Newsletter - Term 2, 2021

Principal's Message

Term 2 was an 11-week term - a long term for everyone, especially in comparison to the 8-week, Term 1.  Staff worked really hard to provide an exciting program to enhance the curriculum for students and you will read about some of these events in this newsletter.  Staff also had an opportunity to network with other staff from the Education Support North Network, which holds a conference for all staff members every two years.  A conference was scheduled for 2020 but postponed due to COVID and so it was held at the Perth Convention Centre on 23rd April when approximately 750 staff attended.  Professor Andrew Whitehouse, Professor of Autism Research at the Telethon Kids Institute was the keynote speaker and was really interesting.   Congratulations to Allison Nolan, who did an excellent job as the ESNN Executive Officer and played a key role in the development of this conference.  
Our ANZAC Ceremony this year was held in the gym and we used the new Cube – a big-screen audio visual system that was a joint venture between ourselves and Warwick SHS.  It will be fabulous for events during the year and, of course, for our end of year assembly in December.   The school Photo Day - using Fotoworks - went really well this year and the photos should now have been distributed.  We participated in another Fishability excursion to Hillarys jetty and it was again very successful.  We have to thank Mrs Gill, Mrs Mammen and all of the volunteers that make this kind of excursion possible.
Mrs Wenn organised a scone bake-off between the classes in the run-up to our annual Biggest Morning Tea to raise funds for Cancer research.  It was great fun!  The students really enjoyed making the scones and the results were delicious!  Students and staff in the winning class enjoyed pizza and a movie as their prize. 
At our School Board AGM, held on 26th May, we welcomed three new members: Jury Raneses; Cathryn Sonneman-Smith; and Claire Hayhoe.  We are really lucky to have such dedicated members of the Board and we look forward to a productive year.  
On Sunday 30th May we held a staff Busy Bee and approximately 30 staff turned out to clear out sheds and classroom areas and rearrange resources.  A very big thank you to all who helped.  The results were fabulous and make the Centre a better place to work and study in.  Well done!
On the 2nd June, students completed a range of class-based activities, prepared by Mrs Mammen, to mark our Centre's awareness of Western Australia Day.  On the 4th June, we held a free dress day with a sausage sizzle for all students and staff - inviting gold coin donations for a local community organisation called Homelessness; We Care – Perth WA.   As well as supporting us with gold coin donations, some parents sent in ready-made packs to distribute. This was wonderful – so kind and generous!  Thanks to Rebecca Wenn for organising this and to Karen Woods, who will now oversee our students’ Work Preparation course - where they will pack identified items into bags for this charity.  
Sarah Hills organised a fantastic Rangers’ Day for us on the 15th June.  There were animals, birds and reptiles galore and the photos from the day are brilliant!  Students and staff alike got up close to the animals and it was a wonderful experience.
Our Upper School students have been visiting Warwick gym for the past couple of weeks to experience a few sessions with personal trainer - to gain experience of how to use the equipment if they should decide to buy a gym membership now or in the future. This has been organised by Mr Koppl as part of the US Health Education program and, so far, I think everyone is really enjoying it and gaining confidence. 
Cheryl Stamp, the Senior Youth Worker in the Mobile Youth Service from the City of Joondalup, has been working with us for many years and has, once again, arranged for the Youth Truck come and visit twice per term to engage in activities with the lower school students.  This is a really enjoyable session for the students and we thank Cheryl for continuing to provide this opportunity to our school.
Mr Wilson has been busy this term conducting parent tours for prospective parents and students and then following up on all of the applications.  The feedback from the parents has been extremely positive and we are proud of the programs that our Centre offers. 
On the 24th June we took part in the ESNN Performance showcase, hosted by Belridge SESC.  Mrs Murphy taught a group of WCSESC students a Drumbeat item which they performed.  It is one of the advantages of being part of a larger network of similar schools where students can be involved in an event such as this one.
Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 cases in Perth in the last week of the term, we have had to cancel our Whole School Planting day and the YCDI Assembly. These events will be rescheduled for next term.
As you can see, it has been a busy and productive term for all.  I hope you enjoy the more detailed stories and photographs contained in the newsletter.  I wish you all a restful and relaxing holiday break and look forward to seeing you all next term on Monday 19 July.
Best wishes
Carol Clarke
Principal

Anzac Day Ceremony

Before Term 1 concluded, our students had been learning about ANZAC Day and the meaning behind the celebration and commemoration that takes place on the 25th April. Term 2 saw our students return to school after a restful holiday. After a short week back at school, the students enjoyed a four-day long weekend that concluded with the nationwide ANZAC Day public holiday. Upon returning to school, a group of students from the Lower, Middle and Upper school years prepared the speaking roles that they would later deliver at our school ANZAC Ceremony.
The ceremony itself was lovely and the students were very respectful.  The wreathes created by the classes were beautiful. It was fantastic to see all of the students, Christian, Hudson, Seth, Byron, Talia, Brandon, Kasey, Claire, Ali and Michael, confidently standing in front of the students and staff to deliver their amazing presentation. A special thank you should also be given to one of our Senior School students, Nic, who ensured all of the technology was set up correctly, allowing the ceremony to run as smoothly as possible.

Mr Zac Redknap, Teacher

Biggest Morning Tea

West Coast Secondary Education Support Centre proudly hosted our annual Biggest Morning Tea on Tuesday, 25th May. This year, due to Covid, we decided to keep things small and hosted a Devonshire Tea for our staff. 

We invited every classroom to take part in a Great Scone Bake Off Competition to find West Coast’s best scone.  Each class researched a recipe and entered either a sweet or savoury scone for judging. The students did an amazing job and it was a wonderful treat for staff to sample all of their delicious scones. It was a very close contest with Area J taking out 1st Place with their raspberry and white chocolate scones. The Area J boys were very excited about winning free pizza and a movie for their class. 
The students from Area F set up the room beautifully and greeted our special guests with a smile. The students attended to our guests, taking orders and serving coffee and tea, demonstrating the exceptional skills they have acquired through their participation in ‘Barista Busters’ - our in-school coffee shop. A special mention goes to Claire and Christian for their outstanding skills!
WCSESC is a dedicated contributor to the Biggest Morning Tea fundraising each year and, with the school community’s support, they raised $114 this year at this event to help West Australians affected by cancer. As well as raising valuable funds for a great cause, this event gave students the opportunity to put into practice their hospitality skills and they served up a storm!  Well done, everyone!

Free Dress Fundraiser

This term our school held a Free Dree Day to fundraise money for a local community organisation called Homelessness; We Care – Perth WA.  
This is a non-profit group that sources food items for meals and for care packs. They cook and serve meals to approximately 120 men, women and children within the Perth city every Tuesday night. They also provide the homeless with personal hygiene products and clothing, and they coordinate professionals to volunteer their services.
How WCSESC are helping:
At school we facilitate a Work Skills Program that includes tasks such as sorting, laminating, shredding etc. Within this program we provide a valuable service to businesses and organisations that contact us to assist them with outsourcing tasks. This is a fantastic way for our students to build up and practise skills in readiness for work. 
Using your kind donations, along with a donation of stock from Homelessness; We Care – Perth WA, our students have been very busy sorting and packing care packs. During the last week, our students have sorted and packed 140 care packs for the homeless people of Perth.  
Our school would love to continue this project so we will have a box at the Admin office for ongoing donations of items for the care packs.   Currently we still require the following items:
* Cereal Single Serve Sachet
* 200ml milk carton
* Tin of tuna (95g only with a ring pull)
* 600ml bottle of water
* Zip Lock Bags 'LARGE' (27cmx33cm)
A group of staff members will be delivering these care packs during a Tuesday night meal service in the coming weeks. 
We are so grateful and want to say thank you for your donations so far, and we thank you in advance for your ongoing support.

Mrs Rebecca Wenn, Education Assistant

WA Day Celebrations

On Wednesday, 2nd June, the students at WCSESC celebrated WA day with class-based activities.  They learned about Western Australia and the transformation that has happened over the span of 50 years with people’s lifestyle, general architecture and town planning. The students got to explore some popular WA landmarks on the internet and then they shared their travel plans. They listened to the life story of Yagan and the achievements of our City’s first Surveyor General and they familiarized themselves with the WA flag and its symbolic features. Students also got to enjoy Bulla’s yoghurt ice-cream. It was a pleasant day focussed on the beautiful state that we live in. 

Mrs Nimi Mammen, Teacher

Bushranger Day

On Tuesday, 15th June, Mrs Sarah Hills arranged for West Coast SESC to welcome a menagerie of interesting and intriguing animals to our school grounds. We had alpacas, snakes, a koala, a goat, a miniature pony, chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, bobtails, hawks, and owls all visit the school for our Bush Rangers (Animal-Fauna Focus) Day. All students were thoroughly engaged during the presentations by West Oz Wildlife, Birds of Prey, West Aussie Reptiles, Mamoes Alpacas, and the Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm. They enjoyed the practical learning experience and learned about the needs of each animal, their habitat and any predators within the natural environment. 
Animals are fascinating creatures. Here are some interesting facts about animals:
•    A butterfly has about 12,000 eyes.
•   Snakes can burp fire—but only if the decomposing animal they are eating bursts, because of the methane and                     hydrogen in it, while being digested.
•    If you tickle a rat, it will laugh.
•    A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
•    Cows can walk up stairs but not down them.
•    The little jump guinea pigs do when they’re happy is called popcorning.
•    Koalas sleep for up to 22 hours a day.
•    Cows sleep while standing up!
•    Pigs roll around in mud because they don’t have sweat glands–they do it to stay cool and prevent sunburn!
•    Frogs can breathe through their skin.
•    Birds have hollow bones which is why they are so light and can therefore fly!
•    Cows lie down when they sense a storm is coming.
•    Bees are so smart that they communicate with each other by wiggling their bottoms in a dance.
•    The chicken is the closest living relative to the T-Rex.

Mrs Allison Nolan, Middle School Coordinator

VET and Transition

We have a number of students attending VET/ ASDAN Programs external to the school site. All students are representing the school exceptionally well and developing many skills which will hold them in good stead in their future pathways.
Claire, Adam and Will have been attending Dianella Secondary College ESC, participating in a Certificate I Hospitality Course.   They are demonstrating exceptional Hospitality and team-working skills.  
Nic is working studiously at the Clarkson Campus at North Met Tafe, completing a Certificate II in Integrated Technologies.  Nic is showing exceptional study skills and a commitment to succeed in this area of study.  Well done, Nic!
Blake, Shenaye, Adam, Caitlin and Byron have been developing skills during their ASDAN Short Courses- Gardening and Animal Care.  They have been a delight to teach and have followed OHS principles out at Landsdale Farm.  They have recently learned how to hold a chicken safely and are growing crops to harvest next semester.

Ami is attending the Leederville Campus at North MET Tafe completing a Certificate II in Community Services.  Ami faces every aspect of the course with confidence and drive.  She leads class discussions and presents her ideas articulately and with such knowledge and passion.  You should be very proud of yourself, Ami!
Talia has secured a School Based Traineeship at the Water Board.  Well done, Talia, on your determination and drive to succeed.  You have shown great maturity and dedication settling into the routine of work and study.  
On 28th July between 3.30pm and 5.30pm, we are inviting Gaelen Williams into school to speak to parents about Employment Supports.  Transitions are always an important part of our lives and students leaving school is no exception.  The knowledge parents will gain from this workshop is vital to that transition being as seamless as possible.  We have extended the deadline to respond given the current circumstances and we look forward to seeing you there.

Mrs Christine Lester, Upper School Coordinator

Area B

Term 2 has been a great term.  We have settled in and have achieved many goals.  In Area B, we have been in the garden planting seedlings, watering and weeding and finally picking our bountiful harvest.  Matthew has been our reliable tap and watering man, making sure we have all the right equipment to use watering cans or hoses.  Sophie has particularly enjoyed using the hose to water our new lemon and lime trees, while Henry showed us his strength by digging a big hole to plant the lemon tree in.  Early in the term, the class attempted several tasks to get their tool licences.  Caitin and Sophie demonstrated their skills with a watering can, hose and trowel and achieved their tool licences while Jasmine, Henry, Jessica, Ella and Keeanna navigated a slalom course with the wheelbarrow to be awarded their wheelbarrow licence.  Well done, everyone!!  All of our hard work was celebrated when we harvested bowls and bowls of basil, rocket, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and parsley.
This term we also focused on our You Can do It skills: “getting along” and “how to be a good friend”.  Matija and Avi have been choosing nice phrases that friends use, picking great ways to get along and identifying strengths that make a good friend.  I think the whole class has been doing their best to get along and be good friends to each other and it shows in how happy our class is.  

Mrs Katie Gill and Mrs Leisa Graham, Teachers

Area F

Area F have had a busy term.  The students have been putting in great effort to the Barista Busters and Baking program.  We have students who have become independent in the coffee making process - from grinding the coffee to delivering coffee to numerous appreciative customers throughout the Centre.  We have other students who have demonstrated excellent customer service skills during the process of taking and delivering coffee orders.  We also have students who have shown enthusiasm and independence when baking food each week.  The baked goods have been served with the coffees that are delivered and have been enjoyed by all. Another highlight of Term 2 has been our gym sessions at Warwick Stadium.  All the students have been enthusiastically engaged throughout these sessions.  Each session has started with a group warm up followed by a guided workout where students are in groups and trying out different cardio and weights machines and a variety of free weights activities.  The level of participation, the smiles and the positive comments are clear evidence of how much the students have enjoyed and gained from these sessions.  Well done, Area F for completing a great term. 

Mrs Suzanne Nileshwar, Teacher

Area G

In Term 2, students from Area G got to experience Whitford’s Westfield shopping centre. Students engaged in different shopping tasks assigned by their families and enjoyed the recess and lunch at the food court. The two-day program was a great life-skill learning experience for them, focussed around accessing public transport and handling money. Great work, Area G!

Mrs Nimi Mammen, Teacher

Area K

The students and staff in area K have had a busy term.  Highlights have been our bird beak experiment in Science, sushi making in HASS and community access to the Joondalup shops.
Area K students have been learning about animal adaptations in Science this term. They conducted a whale blubber experiment with plastic bags, lard and a bowl of ice water to see how blubber insulates animals like whales from the ice cold waters. They also conducted a bird beak experiment, using different household equipment like chopsticks, tweezers and tongs to see how easy it is to pick up different types of food. They had to pick up individual pieces of rice, little lolly worms, some seeds and some mini marshmallows. They then had to see how many mouthfuls they could pick up and put in a container in 30 seconds and record the data. Surprisingly the tweezers were the best beak. The students were really engaged in this lesson and appeared to have a great time.
In HASS this term we have been learning about the geography and culture of Japan. Topics we have covered included mapping climate zones and the four main islands of Japan, religion and native animals. In week 8 we looked at the dining out etiquette in Japan as well as the main foods that are eaten there. We then made chicken, avocado and cucumber sushi (give or take a few ingredients depending on personal tastes!) The students did really well making their sushi and then enjoyed eating it even more!
The whole-school, Rangers' day was a huge success. The students absolutely loved getting to see, touch and even hold a wide variety of animals, including snakes, lizards, a koala, alpacas, an owl and a falcon! 
In week 8 and 10, students went on Community Access to the Joondalup shops. They used public transport and did very well using their Smart-rider cards or purchasing tickets to get on the bus and train. They were such excellent ambassadors for the school and were on their best behaviour which was great to see!
Some students had a shopping list from home and they navigated the shops to find the items on their list. They used their own money to pay for their items. Some students also bought their lunch at the shops which was a nice treat for them. One task they also did was to interview people about their jobs, including their job title, whether they have a uniform and what equipment they use. 
We have had a great Term 2 and as you can see we have been very busy!  We are looking forward to more fun in Term 3. Have a great holiday break!

Mrs Christine Abbott, Teacher

Photography

It has been a very pleasing start to the year for our photography students. 
The Photography room has moved locations this year and now operates from the shared IT / Photography room which has been equipped with new computers and new advanced editing software in Luminar 4.
There has been an increase in the number of students participating in the ASDAN component of the program. We have four Dianella students along with four of our own students participating in the one year program and this year we have introduced a new, two-year program. ASDAN is an integral part of Photography - with an ASDAN certificate being gained by students that complete all parts of the curriculum. Whilst ASDAN has a formal component, students are also provided with an enjoyable and informative environment to nurture their artistic abilities in capturing inspiring photographs. The ASDAN program runs for the whole year, with formal assessments of the work usually occurring in September. 
In the non-ASDAN component of the program, students partake in a photography learning path - familiarising themselves with DSLR cameras and the school's latest photo editing software, Luminar 4.
Luminar 4 is an advanced editing software directly competing with Photoshop. The students have grasped the new software very quickly and their editing skills have developed as a result. This software is bringing the students to a new level of photograph output, which is pleasing to see.
Students new to Photography are provided with a pathway that commences with the basics of the camera and its components, basic camera holding techniques and basic uploading and editing. All components of learning are then increased to higher levels at a graduated rate in line with the student’s abilities.   This year, photography students have been able to utilise larger room facilities, with new computer and camera access, enabling further development of their skills.
Below is a very small selection of photographs taken by our students in Term 1 and 2. Perhaps there might be a competition winner amongst them. We look forward to seeing more of our students' photos in the coming terms.

Mr Steve Yanev, Photography

Design and Technology

During Semester 1, the lower school students have learned about Cyber safety, how to receive and send emails, and block coding (JAVA Script).  Middle and senior students have been learning about computer hardware, coding for making 3D prints, technology advances, the history of computers and coding using the Minecraft Education Edition (Hour of Code) to learn about computer code.

In Woodwork, during Semester 1, we have been busy making tea-light and match box holders and Noughts and Crosses puzzles with our middle and senior year classes. They have all done so well!

From the IT suite we have been busy making a 3D print Chess set, tiles and board for use in the Maths Void for the students to play chess on at Recess and Lunch.

Mrs Lisa Key, Teacher

Art and Enterprise

Each year, products hand-made by our students are sent to our Japanese sister school, Fukuyama Kita Special School.  This term, we have been enjoying making beautiful marbled paper (using shaving cream and food colouring!).  Students then made bookmarks and cards from this marbled paper.  The results were really very striking and our students were justifiably proud of their beautiful work!

Mrs Gaye Yanev and Mrs Sue Kelly

Physical Education

One of the sports practised and played by both our lower and middle school for this semester was cricket. At the end of this Physical Education unit, three coaches from the Western Australian Cricket Association came to West Coast SESC on the 28th of May and taught a Cricket Carnival for the entire school. Students demonstrated their cricket skills and consolidated their knowledge of the game. The coaches had set up mini games for students to practice their skills and then finished the clinic with a modified cricket game that got all the students moving. Thank you to the integrated program, organised by the WACA, for coming out and teaching us some new games and skills! 

Mr Ryan Koppl, PE Teacher

Guitar and Drums

Both guitar and drum lessons have seen new faces this year. These include, Samantha, Shenaye, Dylan and Seth on guitar and Jared and Samson on drums. Samantha and Shenaye have worked hard to come to terms with the difficulty of learning chords and notes to enable them to play the guitar successfully. They are progressing steadily and working towards playing the chords and notes to simple songs.  Dylan has only just commenced lessons and is keen to get involved with learning how to shape the G and C chord so he can also play a couple of songs. Seth has had some prior experience with playing the guitar and has demonstrated a keenness to learn new chords that will enable him to play new songs.

It is anticipated that in the second half of the year all guitar students will have the opportunity to borrow a guitar from the school for the remainder of the year. Students will not be required to bring the guitar back to school until the last week of term 4. Hopefully by having the guitar at home, they will be able to practice the tunes or songs played at school.

Jared and Samson have both commenced drumming this year and are making steady progress drumming to a rock beat. Samson is always keen to attempt new drumming patterns that may fit the songs that he enjoys listening to. The pre-existing music students are also progressing well and hopefully, with them having the opportunity to have a guitar at home, we will see significant development in their playing skills by the end of the year.

Mr Vas Nikola, Guitar Teacher

Fishability

This year, students enjoyed a day of Fishability on Friday, 21st May. The program was initially planned for two days but, due to the Covid-19 lockdown, one of the sessions was cancelled. Nevertheless, students made the most of that one day. They got to practise the skills of fishing and casting - skills that some of the students had learned last year.  They kept a count of the number of blowies they caught and enjoyed a healthy competition with one another. All the students displayed persistence and resilience whilst waiting for their initial catch, after which they were all on a roll. It was a pleasure to hear from the students that they found the program to be peaceful and felt the time flew by too quickly.   Josh A from Area A bagged the top prize for all his efforts and perseverance.  Kudos to our students!

Mrs Nimi Mammen, Teacher

Drumbeat

This term, students in Areas A, B and K have taken part in our DRUMBEAT program.   DRUMBEAT is an evidence-based social-emotional learning program that incorporates hand drumming with teamwork, discussions, rhythm and performance. Students have explored a range of topics, including friendship, harmony, empathy and social connectedness and have used their Persistence to learn a range of core rhythms which are then layered together to create a performance. We have also had a lot of fun playing games to increase our confidence and develop our listening skills.

On the 24th June, some of our students were selected to perform at the ESNN Performing Arts Showcase held at Belridge Secondary College in the brand new Performing Arts area. As you can see from the photos, our students had a blast and performed so well.

Well done to everyone who has taken part in Drumbeat!

Mrs Tara Murphy, Drama Teacher

Multilit

Multilit is our one-on-one reading program for students who need extra help with their reading. Selected staff have been trained in this program and take students out of class for a 20 minute session each day.  This program has seen big improvements in students' reading levels. Students have started the year well and will continue working at their own pace on the program.

Mrs Debbie Pember, Multilit Coordinator

Canteen Menu Term 3

Telethon Holiday Makers Program

2021 Razzmatazz Live Show

Friends of Warwick Bushland

Better Health Program