Junior School Report

Message from the Director of Learning

 

- Ms. Alice Paget

Term 3 has flown by for the Year 7 and 8 students. There has been some exciting events and programs, including the Sticks and Stones theatre production that focused on anger management and ways to manage strong emotions, the Australian Mathematics and ICAS Mathematics Competition, the School Athletics Carnival, Weekly Sport, the Junior School Social and the School Musical.

 

It was outstanding to see the involvement in the school production from the Junior School students. The Little Shop of Horrors was an engaging and inspiring show of young talent in all aspects of singing, dance and drama.  Well done to all of the students involved and I look forward to seeing the next year’s show already!

 

All excursions and events at the school requiring parental or guardian consent are now completed through the online parent portal page on Compass.  Please contact the school if you do not have your log in details on need some further assistance with this. It is also a good idea to download the app to your phones to ensure you are keeping up to date with all the recent information and events on Compass.

 

Progress reports will shortly become available on Compass. The focus of the progress reports is on the students learning behaviours, including their effort, behaviour, using class time effectively and meeting deadlines. Please take the time to discuss your child’s progress report with them; what are they doing well, and what are the key areas for improvement? A three-way partnership (student-parent-teacher) can bring out the best possible outcomes for your child. We have Parent-Teacher Interviews coming up on Tuesday 17th September. The school encourages you to make booking online using the Compass portal.  Looking forward to seeing you all there.

 

Have a safe and relaxing holiday and I look forward to what will be jam-packed Term 4!

 

Ms. Alice Paget

Junior School Social

On the 10th September, the Junior School Social was held for all Year 7 and 8 students and teachers. It was a great opportunity for the students to let their hair down and dance the night away! The students had a great time using the photo booth, dancing to the tunes of the DJ, playing ‘minute to win it’ game and creating many lasting memories!

Westall Way Taster Day: Grade 5

 

On the 4th September we held the Westall Way Taster Day for the Grade 5 students at our local Primary Schools. Thank you to Westall, Clayton South, St Peter’s, Spring Parks, Huntingdale and Springvale Rise Primary Schools for taking the time out of their busy schedules to take part in the day!

 

The Westall Way Taster Day showcased the Westall Way of learning and the amazing programs on offer at our College, including our iCreate and Aim High program. The Grade 5 students were also exposed to our Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) model through a Literacy and Numeracy workshop. The EDI model increases engagement in the classroom, ensuring all students are involved for the learning, with teachers checking for understanding along the way.

 

Some of the activities included a sustainability workshops where students planted their own seeds they got to take home, cooking damper in our ICreate café program and navigating a flight path and landing on our flight simulators in the Aviation program.  A big thank you to all the staff involved in planning a running the exciting workshops on the day!

Junior Literacy Excursion

On the 5th of September is the day that we’re waiting for . . .  all the Junior Literacy classes went to an excursion for the Melbourne Writer’s Festival 2019, in the state library of Melbourne. The teachers said that we will have three programs for the show. One of them was when we met the journalist/author named Benjamin Law, he told us more about his experience and ethnicities, and these make the story of Growing Up Queer in Australia. It is not only about his experiences, there are two guests on stage that sat with him, and the audience got to ask them questions.

 

The second program spoke to us about ethical gaming. We talked about games and how they are no harm for us when in moderation, and how parents should encourage their child to play some games. They explained how they managed and how to make games etc.  After that they allowed us to put our hands up if we have any questions.

 

We then got some time for lunch. We got to explore the QV building in Melbourne, and sat in the sunshine enjoying lunch and time together.

 

Lastly, we went to our last session of the program, called Girled World. Girled World is an association about building up a positive future. We learned lots of things about how social media could impact your life whether it is a positive or negative. Firstly, they talked to us about how social media impacts your life, like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, FaceTime etc. For example, when you take a selfie you probably want to edit your photo, and how we are expected to look online versus reality. But also, being open minded to other people, express yourself too in a positive way.

 

We also thanked the volunteers: Zoe, Sunny and Raymond who participated on the panel, and talked about their experiences.

 

Thank you.

 

By Amirah

Writer's Festival

On the 5th of September, the entire Junior School year level attended three different panels at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival at the State Library. The first session we attended was titled, ‘Growing up Queer’ with the amazing Benjamin Law, author of ‘Growing up Queer in Australia’, Adolfo Aranjuez, editor for Metro Magazine and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, a writer based here in Melbourne. During the panel, subjects such as coming out, being queer and their experiences were discussed and expressed. The way they fought not to not be suppressed of their true selves, their bravery and their ability to be strong willed through coming out to strict stubborn families were outstanding and inspirational. Sending a courageous message to everyone to be themselves, to not be shaped by others but through their own will.  Following that, the second panel we attended was suitably named ‘Good Game’. On the panel was, editor of Junkee and host of ‘That Start Up Show’, Rae Johnstone. Writer, comic artist and game enthusiast based in Melbourne Jini Maxwell and writer, game developer Leena Van Deventer. They discussed the aspects of good, ethical games and what makes a game amazing or horrible. Subjects such as the stereotype ‘games are for boys’ was also discussed, it was interesting listening to their opinions on certain games, subjects, genres and the games they recommended and enjoyed.

 

After a short break we attended our final session for the day which was ‘In Search of Selfie’ with Co-founders of Girled-World, writers of ‘You are Not Your Face’ Madeleine Grummet and Edwina Kolomaski. Girled-World is an organisation specialising in getting young people ready for the future of work. Grummet and Kolomaski explored the impacts of social media, what our future would look like and what role social media plays in our lives. Raymond, Zoi and myself were invited to take part in a panel where we were given the privilege of voicing our opinions on certain subjects related to the use of technology in our lives and the ways people may perceive themselves. Although it was very nerve-wracking to speak in front of many schools, I felt that the subjects we discussed and touched on were very important to bring to light. It was a very daunting experience but, in the end, it was worth it as we had the opportunity to speak our minds.

By Sunny Z

Cenotaph Excursion

On Tuesday 3rd of September, Ms Collins, along with 8 students from Years 7 to 10, participated in a special event. We attended and assisted with the Re-Dedication Ceremony for the Clayton Cenotaph, re-dedicating the memorial to the local Australian soldiers who died overseas. The day marked 80 years since Australia entered the Second World War.

 

Many members of the local community also came to the service to witness the re-dedication ceremony of the war memorial for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The ceremony was also attended by the City of Monash Mayor Cr Shane McCluskey and the New Zealand Trade Commissioner/Consul-General Ms Vanessa O’Neill.

 

The students who attended, both from Westall and other attending schools, learnt about memorial ceremonies and the importance of war memorials. They also had a chance to thank the soldiers who died to defend their country.  It was a great experience for the students, as well as an important learning opportunity. Thank you to Ms Collins for organising the event for the students as well as the students themselves for attending.

 

Lest we forget.

 

Jorden K & Farhan

Year 7 2020

Information Night

On Tuesday we welcomed all the new students and families in year 7 for 2020. It was great to meet all the new faces, and welcome you into our community. We ran through a lot of important information on the night. Please if you have any questions give the school a call on 9546 3233 or send me an email:

vass.rebekah.r@edumail.vic.gov.au 

 

Some important reminders are to hand in your year 7 adventure day excursion form, and your i-Create subject selection form as soon as possible to the front office. We will see you all again on Tuesday 3rd December for a more informal meet and greet night, where you will get a chance to chat with our Junior School Staff.

 

Miss Rebekah Vass

Year 7 Coordinator