Learning Area News 

Hospitality Yum Yums! 

On Tuesday, April 4, staff at WHSC were treated to a delectable morning tea put on by our Yr.10 Hospitality students. Staff willingly sampled a wonderful array of carefully cooked and presented treats and then gave written feedback for each of the student's work. Needless to say, almost everything was demolished! Thanks to Sharon Sharpe and her hospitality team for organising and putting on the event. 

Congratulations to Makayla

Congratulations to Makayla Larkin who is the Eastern Metropolitan Region 50 Backstroke, 100 Backstroke & 400 Freestyle Champion. She will now represent WHSC in the upcoming SSV State Championships. An amazing achievement. 

Top Designs Excursion 

On Friday, March 31, product design students from Years 11 & 12 visited the Top Designs Exhibition and Forum. Students also visited the Design Wall at the Ian Potter Centre to look at the Design Wall of Iconic Australian Design Innovations.

The Forum was very informative and aside from the SAT folio requirements, was headed by Dr. Caroline Francis, the program manager at RMIT, who addressed societal design and sustainability on becoming tomorrow’s problem solvers. 

We also saw student folios that engage with socially responsible design themes which showed an awareness of social and environmental issues, giving us ideas and food for thought to be applied in our own work. 

Our students represented themselves in an independent, responsible manner throughout the day. I was very proud of the students and their attention to detail and when it came to visiting the various places, always considered the group members. 

Well done! 

Rene Raulin- Product Design  

Luna Park Physics – Yr. 11 & 12 Physics 

During the month of March, Luna Park holds its annual pilgrimage to the world of Physics where it hosts around 800 students per day over a couple of weeks, dedicating the park to the pursuit of science. 

WHSC took 18 Year 11/12 Physics Students, who were able to explore 12 rides within the park with a view to using various mobile phone Apps to record the accelerations and forces which they experience allowing them to relate their experiences to work conducted in the classroom. 

“Phaoro’s Curse” (pictured – right), was one of the many rides we managed to experience (it seemed to be a good idea at the time...), and we were able to accurately record the value of Gravity (g) whilst upside-down with our eyes shut.  

Whilst you may not think too much about Gravity during your daily grind, this particular measurement (graphed – inset) is actually fairly profound in the world of Physics and the study of the natural world. 

Lots of data was recorded and many terrifying, white-knuckled and gut-wrenching experiences were had by students and attending staff, with everyone able to keep their lunch in their stomachs. 

Many thanks to “Anderson Bus lines” for dropping off and picking up at the park, and the weather gods for providing a beautiful day. 

Drama Club's 'The Mad Tea Party' 

We are thrilled to announce that the Drama Club's inaugural play, 'The Mad Tea Party', has officially been cast! This 15-minute play will be performed at the end of Term 2 during lunchtime in the Bunjil Centre. Led by dedicated student leaders; Bailey Hopkins, Chloe Kourtis, Solara McIver and James Keleher, these students successfully organised and ran auditions to decide upon the ideal cast for this performance. We are proud to say that students across Year 7-12 will be working together to put together this show, gaining valuable experience in acting, as well as learning other theatre technologies like lighting, sound, costume and set design. If you are interested in joining Drama Club, we meet every Friday in D01 at Lunchtime, come along to our next meeting on Friday April 28th. All are welcome! When the time comes, keep an eye out, students and teachers will be welcome to join us in the theatre to view our performance of 'The Mad Tea Party'.  

MUSIC LEARNING AREA NEWS 

It’s been a successful Term One for the Music Learning Area. We had fantastic attendance at the Year 7 Concert Band Five Note Concert recently, and our students have performed musical items at the whole school assembly and on Open Day. Our senior students were also able to attend an amazing “Top Class” concert featuring the best Year 12 Music students from 2023. All our ensembles are making good progress, and we look forward to sharing this with the school community next term at the Winter Music Showcase.  

IMPORTANT DATES FOR TERM 2 MUSIC 

CHOIR INCURSION (for all Choir members) - Thursday May 11th – Period 3 – 5:30pm – CONCERT FOR PARENTS/CARERS/FRIENDS AT 5PM in D01.  

KEYBOARD and WOODWIND SOIREE (for keyboard and woodwind students) – Monday 15th May – 5pm in D01. 

VOICE and GUITAR SOIREE (for voice and guitar students) – Wednesday 17th May – 5pm in D01.  

WINTER MUSIC SHOWCASE (featuring all school ensembles) – Monday May 29th – 7pm in D01.  

The Choir incursion will give the choir extended rehearsal time to work on repertoire, and the two instrumental Soirees will give our instrumental students the opportunity to perform either solo or small group items to a smaller audience. We look forward to seeing everyone back at their lessons and rehearsals next term.  

KIRSTY MECHIELSEN 

HEAD OF MUSIC  

Celebrating Musical Milestones: Year 7 Concert Band's 5-Note Concert 🎵 

We're delighted to share a recap and some pictures of last week's outstanding Year 7 Concert Band performance. The students attended a half-day workshop led by myself (Brass teacher) and Ms. Yael Zamir (Woodwind teacher) and after a break with snacks, took to the stage for a 30-minute, 5-note concert for their families and friends. The students practiced diligently, learning five notes to perform a range of exercises and pieces. They played familiar tunes such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Hot Cross Buns" with enthusiasm and confidence. 

We'd like to acknowledge the students who performed solos during the event. Your effort and talent contributed to the concert's success, and we're proud of your accomplishments. We also want to thank the parents and carers who attended the concert. Your support and encouragement are important to our students, and we appreciate your presence at the event. Thank you to Ms. Kirsty Mechielsen for organising the event, and to Ms. Yael Zamir for supporting it. 

Well done to our Year 7 Concert Band students. We look forward to seeing your progress and future performances as you continue to develop your musical skills. Keep up the good work! 🎶 

DAVID GILL 

LEADING TEACHER OF COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS, STUDENT VOICE, AGENCY AND LEADERSHIP 

VCE Music Top Class & Sound Experience 2023 🎶 

On March 27th, our Year 11 and 12 students VCE VET Music students attended the VCE Music Top Class and Sound Concert at the Recital Centre. The event showcased original music by high-achieving students in 2022 from various VCE Music disciplines. 

Top Class Sound showcased a remarkable line-up of original music works by talented students enrolled in Units 3 and 4 VCE Music Style and Composition, Music Performance, Music Investigation, and VCE VET Music (Performance). These original compositions, created or performed for a graded assessment task in 2022, were carefully chosen for the Top Class Sound 2023 event. The Top Class Music portion of the event featured incredible young musicians who received exceptionally high grades for their Music examinations in 2022. 

Our students had the opportunity to enjoy a diverse and engaging concert series with a wide range of instruments, interpretations, and styles by soloists and groups. The event offered valuable insights and inspiration for our aspiring musicians as they continue their musical journey. 

We're grateful for the enriching experiences like this that help shape and motivate our students in their artistic pursuits. 

KIRSTY MECHIELSEN 

HEAD OF MUSIC  

Year 8 French Food - Recipe design (8A, 8B and 8C) 

8A Designs

8B Designs

8C Designs

Senior School Update 

Thank you for working with us this term to support your young people. It’s been a big term with lots of changes and we are pleased to see our senior students are coping really well with the greater demands of studying and learning. They’ve had a number of after-school SACs now and we’ve been pleased with how seriously those undertaking a Unit 3&4 sequence have been approaching them. Having multiple classes conduct their SACs at the same time allows for higher levels of equity amongst the students in addition to more effective moderation practices, all of which translates to increased student outcomes, which is what our College is committed to. Thank you, as well, to those parents who tuned in to our Elevate Parent Seminar a fortnight ago – it is wonderful to be part of a such community committed to seeing our young people succeed in their chosen pathway. 

SAC Calendar 

I sent out an updated SAC Calendar last week and I’ll do so again at the start of Term 2 to ensure that dates and times are correct. As we approach the holiday period, I would like to remind students and families that holiday homework, particularly for VCE subjects, is vital in preparing for next term’s learning outcomes, but also to ensure you meet the coursework requirements for your subject. The Senior School Team and I have begun meetings with students and parents/carers to ensure their pathways are going to result in success for them, so please keep an eye out for communications from your child’s teachers in order to best work as a team to prevent any concerns before they arise.  

Minimum attendance requirements 

Can I take the opportunity to remind our community that we have a 90% attendance requirement for all VCE subjects? School-approved events are not counted against a student’s attendance, nor are illnesses with medical certificates, but if you’re concerned your child has dipped below the 90%, please contact their Learning and Wellbeing Leader (Year 11– Nick Molan and Year 12– David Teakle) so that we can address this as soon as possible. In addition, our administrative assistant, Georgie Walton, may also call you regarding attendance. Essentially, when a young person is in class and engaged, maximum learning can take place ultimately translating into a successful VCE pass and improved results, which is our overall goal.   

Motivational Monday 

Our weekly informal support session for VCE students, Motivational Monday, has been growing over the term, which has been wonderful to see. In addition to the common space, all classrooms have also filled up with student-led study groups, revision sessions with a teacher, or for quiet study. Many students are utilising this resource to touch base with their teachers and to study, revise or collaborate on their learning. Any student studying a VCE sequence (this includes Year 10s studying Unit 1) are welcome to grab a free toastie, Milo and work with their friends and peers to improve their understanding of what they are learning in class. Students are also able to access informal support from any of their teachers who pop into the Senior Centre from 3.15 pm – 4.15 pm each Monday. Please keep an eye out for Compass posts from Ben Shepherd alerting you to our Motivational Monday sessions each week. 

Wonderful work ethic 

We have been impressed with the number of students who have asked to stay at the College during study periods and find a quiet space to undertake self-directed learning. We have booked a range of spaces for this to take place and are always pleased to hear our students discuss their excitement about what they’re learning in class.  

Year 11 Update 

RYDA 

RYDA is the leading and only national road safety education program for youth in Australia, providing young people with the skills and strategies they need to stay safe on the roads. We would like to remind our Year 11 students to pay for this event which takes place on Tuesday 2 May.  The RYDA workshop features highly engaging practical demonstrations, real-life narratives, videos, quizzes, and interactive role-play. The RYDA approach supports youth development in a number of areas including social resilience and anticipating and managing risk.  Created for senior high schools, RYDA gives students a unique opportunity to set road safety goals and build strategies alongside the friends they will most likely be riding with, as drivers or passengers. At the workshop, students attend six interactive sessions at a dedicated venue over the course of a school day.  

Elevate Time Management 

Elevate Education is running a session for our Year 11s on Monday 15 May. Since 2001, Elevate has been improving student performance at over 1500 schools through high-impact study skills workshops.  The Time Management seminar is targeted towards senior high school students and covers: 

Developing routines to balance study and lifestyle 

Working smart by completing high-value work 

Utilising study groups to leverage time 

Techniques for overcoming procrastination 

Mr. Molan has created the event on Compass, so please pay for this event as soon as you can.  

Senior Centre 

Just a reminder that I sent out a Compass post asking Year 11s not to attend the study period on Wednesday afternoons for the first two weeks of Term 2 as we are running Unit 3 SACs during that time. If your child wishes to stay at school and undertake self-directed learning or to collaborate in small groups, they are most welcome to drop into the Senior School Office and let us know. We will book a space around the College for them so that the SAC is not affected, but your young people can continue to study.  

Other than SACs being run at various times, our Year 11s are always welcome in the Senior Centre and it has been wonderful to observe the improved learning culture in the Senior School. 

Year 10 Update 

Camp photos! 

Arthur Bolkas 

We have our Arthur Bolkas event to look forward to next term, on Monday 8 May. Arthur is a motivational speaker who, earlier in his life, he made some poor choices and ended up in prison. Nowadays, he has a powerful message to share with adolescents. In this presentation, Arthur challenges people to consider the meaning of success in their lives: ‘big picture’ issues such as who they are and aspire to be, what’s important in life, and where they’re heading – with Arthur’s personal story interwoven throughout. 

Topics include: 

Adulthood – who will you become? 

The amazing ‘journey of life’ 

School – staying v. dropping out 

Education – why it’s worth your best shot 

Career – identifying your talents / passions 

Choices = consequences 

Heroes, role-models, mentors 

Dealing with parents 

Morals and values for life 

Social responsibility 

Suffering – a normal part of life 

Failure – success in disguise 

Speak up and seek help 

Resilience – never giving up 

Self-confidence / esteem / love 

This promises to be a very powerful event for our Year 10 students and we encourage to pay and consent on Compass as soon as you can. 

Elephant Ed 

We have planned for a wellbeing workshop for the Year 10 cohort on Friday 9 June which will cover sensitive topics such as consent. It is run by experienced practitioners who work with young people every day. Please keep an eye out for this event to go up on Compass very soon and have a conversation with your young person about this area of their lives.  

Have a very restful and enjoyable holiday break and return to school refreshed and ready to learn. 

Felicity Graham-Prowse 

Senior School Leader