Issue 3 - May 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Our Term 2 is off to a smooth start with many important assessments underway already. Last week saw our Year 7 and 9s undertake their NAPLAN testing. This went very smoothly and will be the last time that our students sit a paper test, with our school being part of the next round of schools to move to NAPLAN online next year.

OLNA results are out for the Round 1 testing this year and we congratulate all those students who have made progress. Our Senior School students will also be sitting exams in Week 5 and full details of these timetables can be found on Connect and the school website or by contacting Phil Henderson at the school.

At the end of last term, we held our ANZAC assembly to remember those who have served for their country. Our student councillors shared with us information from the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux and the Thailand Burma Railway. We thank all our special guests for their support for this moving and important event in our school calendar.

Vy Nyugen is back from her ANZAC Tour and you can read all about her adventures in her blog along with those from the other participants.

Both our student tour groups arrived back safely this term. You can read more about their adventures in this issue. Thank you to our staff for their efforts and generosity in supporting these tours. Thank you to Zoe Wittber, Christine Hamilton, Ashley Meaden and Jeremy Wittber for the Melbourne Gifted and Talented Visual Arts tour and Kuldeep Kaler for the Sabah Malaysian Tour.

Last week we also held our Mother’s Day breakfast. With a record 180 guests we had a wonderful turn out. Our guest speaker Olivia Vivian was entertaining and interesting and gave some very important messages about not taking our mothers for granted.

Cause to be proud of our Kalamunda students both current and former

Brittany Isaia recently directed ‘The Return’ at the local KADS theatre. This is a complex and demanding play with the scene entirely set on a moving train between Armadale and Fremantle. As a set text for English Literature Brittany studied this at school last year with her teacher Alex Geneve, who also starred in the play as the character Maureen. Brittany is studying at WAPPA this year and we are very proud of her achievements as a singer, songwriter, performer and now director!

Congratulations to Year 10 student Emma Strelein on her recent selection by Basketball WA for the State Metro u16 Girls Team to compete at the National Championships on the Sunshine Coast this coming school holidays. Emma plays for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns in the Western Australian Basketball League, and has worked hard for this opportunity to represent her state. Well done Emma and good luck!

A number of our students are participating in a national baseball championship in Lismore NSW with their charter teams. Zach Kingston, Felix Kingston and Jordan Gurbiel-French will compete in the Intermediate League and Ewan Fraser-Easton in the Senior League. We wish them and their teams all the best for this competition.

Quiz Night

Each year our staff runs a quiz night for family and friends. We encourage you to set Friday 22 June aside for this fun event. All proceeds go into supporting the school, and this year’s funds will go towards an upgrade of the blue quadrangle.

Welcome

We welcome Peter Bazen (IT support) and Emma Penglis (Science teacher) to our staff this term. Peter replaces Liam Dickie who is acting in a higher position at another school and Emma is replacing Nicky Nuemayr, who resigned for personal reasons at the end of Term 2. Nicky continues to provide support as relief staff at the school.

WA Premier’s Education Awards

These awards are available each year and last year the school community nominated Marcus Roberts for his efforts in supporting music at the school.

Please let me know if you would like to nominate a staff member for one of these award.

We also welcome all the new students to our school and hope that their time with us is successful and enjoyable.

Mrs Helen Deacon
Principal

Senior School Report

The Senior School students have settled into Term 2 with the focus towards Externally Set Task’s (EST’s), exams, WorkPlace Learning (WPL) and career information. With the first round of formal reporting fast approaching it is important that students maintain their focus through to the end of semester. Reports provide a great opportunity to reflect on our successes and areas we can improve.

The Class of 2018 are confronted by the reality that school will be ending in a little over a term. The leavers jackets have become a feature of the school uniform identifying those students in their final year. It has been great to see how the group has approached the ESTs and hopefully that will be replicated in the upcoming Semester 1 exams. While this is a stressful time of year it is important to recognise the benefits of a balanced approach to study, activity, social life and sleep.

All Year 12 students are required to complete the online collection of student declaration and permission details for the Authority. The Authority’s purpose is to ensure all Year 12 students are aware of the requirements to achieve the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) and for sitting ATAR course examinations. For any additional information the Year 12 Information Handbook which is available on the Authority website.

For the Year 11 and 12 students sitting exams, it is important to remember being prepared for your exams is a key component - have everything you need available and remain focused. I would also like to remind all Year 11 and 12 students that Semester 1 is fast drawing to an end, attendance and completion of assessments will help to ensure good results. It is vital for all Senior School students to ensure that all work is handed in on time, and that they are putting in the required effort and study time needed to succeed.

The Year 10 group participated in the career expo in Week 2. Enjoying a guest speaker Greg Mitchell talking about the importance of finding meaning for yourself. Making decisions for yourself and the values you hold will help you focus on being more successful. The students were then able to talk to a range of universities, training institutions, employers and careers advisors. This is an important time for Year 10, building information towards making choices for Year 11. Parents there is an information evening at 6pm 14 June where we will discuss WACE, pathways and the course counselling process.

Can I also remind all Senior School students along with parents, that Connect is a vital part of the school communication and a lot of information is available on Connect so please make you time to check any updates or reminders. Please contact me if you have any concerns on 92936400.

Mr Carl Stott
Acting Head of Senior School

Year 11 Report

Welcome to what is almost the middle of Term 2. It has been a smooth start to the term after what seemed like a never ending Term 1.

As you read this your child will either be sitting their examinations or out on Work Place learning. I wish them all good luck!

Towards the end of the semester we will be looking at the Year 11s progress and identify students who may need to change courses in order to succeed in the year. We will get in contact with you if this affects your child.

I had the pleasure of going with the Year 11 Photography and Media students on an excursion to Fremantle. It was so lovely to spend the day with such a great bunch of students and they behaved so well and displayed a great level of responsibly and maturity.

As the weather is becoming colder students out of school uniform is becoming an issue. We have been informed that the new school tracksuit pants will be available from June. There also seems to be many Year 11s who are also wearing jumpers other than the school ones. It is important for your child to realise that if they are out of uniform it is marked on the system and can lead to a loss of Good Standing. Good Standing is required in order to attend the school ball in Term 1 of 2019.

As always please contact me with any questions, queries or concerns. Email is the best way to get hold of me emma.cannell@education.wa.edu.au

Ms Emma Dunstan
Year 11 Coordinator

Year 10 Report

Welcome back to school for Term 2. Last term ended well with a number of students being recognised and rewarded for great behaviour and attitude at school, wearing school uniform and attendance above 90% through our new computer based Kala Credit House Point System.

The students in Year 10 from Orion were rewarded with a sausage sizzle – they also needed to have their Good Standing to be able to attend.

Careers Expo 2018

The Year 10 students from Kalamunda SHS attended the Careers Expo, along with Year 11 and 12 KSHS students and other Senior School students from other schools. This valuable event was organised by The City of Kalamunda. The guest speaker spoke about Career Pathways to the Year 10s in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC). Students were then able to walk through the stalls in the Agricultural Hall and collect pamphlets and information from a variety of Universities, TAFE and Defence Forces.

OLNA

OLNA results from round 1 testing have recently been published. The results were printed and handed out to students. Year 10 students who have not passed still have five more opportunities before the end of Year 12 to achieve their OLNA.

Exams

To maximise their exam results Year 10 students should be utilising the study skills strategies delivered to them in the Study Skills Seminar by Elevate, provided to them by KSHS last term, as well as their own strategies that they discovered that have worked previously.

Connect

Your child has an online School Connect account that includes important information from teachers. Parents also have an account to access information about their child’s schooling and academic progress. If you or your child are experiencing difficulty accessing this, please contact the front office.

KSHS Good Standing

Please check your child’s Student Planner for information about maintaining student Good Standing to ensure that your child will be included in the reward at the end of this term. I would to encourage a particular focus on wearing appropriate school uniform this term – no hoodies please.

Thank you for your continued support and please don’t hesitate to contact me, your child’s Mentor Teacher or Learning Area Teacher if you have any questions.

Mrs Nicole Sijka
Year 9 Coordinator

Middle School Report

Bibbulmun Challenge

We have now wound up our Bibbulmun Challenge for another year. We have had a number of staff make their first journey and seem to have come through better than myself. I want to congratulate all of the students, staff and parents who made the journey this year. It is without doubt a wonderful initiative and I know I refer students to it as they move through Middle School, reminding them about how they felt on that day and how they overcame any problems. I especially want to thank our school Chaplain Desi and also our amazing Year 8 Coordinator Ms Cheetham. Once again we gave the mentor classes the added task of compiling a photographic display of the day and they will be working with their mentor teachers to compile a presentation that represents our five School Values and how they related to the day. These presentations will be judged by an independent panel that no mentor teachers will be able to a part of (yes that includes our amazing principal Ms Deacon) as the best presentation will receive a breakfast for their mentor that will be cooked by myself, Ms Cheetham and Ms Shepherd. More details soon.

NAPLAN

This week the Year 7s and 9s sat their NAPLAN tests. This is quite a significant event for all but especially for this group of Year 9s. There are the obvious flow on effects in regards to their achievement and how that can impact their senior schooling so we are noticing that many of your Year 9s are taking extra special care with this week. I would just like to congratulate the overwhelming majority of students for their cooperation this week. With moving rooms and different bell times the students had an interrupted week and so their patience across the whole school has been appreciated. Well done to Mr Henderson for tying it all together as well.

Online Safety

I do receive some useful information from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner which I like to pass on. I have copied this from their newsletter and have taken the tour as well. It is extremely informative and well thought out. It is also a great starting point if you are feeling a little overwhelmed about all of the Online programs, apps and games that are out there.

Mr Mark Pettit
Head of Middle School

Year 9 Report

Welcome back to Term 2. We wound up Term 1 on a positive note with our Middle School assembly and Values Awards. Congratulations to the following students:

In addition to our Values Awards, we also had a rewards sausage sizzle for the house with the most Kala Credit points – this was attended by students with their good standing intact from all year groups. The winning Year 9 house this term was Draco. Congratulations on your efforts!

We have had a very busy start to Term 2 with the NAPLAN assessments taking place during Week 3. The students worked well and are to be commended for their efforts and behaviour during this time. I would like to thank all involved for supporting our students in the lead up to and during the week.

Although this is a shorter term we have a variety of incursions and activities taking place this term which are outlined below.

Term 2 Events

Thank you for your support and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Miss Karen Stuart
Year 8 Coordinator

Year 8 Report

The end of last term saw the celebration of our amazing students. During the Middle School assembly a number of our Year 8s received Values Awards. The students recognised by these awards were nominated by the teachers for displaying our school values. Year 8 students from Draco received a personalised invitation during mentor to a sausage sizzle held on the last day of term as they had accumulated over 1800 points. I would personally like to thank Mrs Reder and some of the Year 10 boys who assisted in the set up and cooking for all the year groups. Keep working displaying our school values with pride and earn extra points for your house. The point tally currently stands as followed:

Five girls in Year 8 have been working through the ‘In Real Life Program’ with our Chaplain Desi. The program serves to help students develop skills in friendship making, conflict resolution, managing emotions and building confidence. It is a seven week program where students attend one hour session each week. Another ‘In Real Life Program’ will be running soon and if there are any girls in Year 8 interested please let me know.

As we wind up towards the end of the Bibbulmun Challenge I would like to take the time to reflect on the resilience shown by our students. It is fantastic to see them working together to overcome challenges faced on the walk and supporting each other along the way. Congratulations to all Year 8s and teachers who took up the challenge. It will be an experience we will all remember for a long time to come.

Now that we are approaching the winter season it is important that students are appropriately dressed in the schools winter uniform. Whilst we understand that we are still waiting on the track pants, other non-school pants are not to be worn. Students may wear (navy blue or black) tights, leggings or stockings under the skirts or shorts, or use the original trousers. We are also getting an influx of students wearing hoodies. These are not part of the uniform.

I look forward to what the rest of the term brings. Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at laura.cheetham@education.wa.edu.au.

Ms Laura Cheetham
Year 8 Coordinator

Student Services Report

School refusal, anxiety and attendance: Information for parents

Canteen corner

Mrs Amanda Morton
Manager Student Services

Mother’s Day Breakfast

On Friday 11 May we celebrated the wonderful job our mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, aunties and carers do by providing a lovely breakfast for them and their children. This year we had over 180 attendees, which, so far, has been our biggest crowd.

With the help of donations from IGA Kalamunda and Woolworths we managed to cook bacon and eggs muffins; ham, cheese and tomato croissants, toast, cereal and fruit; along with tea, coffee, milo and juices. Our dedicated team of helpers were definitely kept busy! Charlotte Irving and Paris Johnston entertained us with some lovely music.

This year our guest speaker was Australian artistic gymnast Olivia Vivien, who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The silence around the room during her talk was evidence of the powerful message she delivered – value mum and stay connected and keep communicating. Olivia was an extremely engaging and down to earth speaker and her message resonated well with every-one. Watch out for Olivia on the next session of Australian Ninja Warriors!

Our student speaker this year was none other than our Head Boy Declan O’Hanlon who paid a lovely and humorous tribute to his mum.

The school appreciates having the opportunity to provide our students with the chance to let their mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, aunties and carers know how much they mean and help them connect with each other.

Overall, the morning was a great way to share this special occasion and help our students let their mothers, grandmothers, aunties and carers know the important role they play in their lives.

I would like to thank those students and staff involved in making the morning a success.

Mrs Jenny Edmonds
School Psychologist

Indonesian News

Cultural Tour to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

14 April – 21 April 2018

During the April School holidays, the indefatigable Ibu Kaler took a group of eleven Kalamunda SHS students to Sabah, in Malaysia. The group was joined by teachers and students from Governor Stirling SHS for an action packed eight day experience in tropical, fun-loving, mountainous Sabah.

The Malay language is the mother language of the region and is the basis of the Indonesian language and several other language groups. KSHS Indonesian LOTE students found that they could speak to the local people: asking for directions, sharing jokes and haggling at the markets.

Included in our experience was a visit to see baby orangutans being cared for and rehabilitated in preparation for release back into the wild, meeting the founder of the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre (Dr Wong Siew Te) and the cute and cuddly (looking) bears, and a day trip to a mountain village where we all enjoyed a local farm lunch and some traditional experiences like winnowing rice. We observed local farming practices, and talked about the future of organic farming in Sabah and the balance between tourism other local enterprises.

Most people we met spoke some English, and all were very friendly and welcoming. We spent a day at the Mari Mari Cultural Village – a showcase for the five main indigenous tribes – trying traditional food, learning about life in a long house and watching traditional dances. Tobias M was elected “tribe leader” for the day and met with the tribal elders of the Murut tribe (renown as fierce head hunters until startlingly recently) to convince them that we were a good to have around. Thanks, Tobias – we survived!

Tribe leader Tobias

We all experienced things that are not generally included on the usual tourist itinerary, we were all challenged in different ways during the tour. We all bonded and had a great time. We have a treasure trove of memories and experiences and thousands of photos to show our families. We have prepared an album for the school which is available in the School Office if you would like to see more.

We would like to thank Ibu Kaler for organizing the tour, caring for us while we were away and being the one to cajole, demand and coax us on. Thanks, Ibu.

Written by Alex Stevens (parent)

2018 Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) Malaysia Cultural Tour

14 April 2018

KSHS students (11 students/ Ibu Kaler/ Mrs A Stevens) started our journey to Sabah from Perth International Airport. It was a nearly 5 hours flight.

15 April 2018

We were picked up from our hotel and taken to the airport for a 30-minute flight to Sandakan. After arriving at Sandakan at 7:55 am, we went to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. We watched a video about the plight of the Orangutans and the rehabilitation efforts going on in the centre. We then walked for ten minutes through the rainforest on wooden boardwalks to witness the feeding of the orangutans. Unfortunately we did not see any at the platform, but we were lucky enough to see some a little further along the boardwalk. We then continued to the newly completed outdoor nursery that allows young orangutans to come and go as they please and watched some adorable baby Orangutans playing on the ropes.

We then went to the Borneo sun bear conservation centre to learn about the conservation of the world’s smallest bear. After a tasty lunch we went to the Rainforest Discovery Centre to go on the treetop walk over amazing rainforests full of native plants and animals. We then proceeded to the Sandakan Memorial Park at Kundahsan. This park is where Australian WWI and WWII soldiers fought. We then drove to Sandakan airport and flew back to Kota Kinabalu.

16 April 2018

We drove for 45 minutes in the countryside with a quick stop at Tamparuli suspension bridge and the local market, passing through scenic view of Kiulu valley. Upon arrival at the fig tree in Kampung Mantob we were greeted by the Penghulu Kampung (elder of the village) and tried our hand at some cultural activities such as rice processing and rubber tapping. We enjoyed a traditional lunch before heading back to the city where we shopped at a Malaysian mall for gifts for family and friends. Next few days we were in KK to continue with our tour.

We tried some sweet potato cooked in traditional ways.

Written by Veronica Stevens (Year 8)

Sabah Tour

19 April 2018

We visited the Mari-Mari cultural village. We got to see how each tribe lived, what they ate and some of their traditional dances. We got the opportunity to try some of their traditional foods and we even got henna tattoos.

We learnt about the different oufits meaning different things, she has short sleeves which means she is single.

Written by Alison Keeler (Year 8)

Italian Update

Why you should choose a foreign language at subject selection time!

Increase your global understanding.

"... [E]ffective communication and successful negotiations with a foreign partner - whether with a partner in peacekeeping, a strategic economic partner, a political adversary, or a non-English speaking contact in a critical law enforcement action - requires strong comprehension of the underlying cultural values and belief structures that are part of the life experience of the foreign partner." - Dr Dan Davidson, President of the American Councils on International Education.

To improve employment potential

Knowing languages gives you an edge over monolingual applicants competing for the same jobs.

To increase native language ability

Research shows that knowledge of other languages boosts students' understanding of languages in general and enables students to use their native language more effectively. This applies to specific language skills as well as overall linguistic abilities. Foreign language learners have stronger vocabulary skills in English, a better understanding of the language, and improved literacy in general. Higher reading achievement in the native language as well as enhanced listening skills and memory have been shown to correlate with extended foreign language study.

To sharpen cognitive skills

There is strong evidence today that studying a foreign language has a ripple effect, helping to improve student performance in other subjects. Learning a language involves a variety of learning skills, studying a foreign language can enhance one's ability to learn and function in several other areas.

To appreciate international literature, music, and film

Most of the world's literary and artistic works have been written in languages other than English. A translation of a text can never be fully true to the intent, beauty, style, and uniqueness of its original. A translation is always to a large degree subject to the interpretation of the translator, not least because some elements of languages simply don't have translations in other languages. Word plays, metaphors, innuendoes, cultural references and culturally loaded vocabulary words, and formulations unique to the original language often get lost in translation. To be able to fully appreciate literature, theatre music, and film in other languages, one must be able to access them in their original form.

To increase understanding of oneself and one's own culture

Knowing another language and culture affords you the unique opportunity of seeing yourself and your own culture from an outside perspective. Contact with other languages and cultures gives you the unique opportunity to step outside your familiar scope of existence and view your culture's customs, traditions, and norms as well as your own value system through the eyes of others.

…..JUST TO LIST A FEW…..

Learning Italian in Year 7: Student Testimonials

Italian has helped me improve in multi tasking. Lucy

Learning Italian is hard, especially because all nouns have a gender! Jordie

Coming into Italian, I didn’t know a thing….but as soon as Term 1 was over, I started recognising nouns, verbs and saying my address. You should try Italian! You will be surprised on how fun it is! Anisha

It is a lot harder than I thought. It is still very enjoyable and it is a good learning environment. Emily

I have realised that Italian is more than words. It about culture, respect and tradition. Nick

I always learn something new and fascinating. London

I really enjoy Italian because I find it really fun and interesting. I have learnt so much and it is my favourite subject this year. Alyssa

Italian is fun to learn but quite complicated (eg: masculine and feminine nouns). In Italian we have to take a lot responsibility and listen. Karrie

Learning Italian has made me focus and take responsibility for my learning. It is really fun. Montanna

What I find amazing is learning about what it is like going to school in Italy! Xavier

Year 8 Update

Una Casa Sostenibile ( A Sustainable House)

Did you know……….

In Mrs Pennington’s Italian class, this term, we are learning about eco-friendly houses throughout Europe. So far we have looked at different types of houses and how they sort out their waste. Later on this term, in groups, we are designing and/or making models of eco-friendly and sustainable houses. We can choose to either make an entire house, a garden or a single room (e.g. the kitchen – un cucina).

Did you know? That they have FIVE different rubbish bins for their waste. They keep their bins colour coded so they don’t get confused. For example, their general waste (misto secco) is for anything that can’t be recycled and is put into a grey bin then emptied on Sundays. Paper and cartons (carta e cartone) are put into a blue bin and emptied on Wednesdays. Plastics (plastica) are put into a yellow bin and emptied on Tuesdays. Organic or food waste (umido) is put in a brown bin and emptied on Mondays and Thursdays. Cans and glass (vetro e metallo) are put into a green bin and emptied on Fridays.

Some things that Italians do to make their homes eco-friendly and sustainable are:

• adding solar panels or rooftop gardens to their roof tops;
• opening houses and adding windows for natural light;
• compost bins that make good soil for their plants;
• making their house out of wood and having grass roof tops to keep cool in the summer (estate) and warm in winter (inverno): and
• Uuing materiali usati- recycable materials.

Written by Mia O’Brien, Kiana Lemierz, Emily Waldon (Year8)

What’s happening in Italy?

Giro d’Italia 2018 route: stage-by-stage details

Mrs Maria Pennington
Italian Teacher

Music Update

On Friday 11 May Annalise Stevens, Phornchita Sullivan, Quinn Armenti and Saskia Blake performed at Falls Road Primary School. They performed ’Despedida’ from The Latin Suite by Keane as a guitar quartet and also some solos. It is always a pleasure to showcase and share KSHS music talents with our feeder primary schools.

Musikal met on Monday 14 May and the minutes are available at the KSHS website.

Kalamunda music students Leah Addison, Eilish Law-Davis, Georgia Ludeman, Annalies Stevens, and Morgan Taylor participated in the World Projects International Music Festival in the USA during the April school holidays. They travelled with band leader Peter Hind and other members of the Perth Hills and Wheatbelt Band (PHAWB), which draws members from several high schools including Kalamunda. Over two weeks the group visited Los Angeles, Washington and New York with workshops and performances at Disneyland, high schools and in Central Park. They were assisted in their festival preparation by renowned concert band instructors. After almost two weeks of sight seeing and preparation, the trip culminated with the presentation of adjudicated pieces in Carnegie Hall, New York in which they achieved Silver. It was a great opportunity with many life changing experiences.

Mr Marcus Roberts
Director of Music

Gifted and Talented Visual Arts Melbourne Tour 2018

Over the April school holidays, 23 students from our Gifted and Talented Visual Arts program participated in a whirlwind arts tour of Melbourne. They participated in a wide range of activities and experiences which took them to the streets of Melbourne viewing amazing street artwork and having conversations with artists that gave them true insight into the working life of an artist in Melbourne. They had a photography tour with Jaime Murcia, well known National Geographic photographer and had a personal tour of some iconic laneways. They went to see a live production Priscilla Queen of the Desert which was one of the highlights and a feature movie at IMAX. There were tours at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Ian Potter Centre, as well as a number of workshops including spray painting, portraiture and sculpture. All the students enjoyed the time we spent exploring the city and embracing all the information our wonderful guides had to offer.

I look forward to taking another group on a similar experience in the future. Thank you to Christine Hamilton, Ashley Meaden and Jeremy Wittber for being amazing staff members and a great support to me during the tour!

Ms Zoe Wittber
Gifted and Talented Visual Arts Coordinator

Library News

Ms Jorje Raphael
Teacher in Charge Library Services

Year 10 Poetry Incursion

“On Wednesday 9 May, Award Winning Slam Poet Manal Younus, visited the school to present a poetry incursion for the Year 10s. She told us of her experiences with traditional poetry and slam poetry, taught us about a few ways to write it and performed some of her own pieces for us. Her work covers a diverse range of topics from her own life and showed us that poetry really can be about anything, in any form (greatly demonstrated by her simple poem about how much she loves tea!). After her performance, the 10.01 English class participated in a workshop with Manal. During this time, we took part in some games to boost out confidence with public speaking and gave Manal the chance to engage more with us as a class. We then had the valuable opportunity to write our own poems and share them with our peers.”

Year 10 Academic Excellence Program Participant

Soccer Program Update

Kalamunda SHS’s first ever Girls Soccer Team, played their first Interschool game against Mercy College on Wednesday 16 May. The girls put in a strong showing against the Specialist Soccer School but went down 5-1. Zahlee Burns scored a fantastic goal from outside the 18-yard box in the second half. Special mention must go to Saige Lawler, Jade Johnston, Andrea Espulger, Stella Pryde and Sophie Eden who all put in excellent performances on the day. The girls have improved tremendously since the start of the year and it is credit to the outstanding attitude and commitment they have shown since joining the Kalamunda SHS Soccer Program, which is in its inaugural year. The boys will commence their fixtures during Terms 3 and 4. If you have any further questions regarding the Soccer Program, please don’t hesitate to contact Mark Humphreys at Mark.Humphreys@education.wa.edu.au or on 9293 6400.

Mr Mark Humphreys
Health and Physical Education Teacher

Act Belong Commit

Already this term we have been busy investing in the positive mental health for the students, staff and school community. As noted we ran our Mother’s Day Breakfast on 11 May, which is a wonderful way to strengthen the relationship between the school and the community, enhancing families’ feelings of belonging to the school. It is also a lovely way to strengthen family bonds.

Our Act Belong Commit tip this edition is:

Volunteering can give people a purpose in life – which is a great contributor to one’s mental health. Helping out at the school canteen, or the footy club, or through Lions or Rotary, or visiting someone who is housebound, not only makes for a stronger community, but is good for your mental health.

A message from the Community Health Nurses

School aged health services survey

Do you have a child aged between three and 18?

Child and Adolescent Community Health and WA Country Health Service are reviewing the community health services provided to school-aged children and across Western Australia. You are invited to complete a short survey to help them understand what is important to you, what is working well and what could be made better.

The survey closes on Friday 8 June.

Hand washing

Hand washing is an important public health measure for reducing the impact of some communicable diseases such as gastroenteritis and influenza which can severely impact student attendance, learning and the wellbeing of the school community. Hand washing can also reduce the risk of exposure to common allergens such as peanuts for those in the school community who are anaphylactic, and decrease the risk of cross infection for students with chronic health conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

Hands should be washed before and after eating or preparing food, after going to the toilet, after nose blowing, after playing sport and at any other time when the hands are soiled.

Relationships Australia