Program Coordinator - Teaching & Learning
Mark Boynton
Welcome to all the new and returning students and their families. The teachers have been impressed with the positive start of our newly enrolled Year 10 and Year 11 students. I would like to thank all involved in this process. I believe it’s been a very smooth start with new and returning students getting into their activities and programs very quickly.
At this early stage it’s important to note that the Year 12 students really do need to maintain a proactive, positive approach if they are to achieve their academic and vocational goals. As much as this will be a challenge at times, the rewards will be great.
As always in Term One we are straight back to business. Term One holds a collection of new experiences for students, and there are many great events and camps to get involved in. After the closed weekend (March 4-6th) we have Wagin Woolorama, College Ball, Gate to Plate, WACOA Carnival, University Visits and for Year 10 Students the New Industry Adventure Tour!
Year 10 - Industry Adventure Tour Term 1 Week 10
This year our traditional ‘Study Tour’ is regenerated into the Industry Adventure Tour! Exciting Times! The introductory information has already been issued via Compass and we will be sharing more very soon. Year 10 students will all leave Denmark on Monday 3rd April visiting Manjimup and Greenbushes, then up to Dwellingup for Camp. The following days will include visits to a variety of agricultural, industrial and active locations. Costs per student are $300, all travel, accommodation and activities are covered in this price.
Timetabled Skills and Additional Cert II Study Time
In 2023 we recognise the focus of many students is biased towards their vocational qualifications. In an effort to fully support them we now have timetabled sessions for face to face learning and study in these areas. It’s a great time for trainers and students to complete the required knowledge sections of these important qualifications.
Assessment Policy Update
In a move to ensure equitable treatment in all assessments, every teacher and student should now be aware of the updated Assessment Policy. It’s essential that all students consider this when planning their written assessments prior to due dates. The full assessment policy document is available on the College website. It clearly states that plagiarism and late submission of written assessments will lead to penalties affecting their overall grade.
OLNA
The OLNA is an online literacy and numeracy assessment. It is designed to enable students to successfully meet the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) requirement of demonstrating the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy.
Students who are yet to meet the requirements of the OLNA will have new opportunities to succeed starting on 27th February with the Writing Tests.
Please see website for further details and practice tests:
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/olna/practice-and-example-tests
Staffing News
Brenton Stone is our Plant Production Systems teacher and is also supporting our Year 10 students in agricultural and workplace skills. Brenton has worked as a Science and Maths teacher in Albany for several years and is enjoying the agricultural context for the Plant Production Systems course.
He has a young family that keeps him busy at home with fun activities such as building Lego, watching Bluey, or walking the dogs. In his downtime, Brenton enjoys mountain bike riding or just hanging out in the shed with his mountain bikes.
Emily Pagan is the new Equine Trainer leading and developing our Equine Centre. Emily has been a high school teacher in the northern suburbs of Perth for a number of years and when the opportunity arose to combine her love of teaching with her passion for horses, she jumped at it.
She has been riding for over 25 years, competing mainly in eventing and show jumping when she was younger. Now she enjoys competing at an ARCA level and recently she broke in her 6yo Cleveland Bay in the hopes to get back out eventing again.
Emily also took out Equestrian Australia's Volunteer of the Year for 2022 in recognition of the dedication and hard work she puts back into the sport.
Shiralee Goodwill recently returned to the College after a stint at Onslow School in the Pilbara. Shiralee has been teaching at WACOA on and off since 2007, specialising in English and Humanities.
“This year I am taking Year 10 HASS and Year 11 General English. I'm also filling in as Year 10 English teacher for a short while. It's great to be back at this wonderful school!”
Belinda Dufall has joined the staff as beekeeping teacher/trainer to replace Mr Morrell who will be retiring.
Belinda has spent the past 3 decades working for DPIRD (Dept of Ag) in the areas of Livestock Biosecurity (including bees) and more recently as a trainer in emergency response. Belinda was born and raised in Denmark and, with her family, run beef cattle, sheep and bees on their farm near Parrys Beach.
Janine Terry is teaching Science and ATAR Biology for Semester One. Janine grew up on a farm in Cranbrook and attended boarding school in Perth. She went on to study a Science Degree in Biotechnology and Teaching.
Janine has experience teaching Science, Mathematics and Art in numerous schools around the state including Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, Perth, Albany and Denmark, as well as teaching in the Eastern States, Brighton and Edinburgh in the UK.
Janine loves learning about the natural world and is passionate about enabling students to develop abilities to better understand their world and gain an appreciation of learning.
CNC Plasma Cutter
The CNC Plasma Cutter has arrived and is now in position in the Metals Workshop. A few installation jobs remain but we hope to see the students stepping up the complexity of their projects with the use of this equipment. This CNC Plasma Cutter not only allows for new levels of accuracy and efficiency in projects but will make the student experience far more like the workplaces in industrial settings. Students using this equipment will gain valuable skills for their qualifications and the ability to transfer these skills to the workplace.
New Course – Materials Design and Technology
Developing and using technology in Trade Training Centre and Materials Design and Technology area is a major focus for us this year and into the future. This will have a positive impact on our ability to train and prepare students for the modern workplace. Year 10 students are getting involved in the design and preparation of a 160m2 reimaged space. This space will become a multipurpose practical teaching area with options for metals and wood working lessons, even a space for the Beekeeping students to maintain bee boxes and equipment.
Students are using their knowledge and developing ideas to suggest workspace layouts, plan electrical and plumbing requirements and identify potential workplace hazards. It’s a fantastic opportunity for new students to experience the advancement of this space.
The increased teaching space has enabled the students to enrol in the Materials Design and Technology General course. More information on this course is held here:
