Principal Report -September

In our last edition of the ‘Gang Gang’ I wrote about the ways in which we are working hard with our students to help them understand the impact of their words. While there is no ‘magic wand’ to wave, and we know that significant change takes significant time, it has been pleasing to see some positive improvements across the school. We will continue to reiterate these important messages and continue to provide our students with a range of strategies to help regulate their behaviour, make appropriate choices in the way they talk, and look out for their mates.

One thing that has been extremely pleasing is they ways in which all students have embraced our recent trial of the change to our uniform policy. After only a few days, students quickly realised that wearing a mix of PE and Full Traditional Uniform was not permitted, and as my recent Compass post to students and families indicated, we are so very proud of our students who are making great choices regarding their uniform. As the Principal, I understand that it is important to be progressive when it comes to uniform and I also understand that students don’t necessarily learn better if forced to wear items of clothing that they are unhappy in. The students we have spoken with have in fact thanked us for the trial and have been particularly grateful of the way we have taken their thoughts into consideration.

August and September have seen a range of successes for our students and this edition of our Gang Gang highlights several of them. One in particular that I would like to mention is our ‘Colour for Cancer Day’ which was run through our Student Voice Council representatives. They all did a magnificent job in the planning and running of the day for a very important cause. As always, our students have had some great success in the sporting arena including our most recent achievements at Divisional Cross Country. Inside the classroom, there have been some wonderful things happening in classes and nothing gives me greater pleasure than walking through the corridors and seeing learning come to life. Mr. Caruana and I recently entered a Year 10 Science classroom where the students were highly engaged in a game teaching them about the evolution of species. I am always amazed at the incredible ways in which our staff are able to engage our students.

Planning for 2024 is now well underway, and we will soon be able to notify our current Year 10 and Year 11 students about their courses and subjects for next year. We are still finalising electives and, of course our Trails of Discovery Program. Stay tuned for more updates on both of these early in Term 4.

I wish all members of our community a safe and restful term break and look forward to seeing everyone back for Term 4 – which is set to be a fantastic week as we enter our first ‘WHS Wellbeing & Mental Health Week’ with a range of great activities planned for our students and staff.

YEAR 12 PRODUCT DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Product Design and Technology is a thriving VCE subject at Warrandyte High School. Year 12 students are busy completing their designed projects. Some of the processes that students are working with involve sanding, cutting and drilling. The skills and techniques our students are mastering are impressive and of immense relevance in the workforce.

Students were required to design and manufacture a project for an end user of their choice. They had to document all their research following the design process. Some of the projects which our highly motivated students have designed include a shoe rack, a display unit, a dog kennel, an outdoor folding chair and a storage unit as requested by their end user.

One of the most significant shifts in Product Design and Technology in recent years is the growing emphasis on sustainability. As climate change and environmental concerns take centre stage, students are challenged to create products that are eco-friendly and socially responsible. Sustainable materials, energy-efficient designs and recycling initiatives are all avenues they explored as they tackled their projects.

In their pursuit of excellence in Product Design and Technology, Warrandyte High School students embraced technology, prioritized sustainability, focussed on user-centred design and collaborated across all disciplines. Their dedication and passion must be commended during the year.

Good luck, Year 12 students, and may your design journeys be filled with creativity and success!

Linga Naidoo,
Product Design and Technology Teacher

Click on the images below to enlarge and view slideshow

Book Week Celebrations

Book Week started with the announcement of CBCA Book of the Year Winner. Congratulations to Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva for taking out the Book of The Year Older Reader category with their fantastic graphic novel, Neverlanders. Catch up on the CBCA Older Readers shortlist from the library for some fabulous Australian reading

Our students were encouraged to Read, Grow, Inspire throughout Book Week with a range of activities. Throughout the week, students and staff helped the Poe-tree to grow by adding their own leaf-mounted poems and exploring the roots of words. Flowers bloomed over lunch time as students upcycled books to make their own unique bouquets. Old books also inspired new poetry as students explored the possibilities of blackout poetry, and students were able to create their own bejewelled, bespoke bookmarks.

Throughout Book week, the Warrandyte High community read, grew and were inspired, discovering that reading is magic!

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COLOUR FOR CANCER DAY AT WARRANDYTE HIGH SCHOOL

The Student Voice Council is very active at Warrandyte High School. It comprises students from all year levels, is chaired by the school captains and the Assistant Principal always attends. The Student Voice Council meets fortnightly.

Recently a COLOUR FOR CANCER Day was organised by the Student Voice Council and celebrated by the entire Warrandyte High School Community. It was an awesome day! For a gold coin donation, students were able to come in FREE DRESS and were asked to wear a splash of pink or white (the colours associated with Breast Cancer research) and/ or a splash of teal (the colour associated with Ovarian Cancer research). These very worthy causes were chosen by our Student Voice Council. It was wonderful to see so many teachers and staff also embracing the colours of the day.

Cupcakes were for sale on the day during our extended lunchtime! Not just any cupcakes. Certainly not store-bought cupcakes. For sale on the day were delicious pink / white / teal cupcakes which members of the Student Council baked in one of our school kitchen classrooms the previous afternoon. They literally sold like hot cakes which was fantastic.

A staff vs students netball game took place also. It was so cool seeing so many members of our school community either participating or supporting this initiative which was entirely organised and run by members of the Student Voice Council. And why a netball game? Well.. did you know that netball is a game associated with these very worthy causes? The things you learn!

The zenith of the day was our whole school COLOUR RUN which took place on our school oval! It was so much fun! Participants from all year levels were splashed with pink/ orange/ red/ yellow/ purple… indeed with 7 colours in total. Even the principal, Rachel Lynch and Assistant Principal, J Caruana, got in on the act and got colour bombed – all for a good cause!

The Warrandyte High School COLOUR FOR CANCER DAY was a wonderful experience for the school community and enjoyed by all.

J. Caruana
Assistant Principal

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NEW PROSPECTIVE HOMESTAY FAMILIES

WE NEED YOU

WELCOME TO JOIN OUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM AT WARRANDYTE HIGH SCHOOL

PLEASE CONTACT OUR SCHOOL TO GAIN MORE INFORMATION

Term 3 Sports Update

Interschool Sport

Intermediate Sport

A fantastic day out for our intermediate Hockey and Basketball teams. 3 Basketball teams played multiple games against some extremely tough competition. All teams played to their best of their ability and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship. Teachers from other schools and umpires even made special mention on how well the teams played together and supported each other.

The Hockey team also had a great day out. In their first game they won 5-0. Their second game would be the decider which they came away winners 3-0. Jack Brennan coached the team and again the teachers and umpires commented on the great a job the players did, their sportsmanship and how impressed they were with Jack’s coaching. We wish the Hockey team the best of luck as they progress through to the regional finals.

Year 8 Sport

Congratulations to the year 8 students today who represented the school in Basketball and Hockey. All teams gave their best demonstrating great teamwork and improvement throughout the day. A special mention to the year 10 VET Sport and Recreation leaders who were responsible for scoring and coaching the basketball teams demonstrating excellent leadership skills, and Jack Brenan who coached and supported the year 8 hockey team who fought hard with an undermanned team and ended up coming 3rd overall. All students should be proud of their efforts and the way in which they represented the school.

Divisional Athletics

Whilst it has been some time since the school athletics the time finally arrived for the divisional athletics competition. Congratulations to the 41 students who competed in the divisional athletics day. There were some fantastic results overall with students keen to get involved in multiple events and lots of students completing the day with ribbons. Congratulations to Joel Denny, Mia Fadel, Peter Majstorovic, Jamie Guymer, Charlie Sizer, Kyan Swenson, Josh Evans and Dillon Vidanapathirana who all progress through to the regional finals next term. We wish these students the very best at the next round. A special congratulations to Kyan Swenson who was awarded 17yr old male age group champion and Josh Evans who was awarded 20yr old male age group champion. It was fantastic to see the students all encouraging each other and giving their absolute best.

Click on images to enlarge and view slideshow

Sporting Success of Individual Students

Congratulations Ben Todero who spent a week in Adelaide representing Victoria at the U16 School Sport Victoria Hockey Championship. This competition provides a development platform for students to challenge themselves against Australia’s best. Ben had a fantastic tournament with the team narrowly missing a medal coming 4th overall. This is a tremendous achievement for Ben. The Warrandyte community congratulates Ben on his demonstration of excellence and wishes him well in his further Hockey pursuits.

Congratulations to Jack Brennan who has been selected into the Hockey Club Melbourne – Futures squad. The squad is part of the selection pathway to the senior men’s Hockey Club Melbourne team where the nation’s best hockey players (Kookaburras) play. Jack will get the opportunity to travel alongside the Hockey Club Melbourne senior team, play against other States Hockey One futures teams and in a Trans-Tasman match V’s New Zealand. We wish Jack the best of luck and congratulate him on the massive achievement.

Congratulations to Joel Denny who represented Victoria in the Australian All Schools Australian Cross Country Championships held in Canberra. This event is a select entry event for the best cross-country runners in Australia. Joel ran the 4km race in a time of 14.06 and came 42nd overall. This is a fantastic result for Joel and we congratulate him on his achievements.

Warrandyte High School would like to give a massive shoutout to Lachlan Guymer, who has been representing the Eastern Ranges in the Coates Talent League.

Lachlan is one of our Year 12s and plays locally for the Warrandyte Football club. It’s an absolute privilege to play at such a high level, and we wish Lachlan and the Eastern Ranges the best of luck in this weekend’s finals match.

Ben Todero

Ben Todero

Lachlan Guymer

Lachlan Guymer

Yr 9/10 Sweet and Savoury baking class

Some cupcake creations from the 9/10 Sweet and Savoury Baking class.

VET Sport and Recreation Units 3&4 Sailing Camp

Congratulations to the Unit 3&4 students on a fantastic sailing camp. As part of their studies, Units 3&4 VET Sport and Recreation Students attended a 3-day sailing camp at the Victorian Sailing School which is part of Newcomb Secondary College. Over the 3 days on the camp students learnt basic skills to sail a small boat in controlled conditions. The camp provided students with a practical experience in linking theory from the units Coaching Foundation Level Participants and Participate in Workplace Health and Safety Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Controls whilst also learning a new skill in Sailing. Over the 3 days, students had a great time and their skills improved dramatically. With the help of perfect weather conditions all students did a fantastic job and were challenged with stronger wind conditions than what usual beginners would be able to handle. The student progress over the 3 days was amazing to see. By the end the students were sailing their boats with confidence.

This camp was also an opportunity for the students to celebrate their achievements in the VET Sport and Recreation course before completion of their exam and to develop independence. Students were required to self-cater and cook their own meals and to both teachers’ surprise, 2-minute noodles were not on the menu. It was fantastic to see the students working in their cabin groups to work out the food they required, shopping for themselves and then cooking and having to clean.

As part of the celebration, students also got to challenge themselves and each other for 2hrs at Laser Zone, where in teams they faced off in a fierce battle of laser tag and then had 2 hrs to play on the different games. The last night finished with a celebratory dinner where students were taken to dinner at Groove Train. It was a great experience for all to come together after 2 years of hard work.

At all times the students were exemplary in their behaviour and how they presented themselves. The group has shared some great experiences together for which I am sure they will remember for a long time.

I also wish to thank Andrew Blair who attended the camp as another staff member. As the course comes to a finish and these students start to prepare for their end of year exam. I wish them all the very best and thank them for a great year.

Click on the images below to enlarge and view as slideshow

Neuro diverse student transition to post-secondary education.

Finishing secondary school is an important life achievement and change for all students. Regardless of personal success and circumstances it is helpful to realise that enrolling in a tertiary education setting is new and different for every student. Everyone needs support in some way, that’s why institutions offer extensive orientation programs for all new students. For students whose brain’s work differently from the “neuro typical” person the need for transitional supports can be a little more complex and therefore may need additional planning.

While this information is general and aimed to specifically support neuro diverse students, some of the material and strategies will assist with making post-secondary school transition easier for all students.

Specific tertiary institution policies and student support services contacts can be found on their websites or portals within the website.


WHAT CAN HELP?

There are a number of things that can be helpful and include the following:

  • Before enrolling attend open days to help familiarise yourself with the environment and see what supports available for your specific needs
  • Speak to someone from the student support services at the tertiary institution about your needs before classes begin.
  • Check the campus website map and work out what the best transport options.
    E.g. What are the parking restrictions, which public transport route works best, if someone driving you where is the best pick up & drop off point?
  • Check the campus website map and work out where your specific facility is and how to get there. This is where most of your lectures / tutorials will be.
  • Attend orientation, especially activities that tell you about using the library, accessing the computer system, and other special services that are available.
  • Register for subjects (courses) prior to the first day of class.
  • Visit the campus over holidays when it is quiet and orientate yourself with its layout.
    E.g. library, tutorial rooms, lecture theatres, cafés etc.
  • Attend transition/bridging courses if they are offered.
  • Create an ‘action plan’ and develop some strategies to deal with scenarios / challenges that may occur.
  • Enquire if the institution has a student leader program and sign up if they do.

These are experienced students who help you explore campus, connect you with support services, and provide you with advice about tertiary life.

ATHLETICS

The Diamond Valley Athletic Club offers a season of competition with Athletics Victoria that includes a club-based program, the AV Shield League, which runs from October to March as well as a range of Specialist and Championship events that are offered to all age groups. Training and competition are open to women and men from Under 14’s through to open age and Masters.

DVAC’s home venue, Willinda Park, Greensborough, is the base for training sessions that are held throughout the week. Athletes will find qualified coaches on hand to assist with their preparation.

A Trials & Registration Day will be held on Saturday 23rd September 2023 at Willinda Park, Greensborough, starting at 1:00pm. For further information, check out the club website www.valleyaths.org or contact DVAC Registrar Lyn Davis on 0409 005 406.