Principal`s Newsleter - Esperance Senior High School

Principal’s NewsleƩer
Knowledge comes, but
wisdom lingers
Special dates
to remember
Saturday 10th September
50 Years Celebration Open Day
10am - 3pm
Sundowner at the Yacht Club
from 6pm onwards
Tuesday 13th September
P & C meeting in staffroom
at 7:30 pm
Wednesday 21st September Friday 23rd September
Landcare National Finals
Friday 23rd September
Last day of term 3
Year 11 & 12 ATAR Maths exam
Thursday 6th October
Year 12 exams start
Monday 10th October
School Development Day - students
do not attend
Year 11 exams start
Tuesday 11th October
Students return for term 4
P & C meeting in staffroom
at 7:30 pm
Friday 14th October
Esperance Show holiday for staff
and students
Year 12 exams finish
Tuesday 18th October
Year 11 exams finish
Monday 24th October
Year 11 into year 12 ATAR courses
start
Tuesday 8th November
P & C meeting in staffroom
at 7:30 pm
Esperance Senior High School
90719 555
esperance.shs@educaƟon.wa.edu.au
www.esperanceshs.wa.edu.au
Week 8, Term 3
TOURNAMENT OF MINDS (TOM)
Congratulations to the 28 TOM students who performed so well in
the Tournament of Minds regional final on Sunday, 28th August.
The four teams were a credit to themselves and the school.
Well done to the Social Sciences team for gaining the highest
scoring points on the day, and to the Science Technology team
who achieved honours (the top 15% of teams across the state).
Thank you to the Social Sciences and Language Literature teams
that have progressed through to the next level, to compete in the
State finals on the 11th September in Perth. Best of luck TOM
students and facilitaitors, Mrs Rooney and Miss Ferguson.
Congratulations also to the four staff facilitators: Mrs Rooney, Ms
Walley, Mr Hackwell and Miss Ferguson, and to all other staff,
ex-TOM students and parents who helped along the way.
The students involved in TOM this year are listed below.
LANGUAGE/LITERATURE
ENGINEERING MATHS
Kasey Corry
Hayley Revell
Keely Barter
Jesse Marshall
Denham Rooney
Anthony Sims
Eloise Lochowicz
Eva Carolan
Hardy Fisher
Ethan Mellor
Jenaya Headley
Megan Kelman
Kasey Graham
Zaine Smith
SOCIAL SCIENCES
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
Ashleigh Rooney
Taylor Harris
Claudia Parker
Hudson Staer
Olivia Kipling
Norton Staer
Dion Reid
Chloe Hockley
Kalira Docherty
Reuben Smith
Soveryn Dickinson
Cooper Fontanella
Frazer Esposito
Sammy Ryan-Galloway
Language Literature Team
Engineering Maths Team
Science Technology Team
MUSIC FESTIVAL
August 18th – 20th saw the return of the annual Esperance Music Festival. Esperance SHS was again
well represented with the Concert Band, Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Band, all participating along with
numerous smaller ensembles and soloists. Many of the students were participating as soloists for the
first time and did an admirable job by playing their pieces well. Students were involved in playing flute,
clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar and vocal items, with some students performing on more than
one instrument (but not at the same time!). There has already been a lot of positive feedback from the
wider community regarding the efforts of the students, so congratulations on representing yourselves,
the Music programme and the school so well. The overall results for the ensembles were:
Guitar Ensemble – First place
Concert Band – Second place
Jazz Band – First place
ESHS Flutes – First place
ESHS Guitar Ensembles – Second place
MUSIC CAMP
As soon as the Music Festival was over, we headed off to Perth for a week-long Music camp. The overall
aim of the camp was to put together a concert of previously unplayed music and perform it in Kings Park
for an audience of friends, family and park-goers. For some students, this was the first time that they had
played in a band because they had only started learning their instruments at the beginning of the year.
After many hours of rehearsal, the students did remarkably well, and put on a great show. We were also
lucky enough to catch a fantastic saxophone show at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. This proved
to be an inspiring event for some of the students who play saxophone and also showed the students
what is possible with a bit of hard work and long-term commitment. Hopefully we will be coming back in
a few years to see some of our students performing in one of these WAAPA concerts.
Overall, it was a couple of weeks of excellent music making that I look forward to seeing continue and
improve over the coming years.
Brad Oversby (HOLA – The Arts)
Chloe Lawrence performing on the
saxophone
Up the DNA tower in Kings Park
Performing in the Park
APEX AUSTRALIA TEENAGE FASHION AND ARTS YOUTH FESTIVAL AWARDS (AAFTA)
The regional finals of AAFTA were held in Esperance on the 13th August. All designs delighted the
audience, and you can see why from the photographic display below, courtesy of Mick and Jessica
Sonneman.
The State finals will take place in Mandurah on Saturday, 10th September. We wish Kate Johnson,
Ella Coxall, Kia Mack (model Willow Pollard), Jolandi Maree, Ryley Major (model Kasey Corry), Kaiya
Bishop (model Charlie Cope), and Mrs Chambers best of luck for the finals.
50 YEARS CELEBRATION OPEN DAY - SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER
It has been a long time in the planning but our 50 years Celebration and Open Day is about to occur.
The school invites everyone to attend the Open Day, to see how the school has grown and progressed
over the years. Below is the program of events for the day and the evening.
50YearsCelebration
OPENDAY
PROGRAM
Saturday10thSeptember,2016
EsperanceSeniorHighSchool,PinkLakeRoad,Esperance
ϭϬ͘ϬϬĂŵ
Registerthroughthelibraryatthefrontoftheschoolandcollectinformationmap.
Historicaldisplayisinthelibrary.Photographeravailable.
Commemorativebookavailableforpurchaseororder.
ϭϭ͘ϬϬĂŵ
ToursoftheschoolandEsperanceResidentialCollegestartfromtheflagpole,
TradesTrainingCentre,variousclassrooms,andtheResidentialCollege.
Morningteaavailableforpurchaseinundercoverareaofcanteen.
ϭϭ͘ϯϬĂŵƚŽϭ͘ϯϬƉŵ
Sausagesizzleandhamburgersavailableforpurchaseinthequadrangle.
Afternoonteaavailableforpurchaseintheundercoverareaofthecanteen.
FingerfoodavailableintheArtFoyer.
ϭϮ͘ϯϬƉŵ
SchoolBandperforminginthequadrangle.
ϭ͘ϯϬƉŵ
OfficialOpeningandunveilingoftheplaqueinthegymnasium.
Ϯ͘ϯϬƉŵ
Toursendandclassroomsclosed.
ϯ͘ϬϬƉŵ
Schoolclosed.
ϲ͘ϬϬƉŵŽŶǁĂƌĚƐ
SundownerattheEsperanceYachtClubontheEsplanade.
More information is available on the school’s website at www.esperanceshs.wa.edu.au.
Click on the NEWS/EVENTS tab - or visit the Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/ESHS50yearcelebrations
Knowledge comes ……but wisdom lingers ……
Thank you to everyone involved in any way, big or small, to ensure a fun and successful event. Many
hours of planning have gone into the preparations for the school’s 50 years Anniversary.
Particular thanks needs to be given to the 50 Years Celebrations Committee for their outstanding
commitment and contribution to planning, organising and overseeing the day’s events, including: Mrs
Maree Braybrooke, especially for masterminding the 50 years special Jumbunna edition, assisted by
Mrs Sally Castledine, Mrs Niki Curtis who has kept everyone on track, Mrs Shareen Keevil, Mrs Bev
Drabik, Mrs Helen Hennessey, Mrs Julie Kent and Mrs Janet Graham.
We hope you have a wonderful day and evening on Saturday 10th August reuniting with many friends
from your past school days.
RESILIENCY AROUND EXAM TIME
Attached are some more ‘Test tips’ to help students with their exam preparation, including how to better
understand multiple choice questions. With upper school exams not all that far away, students would
benefit from reading this document carefully.
DROP OFF AND PICK UP ZONE
Parents are reminded not to enter the school grounds to drop off
and pick up students at the beginning and end of the school day.
With students who walk, ride or skateboard to school, in cars or
on mopeds, having a parent drop off and pick up area on school
grounds at the beginning and end of the day is no longer viable. For
safety reasons, therefore, please do not enter the school grounds to
drop off and pick up your child before or after school. Parking in the
reserved visitors car parks at the front of the school during school
hours to pick up or drop of your child for specific reasons is allowed.
Your cooperation in this matter so our children can remain safe is
appreciated.
Term 3 is coming to a close and this means that the year 10 students are well and truly on
their way to choosing their pathways for year 11 and 12. All students should already have
completed their blue subject selection sheet, had it signed by specific teachers and be hanging on to this
until their interview for VET or their appointment to arrange subject selections for ATAR. These
appointments will take place during weeks 8 and 9 of this term. All of the booking sheets for both VET and
ATAR are located within the school’s front office. Please book yourself and your child into an appropriate
time slot that works for you - the sooner the better, as spots will fill up quickly.
VET INTERVIEWS
Students who have chosen a VET pathway need to ensure that they are booking in their interviews as
soon as possible. You will need to book with the specific teacher of the student’s first AND second
preference courses (most students will need to attend two interviews). An exception to this is students who
have Building and Construction, Automotive or Metals and Engineering as their first AND second
preference. These students will only need to book in an interview with their first preference.
What you will need:






Your signed and completed blue subject selection form
An updated resume
Your semester 1 report
Any work related references
School uniform to be worn
VET Application pack filled out (available on the student’s USB drive)
ATAR Subject Selection Appointments
As mentioned above, appointments for Parents/Carers of students looking to go into the ATAR pathway
need to be booked in via the front office, with interviews taking place during weeks 8 and 9 of this term.
Students will need to bring their blue subject selection sheet with them as well as their semester 1 report.
VET TALKS at the Civic Centre
On Wednesday 17th August, students looking to go down the VET pathway had the opportunity to attend
an information session at the Civic Centre. Students were able to meet and speak to over 30 industry
professionals from around Esperance, as well as some VET students from previous years. The students
really enjoyed gaining some useful knowledge and have commented on how good the experience was to
help them decide which VET course they may choose. A big thank you goes out to all the industry
professionals and past students for giving up their own time to come along to the session.
Darcy Cull, Harvey Bishop and Brett Schutz listening
to Tile & Cupboard Shop owner, Campbell Parker.
Powerplant Motorcycles owners Sue and Tim Hawke
talking with Seb Tas, Cooper Bertola, Jack Baldock
and Jeremy Child.
University Camp
Fifty year 10 students set off on Monday of week 7 this term and headed to Perth. Students visited all of
the universities in Western Australia, including Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, Curtin
University, University of WA and Notre Dame University. Students also visited numerous residential
colleges and on-campus student accommodation villages. The week gave all the students an in-depth
insight into what options are available at the varying and complex campuses and what is expected of them
during their upper schooling years. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as did all of the students.
Thank you to Mr Geoff Poole for his great planning and organisational skills. And thanks to Miss Samantha
Higgins and Mr Adam Cope for volunteering their time to come along for the week.
EXTRA SUPPORT
If any students need some extra support for writing Resumes/CV’s, there are some very helpful
documents that are located on the ESHS website. From the main page click the Students tab and then the
Careers and Further Education tab.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information.
Kirby Smith
Year 10 Coordinator
The year 11 students are to be praised for their continuing good conduct during semester 2. The fact
that there have been so few referrals for poor behaviour is a great indication as to how well they are
adapting to the behaviours expected of upper school students. Students have been following the
correct procedures after any absences and this is a reflection of how well organised the students are. I
would also like to thank parents and carers for their ongoing assistance.
The students in the ATAR pathway are to be commended on the way they have stepped up their
efforts following the semester 1 exams. The transition from lower school to upper school is quite
possibly the biggest step students make in their education. The discipline and effort that is required in
this pathway is significant. If what I see in the library during half unit private study sessions on
Wednesdays and Thursdays is any indication, then most students appear to be well on track.
For the very small number of students who have not passed a subject or subjects, discussions will
occur from weeks 3 to 6 of term 4 with Mr Duffy, parents and me about the suitability of the student
continuing that subject or the ATAR course in year 12.
The students in the VET pathway are also to be congratulated on their efforts during semester 2.
Most students have been diligently and responsibly completing tasks, working towards their
Certificate II. We have also received some very positive feedback from TAFE lecturers and work
placement supervisors. It is great to see students representing the school in such a positive way in
the wider community.
I would like to remind year 11 students and parents/caregivers of the structure that has been put in
place for them in the run up to the end of the year. As you can see in the table below, there are
different programs in place depending on which pathway a student is in.
Term 4 Pathway Week 1 Week 2 Weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6 Return to school Start year 12 courses on Wednesday for normal classes and exam review ATAR Exams begin Mainstream VET Work placement Work placement Complete year 11 work VET Complete year 11 work If you have any concerns whatsoever regarding your child’s year 11 studies, please feel free to contact
me at the school on 90719555 or by emailing peter.turner@education.wa.edu.au .
Peter Turner
Year Eleven Coordinator Thank you to all of the students who have completed the Department’s on-line “Satisfaction
and Intentions Survey”. By doing this, students provide feedback that can be used to improve the
educational programs that are offered to students in the future.
As we move towards the end of the school year, students will find that they will be required to complete a
number of similar tasks. Submitting a profile piece for the Jumbunna magazine and the information that can
be used in compiling a School Reference are just two of these. Please help us by encouraging your children
to attend to these responsibilities.
Over the next week or two I will endeavour to collect information on what direction students are hoping to
take when their secondary education is complete. This can be particularly useful when directing students
towards employment opportunities that may arise, as well as to information on university courses,
scholarships and accommodation etc.
A recent review of student achievement suggested that most year 12s are on track to obtain their Western
Australian Certificate of Education (WACE). With the changes that were introduced in 2014 regarding
Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessments (OLNA), some students will find that their ultimate goal is to
pass the Certificate course that they are enrolled in. Students who are hoping to attend university, having
taken the ATAR pathway, are reminded that one important aspect of achieving the WACE is obtaining at
least six C grades in year 12. As well, they will need a final scaled score of at least 50 in English or
Literature in order to satisfy the Competency requirement of University Entrance. Parents / carers who
require clarification on these issues should contact me as soon as possible.
A group of students have already met a number of times to organise Exit Week (the last week of Term 3).
The program for the week is:-
THEME
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Stereotypes
Fandoms
The first letter of your name
Decades
ACTIVITY
Staff and Student Dodge ball
“Duck, Duck Goose”
Octopus, egg and spoon
Musical chairs
The school’s ‘Farewell Assembly’ will be held in the gymnasium on Tuesday, September 20, starting at
2:20pm.
In the past, the last day of term has started with a breakfast at a community location. This year some
students will be having an exam on the Friday morning so we will be having an afternoon event instead. To
that end, staff will put on a BBQ at the Pink Lake Golf Club, from 3:30pm – 5:30pm. There will also be a
number of fun activities for students to get involved in. The permission letter for this event will be distributed
in week 9. Students are not expected to attend school that day. The exception would be students who have
made specific arrangements to work with staff in order to complete school work.
The draft timetable for Semester 2 exams has been on display for the last three weeks. Please ask your
child to check that the schedule works for them and notify me – in writing – of any issues. As well, students
should know that they can now download their personalised exam timetables for both the WACE written
exams and practical exams by going to http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/.
Some important dates that are coming up for year 12s include:-
T3, Week 10
T3, Week 10
T3, Week 10
T3, Week 10
T3, Week 10
Holidays
Week 2
T4 Week 1
T4 Week 2
T4 Week 2
T4 Week 4
T4 Week 6
T4 Week 8
Tuesday, September 20 Period 8
Friday, September 23
Friday, September 23 (8:50am –
12:00pm)
Friday, September 23 (3:30pm –
5:30pm)
Friday, September 23
Farewell Assembly
Last day of Term 3
Maths Methods exam, school Library
Exit Week BBQ – Pink Lake Golf Course
Thursday, October 6
School finishes for VET students who have
completed their course
Semester 2 exams resume
Friday, October 14
Monday, October 17 – Thursday
October 20
Friday, October 21
Monday, October 31
Thursday, November 17
Wednesday, November 30
Semester 2 exams finish
ATAR students attend school for feedback
and revision
All day English Revision session
WACE exams begin
WACE exams finish
Graduation Ceremony and Dinner
The formal Graduation Ceremony will take place at the Civic Centre on Wednesday, November 30.
Students need to assemble in the Reception Room from 5:30pm, for a 6:00pm start. Dress for the event is
“smart”. We endeavour to complete the ceremony in two hours. It will be assumed that students WILL
NOT BE ATTENDING unless they specifically contact the front office to say that they will be coming.
This needs to be done before 9:00am on Monday, November 28. This measure is specifically designed to
avoid the embarrassment that occurs when a guest attends to present an award, but the student does not.
Students who do not attend will be able to collect their graduation portfolio etc. from the school’s front office
after 1:00pm on Thursday, December 1.
The Graduation Ceremony will be followed by an informal gathering in the Reception Room. The parents
planning this event had their first meeting this week. Costs should be finalised next week, and then tickets
will be available for purchase from the front office at school, starting in week 10. Due to Occupational
Health and Safety restrictions, we can only have a limited number of people in the venue. As a result, each
year 12 student can only bring two other people with them.
In closing, I would like to thank you for your support in getting your children through their secondary
education. I have particularly enjoyed these last three years as their Year Coordinator.
Geoff Poole
Year 12 Coordinator
Geoff.Poole@education.wa.edu.au