Newsletter - Term 3 2021

Principal's message

As we come to the end of another term, it is important to reflect on the multitude of exciting opportunities that students have been fortunate to experience since our last newsletter.  I will mention some of them and then you will find further details and photographs later in this newsletter.  

The first of our incursions was our Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day which was arranged through our Rangers Cadet program.  This is always a fabulous day and the students enjoyed the captivating Aboriginal dancers and storyteller.  We also held a Bush Ranger Planting Day and planted 100 trees with the aid of the City of Joondalup – who donated the plants - and the Friends of Warwick Bushland.

Our School Development Day this term was used to include all staff in further developing our Operational Plan and also for teachers to have some professional learning on the Reporting to Parents program that we use for the student IEPs and reports.  

Our two day Upper School camp was held at Ern Halliday at Hillarys and students enjoyed the day time activities and then the evening disco and movie nights.  Everyone was full of beans on the first night but slept very soundly on the second night!  

The Upper School students were also busy getting fit this term as Mr Koppl arranged for them to have several visits to the neighbouring gym at the Warwick Stadium, where a Personal Trainer took them through the activities they could do on the gym equipment.  He also arranged for students to participate in the KICKABILITY AFL clinic where they won the Perpetual Values Award – for working so well together as a team!  Another, really enjoyable, sports activity was the Warwick SHS Athletics Carnival where our students had great fun and gave of their best efforts in all of the sporting activities.   We also had Eagles AFL player Mark Hutchings – an ex Warwick SHS student - come to visit us and facilitate a training session.  We asked the Warwick SHS Footy students from Year 10 to help him with the workshop and they were fabulous! 

Again focusing on the Upper School students, but of interest to all parents and carers, was the Employment Supports Information session that allowed Gaelen Williams to come and present about the opportunities and supports available to families.  This was a really informative presentation and we had a really good turn-out of families.   

Our You Can Do It assembly early in the term was hosted by our Upper School students and they did a fabulous job.  Students from each class received certificates of merit and then several of their names were drawn from a hat to receive movie tickets.  The second YCDI assembly was hosted by the Middle School classes and was a lovely way to finish off the term.

Jeans for Genes Day and Daffodil Day are annual fund-raising events organised by the students and are always great fun and highly successful.  The Sakura Festival – or Cherry Blossom Festival – is our celebration of our relationship with our sister school in Japan and students enjoy the sushi at lunch as well as the assembly presentation and the photography competition.  

The Friends of Warwick Bushland have been facilitating a Recycled Art project with Area K and I can’t wait to see what they produce.  We really appreciate the time and effort that they have put into this project – as well as the Planting Day!

Selected students attended the annual Joondalup City Council Meeting to see how a meeting like this is held and to ask some questions.   The Joondalup City Council also provided us with the Youth Activity Bus on several occasions for our lower school students to hang out in and enjoy activities with the youth workers.

Students have enjoyed several excursions this term including: Area F students accessing Hillarys Boat Harbour on Community Access – where they were wonderful representatives for the school; Areas A & K going to Fremantle Prison; Area G visiting the Perth Mint; and selected students being invited to present a Drumbeat item at the Ability EXPO at Crown Casino – an event that all of our students and their families are invited to attend.   

We have been busy on the qualifications front too, with selected students attempting the OLNA courses and also a large group of students participating in the Certificate 1 in Leadership for WPL.

As you can see, it has been a really busy but enjoyable term and my thanks go to the wonderful WCSESC staff who make all of these activities and opportunities possible.

I hope that you all have a peaceful and relaxing holiday break because Term 4 is always a really busy term.  I hope to see you all at our End of Year Assembly on Tuesday 30th November…save the date! 

Best wishes
Carol Clarke
Principal

Area F - Hillary's Boat Harbour and Council Meeting

Area F students had a great start to Term 3 with an excursion to Hillarys Boat Harbour.  The students explored the leisure and recreation opportunities available and were particularly interested in the Whitfords Nodes Health and Wellbeing Hub.  They impressed us all by climbing the 145 steps to the top of the exercise stairway.  The students used their money handling skills to purchase lunch at their chosen food outlet.  They displayed fantastic social skills throughout the entire excursion; they were safe road users, respectful and attentive passengers on public transport and in general conducted themselves in a positive and commendable manner.  
A small group of Area F students recently participated in the City of Joondalup Youth Forum and Council meeting.  This was a great opportunity to recognise that they have a voice in what happens in their community.

Mrs S Nileswhar, Teacher

Area K - Term 3

The students of Area K have had a busy term 3 with lots of awesome activities including Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day, an Eagles AFL player visit and training session, the Warwick SHS and West Coast SESC athletics carnival, a whole school planting day and the recycled art project!
On the 27th of July, we were lucky to have an Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day at school. We had several presenters visit our school and teach us some very interesting facts about Aboriginal culture, including hunting and gathering, language, song and dance.  Students  decorated some Aboriginal tapping sticks that will be used at school in future events. There was also the opportunity to taste kangaroo and emu sausages at lunch time.
On the 18th of August, we finally got to participate in the whole school planting day which had been postponed several times due to bad weather. Area K staff and students walked to the Warwick bushland path entry, where we planted the native plant seedlings. After planting we gave them a good water and installed a protective cover around each plant to protect it while it grows. We are looking forward to seeing them grow. 
West Coast SESC were invited to participate in the Warwick SHS House Athletics Carnival on Thursday the 26th of August. There were lots of activities throughout the day, including running races, long jump and novelty games. It was great to see students having a go and doing their best. Students got into the spirit, wearing colours to support their factions.
Throughout term 3, Area K students have been participating in a Recycled Art Project with Stephanie Murphy from the Friends of Warwick Bushland. Stephanie’s passion is with reducing waste, through reusing and recycling materials that would normally be going to landfill, and using her artistic passion to create various masterpieces that will be displayed around the school in term 4. Students have been working on creating bats and spiders out of recycled milk bottles, plastic wrappers and newspaper. 
On Thursday the 16th of September the staff and students from Area A and K had the opportunity to visit the Fremantle Prison. They had a historical and modern tour of the venue and learnt about its history. 
Enjoy your break and look forward to an awesome Term four!

Mrs Christine Abbott, Teacher

Area G - Term 3

In Term 3, Week 8, 7th September, Area G students had a wonderful excursion to the historic Perth Mint. They learned a lot during the one-hour guided tour; the guide narrated some wonderful stories about the weights of different gold nuggets, their priceless value and their storage in secured vaults in the museum. Students saw the prestigious, Guinness World Record holder, Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin on a revolving platform. They witnessed a spectacular gold pouring experience within the 19th century brick wall building and heard some amazing facts regarding the site. Students also ordered some gold coins and personalized medallions. After the tour, students enjoyed a quick lunch at the Carillon Arcade. 
In Week 10, 20th September, the students had their regular community access excursion - going to Lakeside Joondalup. They all displayed good travel etiquette and some of them showed a sound understanding of the Transperth travel routes. They enjoyed window shopping as well as engaging in shopping tasks assigned by their parents. A relaxed lunch at the food court was a delight for all. Throughout the shopping experience, students also kept account of their expenses by asking for receipts and filling in a ledger sheet to tally their balances. They all worked with zest and motivation. Well done to our team of students!

Mrs Nimi Mammen, Teacher

Bush Rangers Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day

On Tuesday 27th of July, West Coast SESC hosted a Bush Rangers- Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day. The aim of the day was to nurture the development of a culturally responsive school, and build on relationships with relevant cultural groups in the school and wider community. We organised culturally rich and engaging workshops and were lucky to be able to host representatives from Urban Indigenous, Yanchep National Park and Wadumbah Dance Group to deliver the following workshops: 
Wadumbah Dance Group: Traditional Bibbulmun Aboriginal dance and music performed with fun, passion and power! Wadumbah brings the Dreaming stories of the very first Australians alive in a performance that’s authentic and spectacular. Wearing traditional Aboriginal costumes, enhanced by awesome Didgeridoo playing and the hypnotic rhythm of the tapping sticks, the skilful performers and traditional presentation entertains and enthrals the audience.
Aboriginal Art Activity: A fun, interesting and interactive Aboriginal Art Activity.  Students  were told about the traditional techniques of Aboriginal Art, art as story-telling, contemporary trends and the core symbols of nominated artists.  The students were then invited to express their personal story by way of Aboriginal Art on tapping sticks, which can be used in Drama/Drumbeat lessons.
Urban Indigenous: The students created an Aboriginal inspired art piece to be displayed within the Administration building.  Students had traditional techniques of Aboriginal Art explained to them, as well as art as story-telling and the core symbols of nominated artists. 
Hunting & Gathering: Students gained an understanding of the Nyoongar people and their traditional hunting skills by trying their own hand at spear and boomerang throwing. They were given an insight into the importance of movement, sign language and using all of their senses as well as learning about the traditional roles of family members in day to day life. Students also had an opportunity to look at some traditional tools.
Taste-testing:  Students were able to try a small taster of some traditional meats such as Kangaroo, Emu and Crocodile sausages.  

By participating in these engaging workshops in our Centre, we hope to foster a mutually respectful and positive partnership and see a greater understanding of cultural sensitivity embraced by all. 

Mrs Allison Nolan, Coordinator

Bush Rangers Planting Day

On Wednesday 18th August, our Bush Ranger students planted a whopping 100 native plants into our surrounding Warwick Bushland.  The 100 native plants were grown from local seeds and generously donated by the City of Joondalup and the Friends of Warwick Bushland.  The City of Joondalup also kindly provided 2 staff (Mr Ryan and Mr Steve) all day, to demonstrate how to plant the seedlings and guide us where to best plant them.  They also provided all the planting tools, watering cans and water from their water tank in the truck.  Many students tried something for the first time and it was great to see the satisfaction on their faces when they mastered the art of using a mallet, hoe, spade, trowel or watering can.  Well done to everyone involved and I am sure that the surrounding bushland will continue to blossom and thrive from all of your hard work!
Mrs Katie Gill, Teacher

Upper School Camp

Week 7 (30th of August to the 1st of September) saw the upper school cadets attend camp at the Ern Halliday Recreation Camp. The cadets had a fabulous time undertaking the following activities: Big Swing, Flying Fox, Rock Climbing, Archery, Kite Making, Team Building, Minute to Win It, Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm, and First Aid for Camping. The cadets all set personal challenge goals and reflected on their achievements post-camp, with many cadets surprising themselves with the bravery and courage they displayed when faced with a challenging situation. As Bush Ranger cadets we acknowledge, encourage and show respect to each other for working towards achieving our personal challenge goals, and I must say, it was heartening to hear the words of encouragement amongst the cadets. The cadets were all very well behaved and were a credit to the Centre, their families and themselves. A big thank you to all the staff involved, either beforehand or during the camp, in order to ensure it was a successful camp for all of the cadets involved. 
The cadets in Area F collectively wrote the following camp report:   

"In Week 7, Upper School went to Ern Halliday for a camp.  The camp was for three days and two nights. One of the favourite activities at camp was the Big Swing, which involved wearing a harness and a helmet and getting pulled up to the ceiling, before students had to a tug a cord which released them to swing through the air.  Some people found the Big Swing exciting and exhilarating while others had to overcome their nerves and fears. Other activities students participated in included archery, rock climbing, flying fox, team building, first aid and kite making.  The kite making was very successful with lots of students managing to fly their kites quite high for an extended amount of time which was a lot  of fun.  The students enjoyed sharing meals together in the dining hall and agree that overall the food ranged from ok to delicious. The camp was a great success.  The students should be proud of the way they conducted themselves and the personal development they achieved."

Mrs Allison Nolan, Coordinator

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Sakura Festival

The annual Sakura Festival was celebrated on 14th September. The students had a wonderful day learning about, and becoming more aware of, Japan and our sister school association with Fukuyama-Kita Special School in Hiroshima. It has been a delightful 10 years of association with them. The student-presenters; Mikayla, Chris, Brooklyn & Aaron did a fantastic job with their presentations. Seth worked really hard to set-up and run the technological devices. Students enjoyed the hand-printed activities on the cloth, which - with their personal messages written on it - will be sent to Japan with all the beautiful handicrafts that have been made during Art and Enterprise classes with Mrs Kelly and Mrs Yanev.  Students also engaged in class-based activities during the day, learning about Japanese greetings and numbers as well as their culture and traditions. Students enjoyed a delicious sushi lunch, with an option of green tea or mango-lemonade cordial. What a pleasant sight it was to see many of our students dressed in Japanese-theme based clothing or wearing red and/or white - traditional Japanese colours! 
We had three winning classes for the Sakura Photography Contest: 
First prize: $30 Canteen Voucher was won by Area K students.
Second prize: Bulla Ice-cream was won by Area B students.
Third prize: A Box of Cadbury Chocolates was won by Area F students.
CONGRATULATIONS to all of the winners!
It was a fabulous and enriching day for all.

Mrs Nimi Mammen, Teacher

Kalability Kickability AFL Carnival

This was a fabulous day out for selected students who wished to participate in this event.  We had teams participating in Division 1 and Division 3 and were competing against 7 other schools that were taking part in this event. Both of our teams played with heart and maximum effort and showed great sportsmanship throughout the day. We came second in Division 3 and first in Division 1.  What was even better was that, as a school, we won the Perpetual Values Award - a trophy given to the school showing positive qualities like respect, sportsmanship, and good manners.  I could not be prouder of our students because each one of them represented the school in such a fine manner. 
I want to thank the staff that attended for a fantastic effort and for all of their help throughout the day to make the event such a success!  

Mr Ryan Koppl, PE Teacher

TEACCH - Area E

In Area E, students are using the TEACCH boxes to master new skills and increase their length of uninterrupted work time.  The use of the boxes promotes independence and confidence.  TEACCH boxes can also be made to replicate a student’s specific work experience tasks.  Some students come into Area E each week and use the TEACCH boxes as part of their Maths program - to weigh, measure and package rice, pasta and beans.
In Term 2, thanks to Mrs Wenn’s sourcing skills and the kind donations from parents and staff at West Coast SESC - who have donated money to buy some of the items needed - students have assembled 140 “We Care” food packs that Mrs Wenn has dropped off to the charity.  These were distributed to homeless people.    In Term 3 students have also assembled 300 show bags which will be distributed at the WAECSSA Conference.
Michelle (from Area G) has been preparing foils for a hairdresser. Michelle independently measures, cuts and folds the foils ready to be used in the salon.  Students have been busy making cards that will be sold as an ongoing project and making daffodil cards (using the photography students' photos) which were sold first on Daffodil Day.
Students are building a great set of work skills in Area E such as: clipping different types of hangers; sorting clothes; putting lids onto coffee cups; and various packaging and weighing activities - and they always complete their work tasks with minimal or no support.

Students are now working towards setting up their task by themselves as they have already mastered being responsible for packing up when they have completed a task.

Mrs Karen Woods, Area E

Art and Enterprise

It has been a very productive term 3 in the Art & Enterprise area. Students have been busy making dog toys, lanyards, bunting, wine sleeves and cards as well as fabric printed tea towels and other products in readiness for our end of year market which will be held on Wednesday 24th November.
Heat packs are one of the regular products we make and sell throughout the year and the picture below shows two of our senior students, Claire and Adam, delivering heat packs to Dr Moya Wood at Alexander Heights Family Practice doctors' surgery.  The surgery supports us by selling them throughout the winter months.

Mrs Gaye Yanev and Mrs Sue Kelly, Art and Enterprise

Multilit - Term 3

Multilit has moved to a bigger and brighter learning area - making it possible to tutor small groups as well as continuing with our one-on-one reading program.   Some students are also being supported in their classrooms if they prefer to stay there.  All students are making steady progress on the program and it is very rewarding to see their joy as they progress.

Mrs Debbie Pember, Education Assistant

Daffodil Day

On Tuesday 24th of August West Coast SESC held our Daffodil Day event. 
Each year our Centre supports Daffodil Day to help raise funds for cancer research, prevention programs and support services for cancer patients and their families.
This year Area G and Area H did an exceptional job of hosting the event and setting up the Maths Area with daffodils, flowers and garland decorations. On the day they sold cupcakes, lemon slice and Daffodil Day merchandise - pens, magnets, keyrings and badges. This year we also had greeting cards for sale, this was a wonderful collaboration involving staff and students from Enterprise, Photography, IT and the TEACCH room. 
The total amount of money we raised was $278.20.
Thank you all for your support!

Mrs Rebecca Wenn, Education Assistant

Jeans for Genes

Each year the West Coast SESC staff and students are proud to support Jeans for Genes Day in raising valuable funds for the Children’s Medical Research Institute’s fight against childhood genetic diseases.

This year the students from Area B made posters and placed them around the school to advertise the event. On the day they visited all of the classrooms and office areas to collect the donations. 

This year thanks to the generosity of our school community we were able to raise $155.40. Also as a bonus, Jeans for Genes held a Double Donation Day and an amazing donor from the Jeans for Genes community generously agreed to match every single donation so they doubled our donation to $310.00!!
 Well done everyone!!

Mrs Rebecca Wenn, Education Assistant

Eagles Rock my School

On Thursday 19th August, students took part in a You Can Do It, whole school presentation by Eagles player and ex-Warwick Senior High school student, Mark Hutchings.  Mark spoke to students about what it took to become a professional AFL player, how he used his "Resilience" to make it through the tough games and how important it is to know that persistence can really pay off.  Students got the opportunity to ask Mark some hard hitting questions and were excited to hear about his time playing in the Grand Final and some juicy details behind the Dockers and Eagle rivalry.  Students from the Warwick Senior High school, Year 10, AFL program were also invited to take part in the day and they worked alongside Mark to assist the ESC students participating in the Kickability tournament.   It was great to see students from both schools working so well together, sharing a laugh and showing support in all the activities.  We look forward to our next Eagles visit, early in term 4.

Mrs Tara Murphy, Teacher