Kalamunda Senior High School
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12 Cotherstone Road
Kalamunda WA 6076
Subscribe: https://kalamundashs.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: Kalamunda.shs@education.wa.edu.au
Phone: 08 9293 6400

Issue 2 – April 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

What a changing landscape we are currently experiencing in the world around us. It is hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of term and things are looking so much different than where we were earlier in the term. With our attendance down to about 40% and falling each day, things around us are closing and shutting down, and we are navigating unchartered waters.

I want to sincerely thank all our families for their support and words of encouragement. These are difficult times for us all and together we will get through this with kindness, cooperation, encouragement and care.

I have been providing some updates via email at this time rather than in our newsletter as this information is changing regularly. Our main focus at this time is on the health and wellbeing of all our staff, students and families, and so I would like to share some resources that you might find helpful at this time to assist with you and your child’s health and wellbeing.

This special report was published to address increasing fears and miscommunication surrounding the Coronavirus. It also includes helpful tips on handling this situation with your child and helping support their health and wellbeing at this time.

https://schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-coronavirus

You may also find these resources from Beyond Blue for students useful:

https://beyou.edu.au/

https://beyou.edu.au/resources/news/covid-19-supporting-schools

House Swimming

Whilst all our school extracurricular activities have come to a halt now we managed to hold a successful swimming carnival following a reschedule due to rain.

Greatest Shave

Our school has been undertaking this event for many years to support people with blood cancer. This year was no different and we thank our chaplain Desi for her energy and initiative in organising this fundraising event.

NAPLAN online

As you would already be aware, NAPLAN has been cancelled for 2020.

Interim reports

As previously mentioned in my emails, we will not be providing these at this point in time. In some cases, student marks are already available through Connect and parents are encouraged to check these with their students for any assessments already undertaken at this point in the year.

Message from our School Patron

Our school patron, Dr John Owen, passes on his best wishes to our school community as we face these uncertain times. We thank him for his ongoing and unwavering support of this great school.

Staffing updates

We wish Sarah Adams (English) and Jessica Millar (Maths HOLA) all the best as they prepare to welcome a new family member and we wish them all the best for the safe delivery of their babies. Claire Connor and Blair Riseborough will be covering their classes. Vanessa Barrable and Alanna Webb will be sharing the role of Maths HOLA until Term 4.

I wish everyone all the very best as we navigate unchartered waters. Our staff are doing their best to move into a different education context with preparing for face to face classes, preparing and uploading resources, learning new systems and preparing for the unknown. They do this as part of their work, all the while having their own lives outside of school. I want to thank them for their dedication and professionalism in these difficult times.

I want to finally wish all our students, parents and families all the very best for the times ahead. We need to stay focussed on supporting each other, showing kindness to those around us and doing our very best to fight this virus.

Stay healthy and safe and go well.

Helen Deacon
Principal

Senior School Report

Term 1 has been a relatively smooth start for our Senior School students. They were swiftly back into the routine of school, study, excursions and incursions. The incursions aimed at providing the students with the necessary skills to support them in achieving the best results possible but also to assistant their transition to life after school.

Our Year 12 Students keenly await the arrival of the Leavers Jackets due at the end of term; they will soon become a permanent uniform staple for the Year 12s, ensuring they are easily identified as the class of 2020.

A smooth round of OLNA testing has just been completed and it is particularly important to remember that students will have to pass the OLNA in order to achieve their WACE. We have in place support programs and specialist teachers to work with those students requiring support.

As Term 1 draws to a finish, even though we have had a relatively good start to the year considering the situation we find ourselves in, it is imperative for all Senior School students to be mindful of information gained during incursions, ensure all work is handed in on time and that students are putting in the required effort and study time necessary to give themselves every chance to succeed.

Sharon Andrews
Head of Senior School

Year 10 Report

Our first round of OLNA has been completed and I am so proud of the way the Year 10 cohort took on this challenge with grace and resilience. Those needing to sit this test put in their best efforts and hopefully will be successful in meeting the bench mark first time around.

I have also had an overwhelming interest in the Try-a-trade program which will be run at Skillhire in Term 2. It is fantastic to see so many students seeking out opportunities and developing skills for their future. If you are interested in the building or construction industry, please register your interest. I only have limited spaces but there may be further opportunities later in the year for more students to be involved. At this point in time we are unsure whether this will go ahead.

As we continue to progress through the year please remember that your efforts in your courses play an important role and will help to determine course availability for you in Year 11. While interim reports will not be available as usual, you should check your marks on Connect, and reflect on your progress in your courses and implement strategies to help you achieve your best.

Please keep yourself and families safe during this turbulent time and if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at laura.cheetham@education.wa.edu.au

Laura Morris
Year 10 Coordinator

Middle School Report

Year 8 Bibbulmun Challenge

Unfortunately, at this stage we have postponed our Bibbulmun Challenge until later in the year and further information will be available once we know how things pan out for the year.

Primary School Visits

I have been visiting some of our Local Intake Schools and speaking to the Year 6 students about our Special Programs. Given the current situation, we have extended the closing date for applications for our Special Programs 2021 to the last Friday of Week 1 in Term 2. If you know of someone who may be interested in applying for one of them, then please direct them to our website for more information.

As a final reminder, can you please ensure that your students have their Student Planner and are using it. A great way to check is to write a note in it and have them get the teachers to sign it. This is a great communication tool and also helps to develop those planning skills which are becoming more vital in an ever changing employment market.

I have been fielding some questions on Cybersafety lately so I want to add in this website for you:

http://www.esafety.gov.au/

http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/

I will start to provide more information when I find it but these are a great tool and wonderful place to go to for tips and advice.

Mark Pettit
Head of Middle School

Student Services Report

Pastoral Care Programs

We have a number of pastoral care programs that support all students and I wanted to share some of these with you, starting with our whole school initiatives.

Whole school Initiatives

Mother’s Day Breakfast, Father’s Day Breakfast, Kalamunda Day, Reward Assemblies, Act Belong Commit, Mentally Healthy Schools Program, National Day Against Bullying and Violence, RUOK Day, The Greatest Shave, Learning Support, School Volunteer, Youth Focus, Mentor Groups, Student Leadership, Career Counselling, Reward Activities, Asthma Friendly School, Hills Family Christmas

The Greatest Shave

The Greatest Shave was held on Friday 13 March at lunchtime in the Canteen Quad.

A big thank you to our school chaplain Desi, the student leaders, Year 12 students that helped with the organisation of another successful event and Mr Guthrie for doing an amazing job with the shaving of heads.

We raised in excess of $1300. The funds raised go towards supporting and empowering families impacted by blood cancer and to accelerate blood cancer research.

A special thank you to Luke Cox for raising over one thousand dollars alone with the final figure still pending.

Good Standing

The first Good standing report went out to teachers recently and the Year Coordinators have been busy following up with students who are having difficulty adhering to the Good Standing policy.

Please check out the Kalamunda website under the heading Publications to view the Good Standing Policy for both Middle and Senior School.

Good Standing is reviewed every 5 weeks.

As an update however- given the current circumstance we will be exempting non-attendance for COIVD-19 in our analysis.

Uniform

Hoodies

The weather seems to have taken a turn with mornings becoming quite cold. As such we are seeing a resurgence of hoodies.

A reminder that hoodies are not part of our school uniform and students wearing them will have a uniform breach recorded against their name which may affect their Good Standing.

Tracksuit pants

The school has it is own tracksuit pants to combat the cold which students had requested. They have been a popular addition to the uniform and I encourage all students to wear them or plain navy blue pants. Any other color is not school uniform and students wearing them will have a uniform breach recorded against their name which may affect their Good Standing.

Resources

  • I have included an article from Safe on Social Media regarding tips for parents of gamers.
  • I have also included a list of 77 simple Stem activities for families to do at home together.

Stay Safe!

Amanda Morton
Manager Student Services

Health, Outdoor and Physical Education Update

After postponing the day due to poor weather conditions, the 5 March saw another successful House Swimming Carnival where students put on a display of talent and sportsmanship in the pool. The Year 7s and competitors made their way on foot to Kalamunda Water Park to participate in numerous competitive and novelty swimming events. Congratulations goes to the houses on their collective efforts and the individual achievements of Champions and Runner Up champions.

House Swimming Carnival Results

Place

House

Points

1st

Phoenix

799

2nd

Draco

713

3rd

Orion

571

4th

Pegasus

535

House Champions

Champion

Runner up

Year 7 Girls

Grace Hope

Tegan Biggin and
Megan Schwinkowski

Year 7 Boys

Conor Donetti

Joshua Hernan

Year 8 Girls

Brooke Daljac

Chloe Daljac

Amelie Tuohy

Year 8 Boys

Callum Boots

Lleyton Norregaard

Year 9 Girls

Siobhan Sudholz

Mackenzie Coupland

Year 9 Boys

Greg Burbridge

Sam Stone

Year 10 Girls

Alice Baker

Olivia Kalin

Year 10 Boys

Aiden Boots

Connor Norregaard

Year 11 Girls

Savannah Coupland

Kelsey Sieczka

Year 11 Boys

Hayden Schwinkowski

Drew Mann

Year 12 Girls

Freya Jonkers

Olivia Mazzucchelli

Year 12 Boys

Luke De Luis

Harmen Nuku

Alice Hall
Health and Physical Education Teacher

Music Update

A warm welcome to all musicians and music parents for 2020. We had planned an exciting year ahead with music performances, tours, show cases and musical collaborations. Unfortunately, in these difficult times we have had to cancel or postpone some of these events. Please keep an eye on the calendar for music items, however at a snap shot the main dates to remember are:

7/4/20 –ANZAC assembly – Senior band / strings and choir to perform. (cancelled)
22/6/20 –Mid Year Concert - all music students to perform details closer to Term 2.
4/8/20 –5/8/20 Music Camp for all music students in music groups- details closer to mid Term 2.
20/10/20 –Twilight Concert – all music students involved.

I would also like to welcome some new IMSS music teaching staff for 2020. We welcome Robin Hillier our new flute teacher and Phillip Waldron who is teaching double bass and cello.

On Monday 17 February Musikal our music parent support group met for the first time this year. It was a delight to have so many new parents come along! We have started our planning for this year and the minutes are available on the school website in the music section.

Thank you and I look forward to another wonderful year of music making!

Marcus Roberts
Director of Music

Italian

National Reconciliation Week 2020

“When we come together to build mutual respect and understand, we shape a better future for Australians.” (Barry McGuire- Noongar Leader)

It is important for us to be aware of “The National Reconciliation Week” on the 27 May to 3 June. The theme emphasises that we all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation. Playing our part means that we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures.

Did you know…

  • The local Aboriginal people and custodians of the land are Whadjuk Noongar people.
  • Over 300 Indigenous Australian language groups and dialects covered the continent at the time of European settlement in 1788 (around 66 in Western Australia). Today only around 120 of those languages are still spoken and many are at risk of being lost as Elders pass away.
  • A common mistake is to refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages as dialects, or to talk about speaking ‘Aboriginal', when there is no such language. A dialect is a particular variety or branch of a specific language.
  • They requested the name "Calamunnda", derived from two words in the indigenous Noongar language, cala meaning "fire", "home", "district", or "settlement" and mun-da meaning "forest" or "bush"
  • Of the local Aboriginal people in the area during settlement, Yagan was the best known and was regarded a leader and daring warrior of his people. After a series of events in 1832 and 1833, Yagan was declared an outlaw and was killed at Upper Swan.
  • The Swan River is called “Derbal Yaragan”, which means “brackish place of the turtle”.

Science Update

Kalamunda Quake

Year 9 Science students were challenged to design and construct a model building capable of withstanding a simulated earthquake. Testing to destruction produced a winner, shown in the image. Can you see why it won?

Mr Stott’s International Rescue

Our Year 12 General Human Biology group extended their work on Skeletal and Muscular Systems with application to sporting injuries. Our resident expert on this, Mr Stott, provided tutoring on how to handle a few emergencies and assist our ‘victims’. No student was harmed in the making of this report.

Lindesay Pound
Science Teacher

Maths Update

We have had a busy start to the year with several events taking place early on.

14 March which is international Pi day was celebrated on Friday 13 March at Kalamunda Senior High School with students participating in quizzes, games and fun activities all centred around the number Pi.

π = 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944 …

π = 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944 …

We celebrate this irrational number as it forms such a pivotal part of the mathematical world incorporated into all things circular. It was wonderful to see so many students having fun with Maths both in and outside the classroom.

We have had several talks from the Start Smart program, supported by the Commonwealth Bank where our presenter has been discussing finances, jobs and Maths in the real world, delivering specific teaching programs targeted at the needs of young people specifically for their age group. We have managed to deliver this program to a variety of classes from Year 8 to 12 and aim to be able to continue this each year to help develop students’ financial literacy in a real life context.

This year we offered expert tuition for Year 11 ATAR students from one of Australia’s leading Classpad experts, Charlie Watson. Students found this to be a rewarding incursion, giving them a kick start to their ATAR classes, getting to know the ins and outs of the Classpad in a world wind of information delivered with the usual wit expected from Charlie.

And classes have now participated in at least one assessment to date. I encourage all students and parents to regularly check their Connect pages for updates on work and assessments. All students have access to mathspace.co and this should be utilised for homework and study practices on a regular basis.

If parents or caregiver have any questions regarding your child’s learning program and progress, please contact their classroom teacher or the Head of Learning Area throughout the year. I am currently on maternity leave until Term 4, so any queries for the Head of Learning Area should be sent to Vanessa Barrable and Alanna Webb.

Jessica Millar
Head of Maths Learning Area

Kalamunda Performing Arts News

It’s been a busy start to 2020 with students bursting with excited energy for the year ahead. We have been delighted to welcome our new Year 7 cohort in both KPA General and KPA Music. They are a talented group of students and we look forward to seeing them grow as performers over the next 4 years.

On Wednesday 4 March, Ms Vivian, Ms Head, and Mr Roberts took 50 students on a local Primary School Tour to promote the KPA program to our local Primary Schools. The entire Year 8 cohort attended, as well as selected Year 9 KPA students and some our Year 11 KPA Alumni students. The students at both High Wycombe Primary School and Edney Primary School seemed to really enjoy the performances and there was a lot of interest generated about the school, our specialist programs, as well as KPA in particular. The students performed beautifully and were also exceptional ambassadors for both the school and the program.

Unfortunately, we have had to cancel our end of Term 1 showcase which was scheduled for next week, 6 April, due to mass gathering limitations, and hopefully we will be in touch with better news soon.

Anna Head, Michelle Vivian, Marcus Roberts
Kalamunda Performing Arts

VET News

Work Place Learning – Semester 1: 2 June to 12 June, 2020

Work Place Learning provides students with an improved understanding of the work environment and employer’s expectations. Increased self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence are just some of the other benefits students will gain from WPL.

Students intending to participate in Work Place Learning are encouraged to contact their prospective Employer’s as soon as possible to introduce themselves (via a phone call or even better – drop in and pay them a visit) and request a Work Place Learning placement opportunity for the dates 2-12 June, 2020.

Students are required to complete a Work-Place Readiness Quiz and their industry-specific Worksafe SmartMove certificate and provide a copy of this to the VET office before their placement can be finalised.

https://smartmove.safetyline.wa.gov.au/certificate/

(Select Industry Module)

Work Place Learning forms must be completed and signed and returned to the VET Office once an employer has been determined.

Copies of WPL forms are available on Connect in the ‘Content’ folder, under ‘forms’ and also from the VET Office.

Unique Student Identifier

All students undertaking a Vocational Qualification are required to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) and must provide this to their course teacher or the VET office as soon as is practicable. Certificates will not be issued without a valid USI. This identifier is a reference number that creates an online record of the student’s training and qualifications attained in Australia.

https://www.usi.gov.au/

Christine Hamilton
VET Coordinator

Mental Health and Well-Being

These are uncertain times we are facing at the moment and that uncertainty can sometimes create anxiety and worry.

In a bid to keep the anxiety at a level that is manageable, there are a few things we can do such as:

  • Build our immune system by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and get some good sleep.
  • Still get outside when possible and go for a walk on the beach or in the park.
  • Limit the amount of social media content you view regarding the COVID-19 virus.

Trying to keep life as normal as possible and not get swept up in the panic that is in the community currently is the best way to control any anxiety.

Below are two different sources of information that may be valuable in helping deal with anxiety that you and/or your children are experiencing.

https://www.actbelongcommit.org.au/news/Keeping-mentally-healthy-when-isolated-or-spending-a-lot-of-time-at-home

https://schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-coronavirus

Jenny Edmonds
School Psychologist

Library News

24/7 Online Library Services can be accessed through the school’s website under ‘Student Learning’ then Library on the dropdown header menu.

Student usernames and passwords are as follows:

https://worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb

Username: kalamundashs
Password: kalamundashs

https://clickview.kalamundashs.wa.edu.au/

Username: firstname.lastname
Password: your school password

https://kalamundashs.eplatform.co/

Username: firstname.lastname
Password: Library1

Jorje Raphael
Teacher Librarian

Kalamunda Dental Therapy Clinic

Kalamunda Dental Therapy clinic will remain open for emergency treatments only due to the Covid 19 Virus. The clinic hours remain the same, Tuesday-Thursday 8am-4pm.

This duration of this suspension of Dental Care is subject to advice from the Health Department. Therefore, patients seeking “urgent care” will be assessed and treated conservatively without involving aerosol producing procedures.

We understand parents may be disappointed with this decision; however, the need to preserve the personal protective equipment to protect staff from COVID-19 is essential.

Should an emergency arise after clinic hours or during a public holiday, if eligible please contact the Emergency Services on 1800 098 818, your local dentist or the Oral Health Centre of Western Australia on 6457 4400.

Kalamunda Dental Therapy Centre
32 Heath Road, Kalamunda 6076
Phone: 08 9293 2801
Email: KalamundaDTC@dental.health.wa.gov.au
Open: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8.00am – 4.00pm

High Wycombe Junior Football Club