky stories, told by our very own Mr Vi. Our second night was split into two activities, where students had the option to choose either to play sport or come and let loose at our disco night. Both being great ways to end our last night at camp.

Time flew by way too fast as our final hours began to near, but as the saying goes, ‘Time flies by when you’re having fun’. Feelings of sadness were rushing throughout the entire middle school as we stepped foot on the bus and headed back to reality.

The Middle School Camp was a huge success that was truly a memorable and thrilling experience, that will definitely be cherished through the next few years of our lives. Thank you to Mr C. Tran, Ms Read and all the teachers for organising and running this great event.

Krista Puia 10A

United Nations Global Affairs Youth Forum

On Monday 9th of September, 28 students from Year 9, 10 and 11 attended the United Nations Global Affairs Youth Forum held at “At the Dock Library” in Docklands, Melbourne. The Global Affairs Forum was a careers expo style event where students in Years 10 and 11 can get information about pursuing a career in international relations, politics, global security and other related fields. The attendees included representatives from major Australian universities, academics specialising in related areas of study, representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the New Columbo Project, and other university alumni and leading professionals in their fields.

During the course of the event, the students listened to a keynote presentation from Dr Daniel McCarthy from Melbourne University, as well as other expert speakers on the panel allowing students to ask about careers and university study. Despite bad weather and an early train trip to the city. Many students enjoyed listening to the talks and gained some interest in global issues.

Mr. Charles Tran

Year 10 Coordinator

Forensic Science Excursion

- Old Melbourne Gaol

During the last week of August, Westall Secondary College's Year 9 and 10 Forensic Science classes visited the Old Melbourne Gaol. The purpose of the excursion was to immerse the students into the history of Melbourne, the Gold Rush, the architecture, the laws and most importantly the lives of the convicts inside and outside of the gaol. The activities for the day were divided into three parts, the watch house experience, the gaol tour and a courtroom reenactment of a real case of culpable driving where a person has been killed.

Upon arriving at the gaol, the Forensic students were arrested and brought into the watch house which was a holding facility for Melbourne's worse criminals before their trials. The students were "searched" for weapons, drugs, and contraband before being "thrown" into a cold dark room with only a toilet bowl as an ensuite. Male and female students were kept in separate cells and had to remain quiet in the dark cell. After the experience, the students were shown the exercise yard and a story of a great escape was told. Before the students were released back into Melbourne they all had their "mug shot" taken.

The next part of the program was the gaol tour with a knowledgeable guide that has been working at the gaol for 20 years. The tour started outside the gaol where the students learned about the history of the yard and the different facilities onsite. Once inside the goal, everyone sensed a cold, dark and miserable atmosphere as we followed the guide through the long corridor towards the gallows. We stood under the trapdoor where convicts' dead bodies would hang for an hour as the guide described the executions by hanging. We then went up to the second floor to be informed about a case involving some forensics and then finished the tour on a creepy story about cell 17 and paranormal activities.

After the lunch break, students headed to the old courtroom on Russell Street to begin their hearing. The case is about a young man who has killed his best friend in a street racing accident. The students all had an opportunity to role-play different characters in the courtroom and learned about the courtroom dialogues and etiquette. We received very positive feedback from the commuters on the train and the staff at National Trust about Westall Secondary College's Forensic Science classes. The guide who took us into the courtroom mentioned to Mr. Vi at the end of the session that Westall was the best group that he had in over 10 years. Thank you to all the students for being the best ambassadors.

Mr. Richard Vi

Maths & Science Teacher

Westall at Access

Monash Champions Presentation Day

On Tuesday 10th of September a small group of Year 9 and 10 students represented Westall Secondary College at the Access Monash Champions at Monash University Peninsular Campus. There were many schools in the region attending this event. The Year 9 students were presenting on the topic Different Pathways after Secondary Education, whereas, the Year 10 students were presenting Wellbeing and Mindfulness in their school community. Both teams spoke well, engaged the audience and showed a video of their project. Well done Middle School.

Mr. Charles Tran

Year 10 Coordinator

My Voice My Vote

On Monday the 19th of August, Jessica Dang, Laknadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Varanasi, Nayan Sunil and Akhilesh Dadwal, alongside myself, had the opportunity to go to the Parliament of Victoria to partake in the National Council of Women Victoria’s annual ‘My Voice My Vote’ forum. This years' discussion point was of the topic ‘Male and Female Youth as Future Voters’. We explored reasons as to why young voters were not as engaged in the democratic process and deliberated possible solutions to combat this issue.

Over the course of two weeks, we planned and discussed different ways to tackle this prevalent and ongoing issue by conducting several surveys at Westall, in an attempt to understand the root causes of disinterest in our political system. From the data collected, we were able to find out that the topic ‘Civics and Citizenship’ taught at school was seen by many as "boring" and "not interesting". We proposed that ‘Civics and Citizenship’ be taught as a life skill rather than an academic subject. In this way, students will perceive the subject as an important skill and thus come to the realisation of how democracy and politics directly affects us. For this reason, students will therefore not participate in the subject just because it is compulsory and instead, be genuinely invested and actively engaged in learning about our democratic processes.

Before we knew it, the day had come for us to present our findings and solutions. I can still vividly remember stepping into the Parliament House and just being in complete awe. It was as if we were steeping inside the Buckingham Palace about to meet the Queen. As we were walking up to the podium in the Legislative Council Chamber, I was extremely nervous as we were about to present to a panel of judges who hold high positions within Parliament and local government. However, I remembered that many important decisions about the future of Victoria were made in the very room we stood in. This gave me a sudden surge of courage as I soaked in the atmosphere and spoke with the same passion as MPs had done standing where we now stood giving the speech. By the end of our speech, we were all proud of ourselves for giving our absolute best and being able make a meaningful contribution to address this issue. A special mention goes to Ms. Moore for guiding us throughout this journey and taking her time out to accompany us when we presented.

by Nicholas R 10B

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