Deputy Principal

A terrific start

Seeing the Year 10 students arrive and commence their first day was similar to seeing pre-primary students arriving for their first day of school. There was a mixture of emotions and feelings from being eager, nervous, and excited about starting a new adventure. They have begun well and immersed themselves into the variety of dynamic programs on offer. I am sure parents are taking the time to hear what is happening across their courses.

I met with one group of Year 10’s to query what they have really enjoyed or areas we can improve on with their start at the College. Students have been extremely positive with their feedback and communicated a great deal of satisfaction about the programs and activities they are involved with. I plan to meet with the other Year 10 group in the coming weeks.

Timetabling changes

The College already has a history of success and amazing programs, but we believe in the mantra of continuous improvement and have looked at ways that we may make things better for our students and staff. The College recently undertook the overwhelming task of devising a restructured timetable to be a more effective educational tool for 2023 and the future. 

Student well-being and success were central in the decisions made. A few of the adjustments include:

• Class sizes across Year 10-12 are more supportive for student success,
• ATAR students have supervised and structured study time, 
• Equity exists amongst delivery of qualifications across Year 11 and 12,
• Flexibility for students when selecting courses in Year 10-12,
• Prioritising the importance of Farm Skills and extra support for students training in Certificate II and Certificate III in Agriculture. Students now have increased contact time, support and accountability to work on achieving these qualifications,
• A formal Year 10 Career Education / Wellbeing session has been introduced to enable students to make more informed choices for pathways for the future while also exploring key issues relevant to their age group,
• An improved structure exists for students engaging in the Workplace Learning Skills Journals.

The process to set a new timetable has not been without challenges and hurdles and we appreciate the patience of students and parents as we continue to review programs and offerings. We will consider all feedback through the year and review the timetabling adjustments in Term 4 2023. 

Attendance

We can understand that at times family commitments and personal health issues can impact student attendance. 

Late last year we had noticed a number of students whose attendance was seen as a concern, and we encouraged parents to continue to support their child and the College maintaining regular attendance. For example, in some instances students had been leaving site early on a Friday and/or returning a day late after a weekend. This had a detrimental effect on their course work.

Thanks to the terrific response from parents and students who improved their attendance. Absences add up. Missing just 2 days a month means a child misses 10% of the school year. We are training students to cope with workplace expectations and when students have high attendance rates they improve their employment prospects and chances of graduating. We will be conducting attendance reviews every 5 weeks.

Workplace Learning Skills Journals

All students work on the Farm as part of their program. They obtain credit towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education.  Students obtain 1 C grade for each 55 hours completed in the workplace, to a maximum of 4 C grades. To obtain these credits, we keep a record of their hours on Farm, but students also complete a Workplace Skills Journal. 

In the coming weeks, all Year 10’s and the new Year 11’s will be issued with a Workplace Learning Skills Journal. Year 10’s will complete these in class and Year 11’s will complete these during prep/homework time.

The Workplace Skills Journals have questions and activities. Answering the questions will develop student understanding of the Australian workplace and what their rights and responsibilities are in the workplace. It will also help them gain more understanding of the agricultural industry. 

Students will write about specific examples that show they have used a range of work skills and that they have learned and understood information about the world of work. 

2023 Year 11 & 12 ATAR University Tour Camp 

WACOA – Denmark is inviting all Year 11 and Year 12 ATAR students to attend a two night camp to visit the Curtin University Open Day and Murdoch University. Parents of ATAR students will have received information about this opportunity.

Students and staff will visit Curtin University Open Day and participate in the presentations and activities set for the day. Students will also visit Murdoch University to investigate post-secondary agricultural and other courses on offer and participate in activities. Students will have the opportunity to view and get information about accommodation facilities at each of the universities.

The Year 11 & 12 ATAR University Tour Camp will depart WACOA Denmark at 1.30pm Saturday 25th March and will return at approx. 6.00pm Monday 27th March. Residential students and local day students will be transported by College vehicles.

This is an important opportunity for the Year 11 and Year 12 ATAR students and is provided by the College at no cost.