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I want to thank our staff, students and parents for their efforts in keeping our school community safe over this first term. I am sure everyone is looking forward to the upcoming school holiday break.
COVID update
Despite the inevitable rolling absences due to COVID, we have continued to provide a learning program for our students. I want to thank our staff who have undertaken contact tracing over the latter part of the term which has helped to keep our school community safe. I want to also take this opportunity to remind parents that they are responsible for identifying friends and community members that are close contacts through activities outside of school.
Close contacts will be anyone who has interacted with the positive case where masks were not worn for 15 mins (with face to face contact) or 2 hours (in a small room). The infectious period starts 48 hours before symptoms develop or 48 hours prior to a positive test if the person does not have symptoms.
Healthywa.wa.gov.au has information on close contacts, the close contact definition and isolation requirements should you require further clarity on how to identify a close contact.
Parent Teacher meetings
We hope that you took the opportunity to check in with your child’s teachers recently at our parent teacher meeting. This year we held our meetings via phone and hope that this has provided a good opportunity to touch base with teachers to check how your children are going and to make any adjustments needed to support their learning.
We encourage parents to continue to check Connect for information from your child’s teachers about their learning program and also assessment details and results.
NAPLAN practice testing
Our Year 7 and 9 students have recently had an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the NAPLAN testing in preparation next term. These tests will run during Week 3 and 4 of Term 2.
Contributions and charges
Thank you to all our parents who have paid these already. It is great to have such support for our students' education, and encourage all those who have not done so already, to contact the school to finalise their payments as soon as possible. The money collected is used in classrooms to provide resources, printing, equipment and other class materials. If parents are unable to pay the amount up front, we encourage you to contact the Manager of Corporate Services, Jeni Jorritsma to discuss payment plan options.
Building update
You should now be able to see this sign on the corner of Cotherstone Rd and Canning Rd as you visit the school. It has an architectural representation of the new teaching block near the oval so you can get a picture of what this will look like. Ground works have begun in this area, as well as the area on the top courts where the Visual Arts block will be built. Works are on schedule to be completed by the end of next year.
Swimming Carnival
We were really fortunate to still be able to hold our House Swimming Carnival this year as a competitors only event. It was a wonderful day with perfect weather. Thank you to all our parent spectators for providing such a community feel and to our organising and supervising staff.
Harmony Week and Language excursion
Thank you to our library staff for their assistance in preparing the Harmony Week display. Congratulations to Maria Pennington, Tori Maguire, Mai Fung and our Language students on their successful Language excursion.
Dance Show
Congratulations to Shaharig Shahbazian and our dance students for their efforts in preparing for the dance show this term.
Farewells
As we finish the term, we farewell Denver Reid who retires as our gardener, Liz Henry as she takes up a contract in a school closer to her home. Liz started at our school during her practicum and joined us in 2015. We wish her all the best for the future. We also wish Gemma Laskey all the best for the upcoming birth of her child and as she takes her maternity leave from Term 2.
Finally, I would like to wish everyone all the best for the upcoming Easter school holidays.
Helen Deacon
Principal
Year 7 program applications 2023
Program applications for Year 7 in 2023 close 2 May 2022
- Academic Excellence Program
- Kalamunda Performing Arts Program, General and Specialist Music streams
- Outdoor Adventure Programs
Applications are available on the school website.
As Term 1 draws to a close, when we look back it has been a fairly smooth start for our Year 12 students. They are now hopefully back into the routine of school, study, excursions and incursions, which are all intended to provide the students with the required skills to support them in achieving the best results possible but also to support their transition to life after school.
Our Year 12 Students await the arrival of the Leavers Jackets due early in Term 2 and they will very soon become a uniform essential for the Year 12s, ensuring they are readily identified as the class of 2022 but also providing warmth for the winter.
The first round of OLNA testing has been completed and it is principally important to remember that students will have to pass the OLNA to achieve their WACE. We have in place support programs and specialist teachers to work with those students requiring any additional support.
Even though we have had a reasonably good start to the year, it is imperative for all Year 12 students to be mindful of information gained during incursions/excursions, ensure all Assessments/assignments are handed in and on time and that students are putting in the essential effort and study time to give themselves every opportunity to succeed.
Happy Holidays and please be safe.
Sharon Andrews
Program Coordinator Student Support
What a whirlwind term, I cannot believe we are half way through this semester! Year 10 is an important year for academic growth and decision making. Students have had our amazing career practitioner, Amanda Moreno Diaz, present an information session to help them navigate their desired career pathway. Following on from that, Year 10 students are invited to attend our career breakfast which is happening early next term – See our Connect page for more information.
With the holidays fast approaching, it is a perfect time to take a bit of break to rest and recharge, but also to take some time to get organised and prepare yourself for Term 2. This will help to reduce your stress so you can achieve your best, especially as we approach first semester exams.
I would like to congratulate our Year 10 students who participated in the School Swimming Carnival and thank the student Leadership team for their efforts this term.
Lastly, just a reminder, if you need any help or support in navigating Year 10 please get in contact. Have a safe and restful holidays.
Special Programs for 2023 School Visits
Very soon I will be starting to attend some of our local primary schools and speak to the Year 6 students about our Special Programs. Please note that the closing date for applications is the Monday 2 May so if you know someone who may be interested in applying for one of them, then please direct them to our website for more information.
Student Planner
As a 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.
Cybersafety
I have been fielding some questions on Cybersafety lately so I want to remind you about the Office of E-safety. This is a wonderful resource for all ages and discusses very real examples of how to keep your child safe in an Online world.
Mentor Teachers
One of the greatest resources at school are our amazing staff and especially the work they carry out with their mentor class. The Mentor Teacher is a major part of our Pastoral Care system here at KSHS and so I would urge you to make contact with your child’s mentor teacher as they work with them on their journey across High School.
Year 8 Bibbulmun Challenge
Hooray! It’s back on. Out tradition of taking our Year 8s out into the wonderful Community and seeing what is just at our back door. We take each Year 8 mentor class about 11km (by bus) from Kalamunda and we then pick up the Bibbulmun Track and walk back to school. It is a great day that really builds resilience and a wonderful sense of accomplishment. I have attached the timetable below and notes will come out about 2 weeks prior to the day.
Mentor Class |
Date |
Week |
Mentor Teacher |
MG8.01AE |
Friday 18 March |
Term 1 Week 7 |
Orietta Stokes |
MG8.05 |
Friday 25 March |
Term 1 Week 8 |
Craig Roberts |
MG8.03 |
Kuldeep Kaler |
||
MG8.06 |
Friday 1 April |
Term 1 Week 9 |
Scott Henry |
MG8.07 |
Rosemarie Omo, Vanessa Barrable |
||
MG8.04 |
Friday 8 April |
Term 1 Week 10 |
Natasha Hawkes |
MG8.09 |
Mark Petit |
||
MG8.08 |
Friday 6 May |
Term 2 Week 2 |
Nicolee McNally |
MG8.11 |
Karen Stuart |
||
MG8.02 |
Friday 13 May |
Term 2 Week 3 |
Ellen Bandarian |
MG8.10 |
Richard Guthrie |
The first Provisional Good standing report went out to Mentor teachers recently and the Year Coordinators have been busy following up with students to support them to move back to Good Standing.
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 five weeks. As an update however- given the current circumstance we will be exempting non-attendance for COIVD-19 in our analysis.
On 14 March, the Mathematics team celebrated international Pi day. Pi is an irrational number that is pivotal in Mathematics as it is used when dealing with all things circular. How many digits can you recite?
π = 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944 …
This year the Mathematics team celebrated the day with a range of activities in the classroom and our new shirts prompted much discussion around the school. It was nice to be able to celebrate this special day in a small way and we hope that students were “inspired” whilst investigating π. I have attached some photographs showing highlights of the activities.
By now, all students will have completed at least one assessment. Please check Connect to see how your child is progressing. Don’t forget that students have access to Mathspace, where they can work on any content that has been covered in class.
Alanna Webb
Head of Mathematics Learning Area
Anxiety and Teenagers
There is no question that there is a lot going on right now, notwithstanding the rapid changes in Western Australia with COVID-19, over the last few weeks the news cycle has been dominated by distressing images, videos, reports and social media content about the conflict in Ukraine and the flooding in Queensland and New South Wales.
When bad news saturates the media, it can be really hard not to be affected by it. For students, it can impact their wellbeing and lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, fear, confusion, helplessness and even anger. The following is an article from ReachOut.com. The website is free to sign up to and has a page specifically for parents and caregivers who might need support or tips and advice on how to navigate difficult conversations about some of the challenges our teens are facing.
Follow the link to sign up and explore the resources available: Home - ReachOut Parents
What is anxiety?
An anxiety disorder is when worry or fear get out of control and start interfering with everyday life. Anxiety in teens is common, affecting 1 in 5 young women and 1 in 10 young men aged 16–25 years. Understanding more about teens and anxiety will help you to determine if it’s an issue for your child. If it is, you can then take steps to help them manage it.
Everyone gets anxious at times – it’s a part of life and can even be helpful in some situations, like getting a burst of energy to power through a stressful job interview. However, when someone becomes so worried about or afraid of something, or obsessed about something happening in a certain way, that it affects their everyday life and causes them problems, there may be an underlying anxiety condition at play.
Types of anxiety
There are many different types of anxiety disorders. The following are the most common ones:
- Generalised anxiety disorder: anxiety or worry that isn’t about one specific thing but can be about many everyday situations.
- Social anxiety: fear of being in public or social situations where people might judge you.
- Panic disorder: repeated panic attacks that make you feel fear or terror.
- Agoraphobia: anxiety about having a panic attack in certain situations and not being able to escape or get help.
- Specific phobia: intense fear of objects of situations (e.g. fear of dogs or heights).
- Separation anxiety disorder: fear of being separated from a loved one or home.
You can read more about the specific types of anxiety below:
What are the risk factors for anxiety?
There are a number of factors that have been shown to increase the likelihood of someone experiencing an anxiety disorder. These include:
- genetics – a family history of anxiety, or a child’s role models displaying anxious behaviours
- personality factors and learned traits, such as a child being highly sensitive, shy, a perfectionist or having low self-esteem
- chronic illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy
- ongoing stressful events, such as family problems or change in living arrangements
- trauma, such as abuse, or the loss or death of a loved one
- other mental health conditions.
How can I recognise the symptoms of anxiety in my teenager?
Learning how to help a teenager with anxiety starts with recognising the symptoms. The symptoms of anxiety can look different for each type of disorder. However, the following are some common signs of anxiety in teens.
- They worry about or are extremely fearful of specific situations or of everyday life.
- They complain that their mind is racing and they can’t think straight.
- They are unable to concentrate or to remember things.
- They avoid new and difficult situations.
- They avoid social situations and are socially isolated or extremely shy.
- They’re always on edge or nervous.
- They’re constantly tired and unable to sleep.
Physical symptoms that may accompany anxiety include:
- chest pain, rapid heartbeat and sweating
- shallow breathing and shortness of breath
- restlessness and shaking
- dry mouth, stomach pains, nausea, digestion issues
- insomnia.
If these experiences are interfering with their daily functioning, responsibilities and quality of life, your teenager may have an anxiety disorder.
What can I do to help right now?
If you think that your child is experiencing anxiety, help them to recognise it. Awareness of anxiety will be the first step for them in managing it effectively. Ask them the following questions relating to anxiety symptoms in teens:
- Is something specific causing them to worry, or is it things in general?
- How are they feeling physically?
- What are they thinking about?
- How is their anxiety affecting them – is it making them behave in a particular way, or is it preventing them from doing something?
By helping your young person to be aware of the triggers for their anxiety, they can learn to manage situations that might intensify it. They’ll also learn strategies that will help them to deal with anxiety in the moment, such as breathing or relaxation exercises. Get more coping strategies for anxiety here.
Anxiety affects different people in different ways. If it goes on for an extended period of time or becomes difficult for you and your child to manage together, you should be prepared to support them to seek professional help. There are many effective ways that anxiety can be treated by a professional, and it’s best to set up an appointment with your GP who can explain your options and refer you to a psychologist.
When to take action
If your child experiences ongoing symptoms that can’t be attributed to an obvious cause or are preventing your child from doing everyday tasks, then it’s possible they may have an anxiety disorder. If the symptoms go on for more than two weeks, it’s a good idea to talk to your child and to seek professional help.
There are also things that you can do to help your child become aware of how their anxiety affects them, and to make them aware of steps they can take to keep their anxiety under control.
For more practical tips on taking good care of yourselves whilst you care for your teens, please see the report from Student Services - Student Support by Amanda Morton.
Aundraea Stevens
Convenor of the Mental Health & Wellbeing Committee
Ways to support your teen’s mental health as restrictions ease.
Our young people are facing new pressures as we come out of lockdowns and restrictions. Here are nine tips to support them, from Marie Yap, Antony Yorm and Mairead Cardamone-Breen.
For more Covid 19 resources please go to the Student Wellbeing Hub. This dedicated site has been created especially for parents, that provides resources such as ‘Stay calm and carry on: a family survival guide.
Amanda Morton
Program Coordinator - Student Support