Student Achievements 

Australian Mathematics Competition - Congratulations! 

What is it about? 

The Australian Mathematics Competition is the largest single event on the Australian Education Calendar, allowing students to attempt the same tasks on the same day in about 40 countries. It has become an international event, with countries throughout the Pacific and South-East Asia, and some from afield. The number of entrants in Australia alone has been in the order of 400,000. More details can be found at www.amt.edu.au/amcfact.html 

Every year a significant number of students from our college enter this competition and this year was no exception with nearly 100 students from Year 7 to Year 12 working in the Library and nearby rooms to solve the problems set. You could almost feel the temperature rising with all those neurons firing. 

Now the results are in and there are some excellent outcomes. 

Our top result was achieved by Nicholas Hetherington in Year 8 who produced the top score in the school and achieved a Distinction, which puts him in the top 5% for his age group across Australia.  Other students who achieved distinctions were;  

While these students have achieved outstanding results, all students agree it is a very positive experience and well worth undertaking no matter the outcome. Overall from Year 7 to Year 12 we had 18 Credits and 71 Proficiency and Participation Awards. These awards will be distributed in the near future. 

Well done everyone who participated, we look forward to you doing better when you enter next year. And to those who didn’t enter, why not give it a go! 

From the Mathematics Domain. 

Congratulations Brady Thomassen – 2022 Team Vic Swimming 

Congratulations to Brady Thomassen who recently competed in the School Sport Australia (SSA) Swimming Championships in Brisbane. 

Brady competed as part of the Victorian team in the following individual and relay events: 

50 Backstroke 

50 Freestyle 

100 Backstroke 

200 Backstroke 

4x50 Medley Relay (Backstroke leg) 

4x50 Freestyle Relay 

Brady made National finals for the 50 Backstroke, 100 backstroke and 200 Backstroke events, while also making top 10 for the relays. 

This was a fantastic opportunity for Brady and we congratulate him on his success.  

Congratulations Kara O'Gorman! 

Kara O'Gorman recently competed at the Australian Artistic Roller Skating Championships in Queensland.  She competed in Junior Ladies Solo Dance which has 2 dances to complete.  She placed first in her event and won the gold medal and was then selected to be a part of the Australian Team to skate at the World Skate Games to be held in Argentina later this year. Kara has been skating since the age of 10 and has always wanted to represent her country since she started.  She trains 4 nights a week at Caribbean Rollerama in Scoresby and has been working very hard in preparation for her World dream. Wishing her lots of luck , skate your best and have the best time.

2022 Monash Division Athletics Carnival

On the 23rd of August, 90 Wheelers Hill Secondary College students from year 7-12 competed in the Monash Division Athletics Championships. The overall enthusiasm and encouragement was essential to the success and results we achieved. Although it was a gloomy day, all of our students showed great effort to fight through the wet conditions. 

Thanks to the students who came back a week later to complete the postponed Hurdles and High Jump events. Our students had great success, with many placing in the top three and collecting ribbons. Wheelers Hill won the Overall Aggregate Shield and finished 2nd in all other sections.

The following students were awarded Monash Division Age Group Champions:

14 Yr – Cooper Bertram

15 Yr – Samantha Mangan

16 Yr – Jasmine Hamilton

20 Yr – Jake Edwards

Cooper Bertram broke the Monash Division 14Yr 100m Hurdles record with a time of 14.37 seconds.

Congratulations to all the students listed below. They will compete at the Eastern Metropolitan Track & Field Championships in term 4. We wish them the best of luck.

Jack Craig and Jack Gaal 

Athletics Captains               

Literacy and English at WHSC

Celebrating Improvements in NAPLAN 

A huge congratulations to all those involved in NAPLAN testing this year. We were very excited to,  again, see an improvement in our Reading and Writing results for Year 7 and 9 at the College. This is a testament to all staff and students, as well as the support of our Wheelers Hill families, that we are on the right track and are continuing to improve.  

Our Independent Reading Program at Years 7, 8 and 9 continues to flourish and we have exciting plans in motion to further its impact next year, as well as a deeper dive into Writing in 2023.  

Ensuring VCE Success 

We have been heartened to see the take-up of the supports we currently offer for our Senior Students. Motivational Monday has been extremely well-attended by both Year 11 and 12 students and this will continue into next term (and 2023!) 

 Our Year 12 English and EAL students just finished their final SAC and are now busily preparing for their exam. The trial exam on Monday 26 September will be externally-assessed so that we get the most effective feedback before the real thing! As such, the students have been issued with holiday homework packs and have staggered due dates across the holidays when their practice essays are due. Thank you in advance to the parents and carers who will be supporting their children during the coming weeks. We are blessed at Wheelers Hill to have such a supportive community ensuring that our students thrive and reach their potential.  

Year 8 Crime Narratives 

Here are the opening lines of some of our students’ writing…they’ve really captured the intrigue and suspense that are integral for an engaging crime story! 

"A broken window. A rock. An open door. A body. Those are the things found in Joshua Martinez's house. The last known person to see them was Ella Hall, his best friend." 

"The police sirens wailed incessantly, a fanfare signalling the arrival of the police." 

“Men should really think twice before making widowhood women’s only path to power”. 

"It was the front page of every newspaper, ‘Bad Karma for William Baker". 

"Anyone who says it’s easy to kill someone is a liar".  

 These sizzling starts inspire me to curl up with a thrilling crime novel over the holidays! If you don’t already, please follow our very own WHSC Library on Instagram for some excellent recommendations. 

Have a restful break,  

Felicity Graham-Prowse. 

Literacy Learning Specialist 

English Domain Leader