Assistant Principal's Report 

Semester Two Awards Assembly

Our annual Awards Assembly was held in the college gymnasium last Thursday. It was great to be able to celebrate the achievements of our students with a record number of family and friends.  

Nearly 150 students across Years 7-11 were recognised and applauded for their achievements in the areas of sport, debating, and leadership, as well as excellence in the academic field. Congratulations to all award recipients, who should be very proud of their accomplishments this year! As always, our students captivated the audience with their amazing musical talents – well done Anita Soghmayan, Isabelle Lette, Nikko Cubar, Larni Fountain, Kallfu Llangkfilu, Jorden Khauv, Les Kajer, Aaron Gade, Kai Lin, George Paora, Harmig Soghmayan. Demarcus Tereva, Louise Espino, Valentina Huynh. Thank you to Mr Coco and Ms Mcalister for their guidance and instruction. Well done also to the 2023 School Captains, who were fantastic in their conduction of the entire assembly!

Below is a summary of the overall results:

Year 7 - 11 Special Awards

The Special Awards section acknowledged a number of students who have made a significant impact, through one or more of, community spirit, leadership, citizenship, sport, and high academic performance.

Year 12 Graduation

On the same evening, Thursday 24th November, Year 12 students, their families, and teachers, gathered at the Clayton Church of Christ to begin the Graduation celebration over an array of finger food and soft drinks. Entertainment included videos put together by the Year 12 students, highlighting key events of their final year at Westall.

Following the light meal, students and guests moved into the main area for the formal part of the program, which was opened by Year 12 student, Nelia Moeroa, and Year 10 students, Nane Poeroa and Atawai Rima, who performed a Cook Island dance to the song ‘Pahoho’ by Te Avapiti. I was privileged to speak on behalf of Mr Lanarus, who was overseas during that week. The graduating Class of 2022 began at Westall in the same year that I did, which was quite special, as I could relate to their mixed emotions of joy and sadness. 

School Captains, Mai Dinh and Kaif Mohammed Qais, were excellent MCs and kept the evening moving along smoothly. The following students were presented with Overall Personal Best and Overall Academic Excellence awards for each Unit 3/4 study. These students are to be congratulated for consistent effort and performance throughout the year!

The Special Awards section acknowledged a number of students who have made a significant impact, through one or more of, community spirit, leadership, citizenship, sport, high academic performance. 

The 2022 College Captains were acknowledged for their great work this year.

The final part of the evening included a presentation by Mr Tickner and myself, to each of the Graduating Class of 2022, and a closing speech by Ms Papagiannopoulos. Unfortunately, Ms Rankin, Year 12 Coordinator, could not attend due to illness, however, the students were thrilled to have her speak to them via Livestream. The thoroughly enjoyable evening truly showcased our students’ talents across the school in the areas of music, sport, co-curricular and academic excellence!

Farewell to the Westall Community

It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to the community of Westall Secondary College. I am proud to have been an Assistant Principal and a member of this learning community for a little over six years. 

I was warmly welcomed when I arrived in late 2016, and I am deeply grateful for the many relationships that were forged with staff, students, and their parents over the years.  The staff at Westall are some of the most nurturing staff I have ever worked with, and they live the school iCare values every day. The students are the most respectful and talented young people, rising to achieve their best when guided and given opportunities. The learning community at Westall feels very much like a family and one that I will miss dearly. 

During my time at Westall, prior to the last two years of remote learning, the focus of the leadership team saw many significant changes, such as implementation of the instructional model, development of curriculum, consistency of assessments and feedback, the use of Compass as the school's learning management system, rigorous course counselling processes, fortnightly assemblies, the Year 12 Camp, to name just a few. The impact of these changes was seen in the school being recognised as high-performing for two consecutive years, and in our 2021 VCE results, where nearly half the Year 12 cohort scored an ATAR of 70+, we increased the ATARs above 90 and decreased those below 50. I feel privileged to have played a part in the school's success story.

Thank you to the school leadership team, year level coordinators, domain leaders, learning specialists, teachers, school council, office staff, and education support staff for the amazing work you do to support students and their families. To Mr Lanarus, my sincere thanks for being a thoughtful and generous leader, for supporting me in my leadership journey, and for being a dear friend and confidant, who I will, no doubt, call upon for advice and assistance in the years to come! To Mr Henderson, my 'partner in crime' for five years, thank you for your support, friendship, and sense of humour. Congratulations and wish you the very best in your new role as principal!

I will absolutely cherish my time at Westall Secondary College. Wish you all the very best for a bright and amazing future!

Ms Sue Simadri

Assistant Principal