From the Principal and Assistant Principal

How wonderful having all of our students back at school. Such an amazing job was done by our students, teachers and parents during the recent lockdown period.

Our Year 12s recently completed their final exams and we wish them all the very best. Recently the Valedictory Dinner took place for our Year 12s and their families. It was a wonderful evening and a perfect way to celebrate and farewell the Class of 2021. In our next edition, we will feature stunning photos of the gala event!

Successful applicants for our 2022 Year 7 Learning Excellence Acceleration Program (LEAP) have been notified and are excited (as are we) about next year. Booklists for 2022 are now available for all parents on Compass, including the separate booklist for the LEAP students.

Places are filling fast for the 2022 Basketball Sports Academy Program and the 2022 AFL Sports Academy. Check out our website for more information. If interested, contact the school and ask to speak to Assistant Principal, Joseph Caruana.

Plans are progressing nicely regarding our $3.54 Million Capital Gains Project. Next year, Phase 1 construction will begin. Correct – the school is indeed receiving a major upgrade, commencing next year! School Tours are once more allowed. Contact the front office if you like to come and see us in action.

Dr Stephen Parkin – Principal
Joseph Caruana – Assistant Principal

Dates for your Diary

Monday 22 November – Year 11 into Year 12 Transition begins
Friday 26 November – Year 11 Final Assembly – 2PM
Wednesday 24 November – Friday 3 December – Year 10 into Year 11 Transition begins
Friday 3 November – Year 10 Final Assembly – 2PM
Monday 6 December – Grade 6 into Year 7 Information Night
Friday 10 December – Year 9 Final Assembly
Monday 13 December – Year 7 & Year 8 Final Assemblies
Monday 17 December – Term 4 Finishes – 2:30 finish

Wellbeing

Reflection of the Be Wise program

Jayde McIver: Recently, all Year 10’s attended the ‘Be Wise’ program online, presented by the Pat Cronin Foundation. The aim of the program was to inform the younger generation of the damage that can be done with just a single punch. Pat Cronin was an unfortunate example of this; with the 20-year-old dying merely hours after he was punched once in the head during a brawl on a night out.

The Pat Cronin case serves a reminder to how deadly and dangerous a blow to the head can be and how important it is to stray away from violence in general. John Linn, the presenter, talked of how critical it is to pull the line from anger and aggression. Anger is a natural human emotion, and everyone should be able to express and manage their anger in a way that won’t harm others. However, where it becomes a problem is when that anger turns into aggression; which can lead to fatal mistakes of either oneself or another.

Generally, the message was as simple as being wise with your decisions and actions.

Amber Gedge: John Linn made some good points on how you, as a person, can stop anger and aggression from taking over someone and causing them to act out in violence. If you see or hear a mate getting in someone’s face and wanting to start a fight, don’t let them make a mistake they will have to live with forever. Try to get them to sit down, back down or distract them by taking them outside to have a chat. There are always ways to stop violence from happening, and that person who stands up and stops it, could possibly have saved a life.

Throwing a punch at someone does not make you look cool, nor does it make you look like the bigger person, stop throwing the coward punch and think before you’re actions potentially ruin someone’s life forever. The Pat Cronin Foundation shares a strong message that must be heard by everyone. One punch is all it takes to end someone’s life, shatter loved ones, and ruin yours.

Unclench your fist and walk away.

Pat Cronin Foundation Website – https://patcroninfoundation.org.au/
Pat’s Story – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og0SNs8sppQ&t=2s
Make a Donation – https://patcroninfoundation.org.au/shop/donate/make-a-donation/

Wellbeing Activity

Here is an Activity to help improve your Mental Health:

A GRATITUDE MOMENT:


1. Sit somewhere comfortable.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Slowly breathe in through your nose and count 1, 2, 3 in your head.
4. Hold the breath for 1, 2, 3.
5. Slowly breathe out through your mouth and count 1, 2, 3 in your head.
6. Repeat this 2 more times.
7. Think of something that made you feel grateful today (ideas below)
8. Focus on how this thing affects your life or the life of the people around you.
9. Focus on how you feel about your gratitude moment.
10. Let the feeling grow in your body until you can feel it from your head to your toes

SOME GRATITUDE IDEAS

• Something someone did for you today
• A person who you love
• Something you like to do
• A talent you have
• A part of your body you are grateful for
• Something that made you laugh today
• A song you like
• A game you like to play
• A new skill you have learned
• A food you like to eat
• A pet that you love
• A memory of something you have done in the past

The wellbeing team are available if you need to talk or require extra support. 
Please come by the office and have a confidential chat.

Parenting Seminar Series

Yconnect:
Yconnect is a voluntary program that gives young people aged 15-24 who are at risk of long term unemployment help and assistance to find sustainable employment. It is suitable for young people who are struggling to find work, want to leave school and unsure of their options, are living with disability, mental health or trauma issues, involved in the justice system or family violence or are a refugee or asylum seeker and English isn’t their first language. For more information, please Google “Yconnect.”

You Matter Program – Student programs

A Space to Pause, Express, Connect & Thrive An opportunity for teens to express themselves, their feelings & experiences through the creative arts.
For more information follow the link below.

https://doncare.org.au/news/you-matter

Jo Miller
Wellbeing Leader

Science

Using Red Cabbage as a pH indicator or simply a Fun Colour Changing Liquid

Recently Year 9 Students have been experimenting at home as part of the Chemical Reactions Topic and you can take part too.

All you need is a Red Cabbage and an inquisitive nature.

How to create the colour changing water (aka universal pH indicator):

• Shred half a red cabbage (will make ~1.5L of indicator)
• place in a ~25cm saucepan
• Cover red cabbage in water
• Bring to a boil
• Simmer red cabbage until it loses its colour.
• Top up water if dropping fast (you can’t go wrong)
• Turn off heat and allow the liquid to cool.
• Strain the red cabbage
• Keep the purple liquid and dispose of the solid cabbage

How to test whatever you like:

• Place a small amount of your desired liquid into any type of container.
• Take a guess as to what colour it will change. Acidic solutions will turn reds and pinks, basic solutions will turn blues, greens and yellows.
• Add approximately the same amount of red cabbage water
• It will change colour instantly.
• For solids (eg, salt and sugar), dissolve in water and then follow the same process

Some fun samples to test around the home:

• Lemon juice, bleach, soap, multipurpose cleaners, salt water, vinegar, bicarb soda (dissolved in water)

Have Fun 🙂

Leanne Zammit
Year 10 Level Leader

Music

Because of the recent lockdown, the teachers and students of the music program have had to adjust once again to lessons online. It proved very difficult to learn over Google Classroom, but we were able to still learn a bunch over this long lockdown. A lot of effort was put into our virtual Music Soiree, which was held in October, via YouTube. All of the preparations were done using online communication during the weeks leading up to it. Students had to learn the songs they were performing via Google Classroom with their instrumental teachers.

Once they were confident enough, they were to record themselves playing their instruments/singing. The teachers then put in the hard work to combine all of our individual videos into the masterpiece that was presented to the rest of the school community. Having to put on a ‘vibrant performance’ was difficult to do in front of a camera, as it was a much different environment to performing live in front of an audience at school. It was great that we could have multiple takes and choose the one that we had performed best in.

Thank you to all the teachers that made this soiree happen, we could not have done it without all your hard work, and encouragement during our lessons. Congratulations to all the students for putting on a great performance and persevering through the difficulties of learning online. We hope that everyone enjoyed our performance, and that we brought a few smiles to people’s faces. Hopefully next year, the students of the music program will be able to perform live, once again, back at our school theatre. If you haven’t watched the music soiree yet or simply want to enjoy it again, please copy the link below:

https://youtu.be/zEr_O0zPGdQ

Amber Gedge and Rhianna Cummings
Year 10 Voice Students

Year 12 Celebration Day

On Tuesday 5 October, after the GAT the Year 12 Students collected a small gift.

It has been a very challenging 2-year process for our VCE students.  The gift was to congratulate them on their efforts, inspire them to keep going for the next few weeks completing their final year and to wish them the best of luck with their exams.

Jo Miller
Wellbeing

Careers -VET Awards

Congratulations to our five 2021 VET award winners who are studying a variety of certificates through the Mullum VET Cluster.

Excellence awards went to Jasmine Lui for outstanding work in Information, Digital Media and Technology (Game Art and Animation), Tom Bridger in Electro-technology and Connor Currie studying Plumbing. All at Swinburne University of Technology.
Lucia Rossi was awarded Merit in Music Industry (Performance) and Curtis Konynenburg in Animal Studies.

What a great effort by these Year 10 students!

VET studies not only prepares our students for the real world of work in various industries, but is completed as part of the VCE.

Claire Bloom
Careers

International Students

We had an informal farewell lunch with all Year 12 international students on 12 October that was their last day at school. We had a very good chat with each other and enjoyed some snacks. All of the international students had very positive experience in Warrandyte High School and showed appreciation to their teachers.

It is a mixture of happiness and sadness to say goodbye to our Year 12 international students’. The past two year has witnessed their development from teenagers to adults. Because of the pandemic situation, they had to face some very challenging and tough situations that they have never ever came across before. In addition, they have not gone back to their home countries and met their parents for two years. Most of the international students have even decided not to visit their family again this year considering the uncertainty.

I am so proud of them as they have become stronger, braver and more mature and responsible. I believe this experience will definitely become a treasure in their life. At last, I wish them all the best in future and good luck in their VCE exams.

Heidi Luo,
International Program Coordinator

Remote Library

The Library continued to add fresh titles to the collection during the remote learning period. The new additions were promoted via Compass announcements and students were able to select interesting titles for delivery. Several reading care packages were sent to eager readers!  

While currently closed for borrowing, the Library is open for returns. Over the remote learning period, all loans from June 2021 onwards were extended until November 19th.

Why not take the opportunity of the extended loan time to dig around under the bed to rediscover those library books that made themselves at home during the remote learning period? You never know what you will find!  

The Library looks forward to welcoming students back soon!

Marianne Smith
Librarian

School Sport Victoria Virtual Interschool Athletics Competition

In the absence of the divisional and regional inter-school sport athletics competitions, School Sports Victoria are running a virtual athletics competition. Students can complete in the following events:
 60m sprint, 100m sprint, 200m sprint, 400m sprint, 800m run, 1500m run
800m walk, 1500m walk
Standing Long Jump, Standing Triple Jump
Tennis ball Shot Put
Combine events – give the following events ago, in this order, 100m sprint, standing long jump, tennis ball shotput and 800m run.



Details regarding how to compete in each activity (you can do as many as you want and can do them multiple times) and how to record your results and submit them to School Sports Victoria can be found at: https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/Pages/SSVVirtualTrackandField.aspx



It would be great to see students challenge themselves in some of these events. Little to no equipment needed (except timing device, measuring tape/ruler, tennis ball and some self determination. 

Lets see how Warrandyte High School can go against all the other schools or simply try and beat your personal best

Good Luck

Students excelling in sporting activities

Whilst COVID has significantly impacted on student’s ability to participate in sport, Warrandyte High school is proud to have still had some students being recognised for some amazing sporting achievements within their sporting community.

Congratulations to Atalia Kelly of year 9, who has been selected from her local football club to take part in the 2021 Development Program at Eastern Ranges. This is a 4-week NAB League experience for players within our region aged 15 – 18 years. Players have been identified to participate in the elite program, headed up by the Eastern Ranges Head Coach, Travis Cloke and the High-Performance team, Project Gap.

This is a great opportunity for Atalia to further develop her AFL skills and provide valuable insight for the Eastern Ranges into the next group of Ranges players. This is a fantastic and well deserved achievement for Atalia to be selected and we wish her all the best!

In addition Toby Potter (year 7), Jacob Habel (year 7) and Jamie Guymer (year 8) have all been selected by the Yarra Junior Football League to participate in an eight week development program which is targeted at high performing junior players. This program gives them the chance to improve their skills, train and play against other talented footballers. This is a fantastic opportunity for Toby, Jacob and Jamie and we wish them all the best as they participate in the program.

Katie Cook
Sport Leader

Farewell to a Yarra Warra Legend

Some of you may know or have had contact with Sue McIntyre from our local North Warrandyte kindergarten, Yarra Warra.

Sue is retiring after 30 years of valuable service to the kindergarten and the Yarra Warra team are putting together a book of messages to show their appreciation and thanks to

Sue for her valuable contribution over the years.

If you would like to contribute to this message book, please send your messages to connie@yarrawarrapreschool.org

Bev Lang
Office Manager

Year 9 & 10 – E Safety Student Workshops

Warrandyte High School continues to provide students with the knowledge and skills to keep them safe. Following on from the Year 7 & 8 ESafety sessions last term, the Year 9 and 10 students attended E safety workshops in November. The workshops were run by the Optus Digital Thumbprint Program.

YEAR 9 – Digital Identity – Ways to make your “Digital Brand” Positive
Students gained knowledge of the importance of having a positive digital brand and how to manage it to manage it so can impact future opportunities in a constructive way. They examined their social media profiles and posts through the lens of a future boss in the process of hiring them for employment and discussed beneficial strategies to help maintain a good online presence.

YEAR 10 – Digital Balance – Ways to make technology work for you
Students explored the positive and negative effects that technology can have on our wellbeing and discussed ways to use technology to help be more efficient in our study time. Forest is an app that helps beat their phone distractions, addictions and manage their time more effectively. Users earn credits by not using their phones and plant real trees around the world with the credits earnt.

Please refer to the following link for comprehensive parent information and support from E safety, an independent statutory office supported by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
www.esafety.gov.au

Going offline and going out Parties post lockdown

It has been a difficult time for Melbourne secondary school students dealing with remote learning and lockdowns. The easing of COVID restrictions and the return to ‘normal’ life has the potential to present some parenting challenges around young people going out and staying safe.

Hanging out with friends, going to “gatherings” and parties is an essential part of adolescent development. Parents may be tempted to forget existing rules around parties and allow rules to be relaxed because lockdown has been tough. Having boundaries and expectations is necessary and important. Young people need to understand what the rules and expectations are when they go out with their friends and what they can do to keep themselves safe.

It is important to understand and respect the young person’s need to be social and have some degree of independence. Work together to put in place the “rules” and expected behaviours that will encourage safety. Talk through different strategies. Don’t wait until the last minute, start the discussions early and keep the conversations open and ongoing.

These points may be helpful with safety planning:

• Know where they are going.
• Know who they are with.
• Know when they will be home.
• Know how they are getting home.
• Know they (or a friend) can ring you ANYTIME if they need help & you won’t be annoyed.

Some ways to start the discussion:
Download the Emergency+ app and discuss how to use it if in an emergency. It is a free app developed by Australia’s emergency services and uses GPS function to fast track a Triple Zero (000) caller to provide location details required to activate emergency services if needed.

Information from ReachOut and the Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA)
How to party | Alcohol and drugs | ReachOut Australia – Link

Interested to know more?
Podcast | Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (darta.net.au) – Link
‘The Real Deal on Drugs’ podcast series Paul Dillon answers the questions about alcohol and other drugs he is most regularly asked by students across Australia.
Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (darta.net.au) – Link
Fact Sheets | Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (darta.net.au)

Fiona Keech
Adolescent Health Nurse

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