Principal Report

Welcome to this month’s edition of the W-Files. Despite the challenges we continue to face with COVID, and particularly the impact this has had on both student and staff absences due to being unwell or isolating, Term 1 has seen our school programs and environment continue to return to pre-COVID conditions.

We saw the return of both the swimming sports and athletic carnivals, and events such as Harmony Day, International Women’s Day, Transvisibility Day and World’s Greatest Shave were conducted. Our senior student newspaper, Hold Fast, resumed production and distribution. School tours also recommenced but in a modified COVID-safe format, with plans in place for our school Open Night next term. Sporting and theatre organisations resumed the hiring and use of our school community facilities. And camps, excursions and incursions have taken place, including a highly engaging and powerful VCAL incursion. Please enjoy reading about some of these events and the photos taken of them in this edition of the W-Files.

School Council Elections

I am pleased to announce the 2022 WHS School Council Members. The Department of Education positions are occupied by new council member Cory Duker and returning member Jesse Craig. Joining our returning parent representatives Kane Harnden, Jake Mansfield and Matt Clarkson are newly elected members Ingrid Magtengaard, Meriel O’Sullivan, Natalie Goroncy and Emma Harris. We also warmly welcome our newly elected student representative, Ethan Hammon from Year 8, who will work with Connor De Petro from Year 12, who still has one year remaining on his tenure.I would like to thank all parents, students and staff for engaging positively in the nomination process. We also welcome the student leaders and Parents and Friends member Elizabeth Cushion, who attend school council meetings to provide reports from their associated teams. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Kane Harnden, who has been nominated and elected as our School Council president for this year. Ingrid Magtengaard has accepted the role as vice president and Jake Mansfield will take on the position as treasurer.

Statement of Inclusivity

To build upon the school’s three values of ‘Be a learner, Be respectful and Be safe’, a statement of inclusivity is being developed to ensure that all members - students, staff and parents - are safe and supported at school. The original statement, taken from the student engagement and wellbeing policy was refined with input and feedback from the student leadership groups at Pasco and Bayview before being shared with staff for feedback.

During Week 8 and 9 the statement was shared and unpacked with all students from Year 7 to 12 in year-level assemblies, giving students the opportunity to provide feedback on the statement. The statement of inclusivity will appear on the school website, in classrooms and be unpacked and discussed in assemblies and home group lessons. The statement of inclusivity is more than words - it is a statement that we can and will live by as a school and will use in our everyday language. We have set a timeline for the end of Week One, Term 2, to have this finalised and visible.

Year 9 Immersion Lobbying

One of the highlights of this term was the lobbying by a group of Year 9 Immersion students around improving the sporting facilities at the Bayview Campus. This included updating basketball rings and outdoor table tennis facilities, addressing the issue of the potholes on the oval (our oval is shared with Hobsons Bay City Council and we have asked them to address this issue) as well as improvements to our asphalt and synthetic courts by including introducing ball barriers.

I was extremely proud and impressed with the presentation and the lobbying by Ollie, Hunter, Eammon, Brandon and Keenan, and they had obviously heard about my passionate football allegiances as I had no choice but to lock in my commitment once they put up their final slide highlighting the result from the night before. Well done and hopefully you will see some immediate minor improvements as well as longer-term, major upgrades to, as you suggested, benefit year levels of students to follow.

New Four-Year Strategic Plan and Curriculum Day

Our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan has now been finalised and is available for the community to see on our new school website. The three key broad goals the school will focus its improvement work on over the four years are stated as well as some targets and key improvement strategies. In each year of the four-year plan we will develop an annual implementation plan, which will highlight the key actions and activities we are putting in place in response to these goals. This document will be finalised by the end of this term and will also be available for viewing on our website early in Term 2.

With these priorities in mind, I am pleased to say that staff participated in professional learning during the Term 1 curriculum day building on our literacy knowledge and pedagogy as well as participating in a well-received and engaging session from safe schools focused on strategies and experiences that lead to a safe and inclusive environment.

Principal’s Writing Competition

I am proud of the WHS Principal’s Writing Competition and look forward this year to reading our students’ interpretations of the theme “Duality”, which has great potential to be explored in a variety of ways. The Principal’s Writing Competition highlights the importance of building and promoting literacy skills across the school and all entrants will be judged using a set criteria assessing elements such as text structure and vocabulary, which underpin our current whole-school literacy focus.

This year we have an exciting range of prizes on offer. As well as the honour of having their names inscribed on the Principal’s Writing Competition honour board at their respective campus, winners will receive a host of exciting prizes including a tote bag filled with reading and writing gifts, an invitation to attend the Melbourne Writers Festival. Excitedly, for the first time, there will be an overall, Principal’s Pick major prize in the form of an iPad awarded to one student from the Pasco campus and one student from the Bayview campus.

“The pen is mightier than the sword” is a powerful motto, and with great eagerness I look forward to reading the collection of stories that aim to prove this true.

Bayview Campus Principal Report

Dear parents and carers

We are due to welcome 755 students to the Bayview campus for the start of Term 2. We have had a number of families leave our area during Term 1 and a number of new students have started to call Williamstown High School ‘my’ school now which is pleasing and we hope their transitions are as smooth as possible.

Returning to 'normal' schooling

Term 2 will see the completion of Semester 1 with challenging learning and assessment for all of our students. Students are asked to continue to use their Wall Planner and Student Diary to record necessary homework and upcoming assessment so to enable optimum and timely outcomes.

School may continue to be challenging for your child, supporting them to get back into a ‘routine’ of daily attendance, being on time and focussing in class and learning. Please contact our Student Wellbeing Team if you are finding this to be a difficult time.

Student achievement

The Australian Ballet 2022 season will include commedia dell’arte (an early form of professional theatre) Harlequinade, created in 1900 by Marius Petipa, who choreographed some of classical ballet’s most enduing works including Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Ella-Rose Lah 7J is also a student at The Australian Ballet and recently auditioned for and has been selected to perform in this production. Congratulations Ella-Rose, we look forward to supporting you and seeing you undertake this important role.

Staff farewells

We are due to farewell teachers Grace Robertson (leave) and Natasha Molent and we will welcome mathematics teacher Nikki Nguyen. This will require some changes to classroom teachers and this will be reflected in your child’s timetable in Compass.

Pasco Campus Principal Report

Students have been adjusting to learning back at school this term and no doubt this has presented challenges. I have really enjoyed visiting classrooms and talking to our students about learning and hearing from the students as to how their learning journey is progressing.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all students, teachers and parents/carers for their efforts this term. Our student leaders should also be commended on their outstanding work this term, as we have had many great events and celebrations acknowledging International Women’s Day, The World’s Greatest Shave, Harmony Day, as well as make our Athletics Carnival and you will be able to read about this within other W Files reports.

Student Achievements

Whilst there has been challenge we have seen our students achieve within their learning this term. We celebrated the achievements of our students by presenting 12 academic awards at each of the year level assemblies. Celebrating success is just as important as achieving success, as it is essential to students' self-esteem and confidence. Whether your child has achieved a small or big goal, recognising and celebrating what they have achieved offers them a sense of accomplishment and fosters confidence. Below are our Year 11 award winners and I would like to congratulate all of our students who received awards as part of our end of term celebrations.

Alumni Mentors and Extended Library Hours

We are pleased to offer students in Years 10 to 12 the opportunity to complete work at school beyond the normal school day. With the support of four Alumni Mentors, students will have access to the library facilities and tutoring assistance should they require help with their studies after school each Monday and Wednesday after school

The library will remain open until 5:30pm and the four mentors who are high achieving, recently graduated Williamstown High School students will be available to assist students from 3:30pm to 5:30pm on Monday and Wednesday afternoons

This program is for our students to establish a routine to complete their coursework, study and revision in a distraction-free environment that also supports collaborative learning. An additional goal of this program is for students to develop effective homework and time management skills, therefore giving them more time for active and/or creative pursuits once their homework/study has been done.

As Term 1 draws to a close I would like to wish all members of our school community a safe and restful holiday break.

Inspire Robotics STEAM Club

Ex-student and Australian robot soccer champion Tamas Simmonds has commenced Monday night Robotics Club at the Bayview campus. 22 students are regularly participating in the program and students have recently started building their robots to play robot soccer. Students are using mathematics and physics to solve problems and guide their thinking in the creation stage. Along with Tamas we have teacher and parent attendees to support students and we are all looking forward to the competition starting next term.

In2Science – STEAM Mentors

WHS has partnered with the Melbourne University Graduate School of Education to engage in the In2Science Mentor program. This involves our science teachers having a university student work with their class to support student learning, especially in practical activities. It’s a great opportunity for the mentors to learn from experienced teachers and for our students to engage in science based activities at school.

Wyndham Tech School (WTS) Excursions & Immersion Program

Year 9 students will be heading off to the Wyndham Tech School in Term 2 to participate in the Tech Taster Excursions, building on the experience from last year. We have partnered with WTS to offer a fully immersive esports/F1 in schools program for Year 9 students in Semester 2. More information will follow for students interested in this exciting STEAM learning opportunity for WHS students.

School Council Report

Hi everyone at Williamstown High School, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new School Council president. This is my second year on School Council and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be further involved at my three children’s school.

The purpose of School Council is to assist the principal to deliver good governance for the school and to enhance the educational opportunities for the students. Sounds a bit dry, especially that governance bit, but as a team we try to achieve the best outcomes for the students. Participating on the School Council is very rewarding, which more than compensates the time commitment everyone puts in as volunteers.

At this time of year, there is a changing of the guard with the School Council. We say goodbye to our outgoing members:

Retiring parent representative members Kat McFerran, Sally Hicks and Jon Court. Retiring Department of Education and Training members Julian McCarthy and Sophia Marsden-Smith, and student representative Bella Bunny. I’d like to thank each of you for your insight and commitment during your tenure. I’d like to especially thank Kat for her fine stewardship as president during a very trying time managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With those departures we welcome Natalie Goroncy, Emma Harris, Ingrid Magtengaard and Meriel O’Sullivan as new parent representatives, with new DET representative Cory Duker. We also have new student representative Ethan Hammon.

I’d also like to acknowledge the ongoing commitment of our returning parent representatives Matt Clarkson and Jake Mansfield; returning DET representative Jesse Craig; and our student representative Connor De Petro. In addition to confirming new members, the most recent council meeting saw the tabling of the school’s Strategic Plan and the 2022 Annual Report to the School Community.

The Strategic Plan is a four-year plan performed in conjunction with the school and an external reviewer. WHS’s performance over the four years is evaluated and areas of improvement are identified. This plan is available on the school’s website and I encourage you to have a read.

The key takeaways from the Annual Report centre around parent satisfaction, school climate, achievement and student engagement. The result for WHS’s parent satisfaction survey reveals that 76.7 percent of parents agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with the school. This compares favourably with the statewide average of 72.4 percent. School climate, which is taken from a staff survey, provided a school endorsement of 70.9 percent against a state average of 55.8 percent. With regard to results, the Annual Report shows that for Naplan Year 9 reading is at 68.1 percent compared to similar schools’ average of 60.8 percent. Additionally, 100 percent of students successfully completed their VCE in 2021 with 84 percent of VCAL students completing successfully.

With what feels like the blink of an eye, the end of Term 1 approaches. Although there is still the occasional disruption to school for some students due to COVID-19, it’s good that we seem to be finally approaching a level of normality.

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful safe break for the first holidays of the year and we look forward to a fruitful Term 2.

If you would like to get in contact with me please do via kane.harnden@willihigh.vic.edu.au

Student Engagement and Wellbeing Report - Bayview Campus

The SEW team would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our students for settling into the 2022 school year in such an overwhelmingly positive way. It has been so great to see our campus full again, buzzing with excitement and social interaction between students and staff. As always, it has been a very busy start to the year with many great things happening around the school that have set us all up for a successful year.

Our Year 7 students have been learning the important routines of secondary school life and have enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with their peers and create many strong friendships, especially during and following Year 7 Camp. Next term our Year 8 students are also off to camp, staying at the scenic Roses Gap, where they will participate in a range of team based, outdoor and adventure activities over four days. Meanwhile, the Year 9s have begun the year exploring their passions and interests through a greater number of elective-based subjects, while some home groups have completed their Immersion experience – researching and completing projects looking to ‘Make A Difference’ in the local or broader community.

International Women’s Day and Harmony Day have been two important events that have ignited celebration and awareness among our students. International Women’s Day included activities such as Inspirational Women’s Themed Trivia, badge making and a presentation by a number of highly regarded guest speakers to students. We look forward to many other opportunities to celebrate key events and themes across the year.

It is also terrific to see so many students engaging their passions and interests through various school activities from art and writing competitions, to our various lunchtime clubs and practical elective subjects – such as Year 9 Fitness challenge, Marine Biology and Master Chef – many of these being opportunities that were limited over the past two years.

I look forward to the final week of Term 1 where our students and staff get the opportunity to celebrate student and school achievement at the end-of-term Celebration Assembly – an event coordinated and run by our wonderful and hardworking student leaders.

Wishing everyone in the Williamstown High School community a safe and happy Easter break.

Student Engagement and Wellbeing Report - Pasco Campus

With the end of Term 1 approaching fast, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our students for displaying persistence and collegiality across the campus, particularly during ongoing challenging times.

Throughout the term there have been deliveries of fruit from Food Bank. This fruit has been distributed to various areas across the school, with many students eagerly taking advantage of its availability.

The Student Leaders collectively organised a variety of activities this term including the World’s Greatest Shave, Harmony Day, International Women’s Day and Clean Up Australia Day activities. An impressive total of $9834.90 was raised for the World’s Greatest Shave, with the following students volunteering their hair for this great cause:

• Olivia Christie

• Emma Church

• Clove McColl

• Ronan Bulic

• Grace Skeggs

• Lola Baos-Morgan

• Harry Brownlie

Harmony Day included a music performance, as well as opportunities to raise funds for AMES Australia through the sale of international food options at the canteen as well as gold coin donations from the casual dress day. International Women’s Day also included activities such as an Inspirational Women’s Themed Trivia, badge making and a “Women in Careers” presentation by Anna Bovdis, the Pathways and Transitions Leader. We would like to thank our Student Leaders and Martyn van Reyk, the Student Leadership coordinator, for all of their work with these events.

Many Year 12 students have been keen to take advantage of the Study Centre, focused on productive group or individual study before, during and after school. Students across the campus are also encouraged to attend the library Monday and Wednesdays after school for the Alumni Mentoring program to receive additional assistance from tutors and teachers for their subjects.

Student achievements and contributions will be celebrated at the end of term assemblies run by the Student Leaders. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the term with them.

We wish all our students and families a safe and enjoyable break.

Year 7 Student Management Report

Weeks 4 and 5 of Term 1 saw our Year 7 students attend their Year Level Camp at Kangaroobie near Princetown in Western Victoria. This camp provides all students with the opportunity to get to know their classmates and enjoy a taste of farm life. They are also given the opportunity to get wet and muddy doing survival games, obstacle courses and canoeing on the Gellibrand River. All in all, a fun time was had by both staff and students, with the sand castle competition being a hotly contested event.

Term 1 has been action packed to say the least, but the Year 7 cohort of 2022 has had a very successful start to high school. The Student Engagement and Wellbeing Team has been very pleased with the overall behaviour and effort of all students.

On-line Safety

One thing that we encourage parents and guardians to do is to actively speak with their children about being safe online and respecting others. Cyber-bullying is an issue that can affect adolescents and have serious consequences. We as a school promote eSafety and encourage all parents and guardians to talk with their children about how to be safe online and how to be respectful in their online interactions. For more information around how to keep your child safe online, please visit websites such as the Alannah and Madeline Foundation at www.amf.org.au or the Department of Education website:

www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/advicecybersafe.aspx

Year 8 Student Management Report

Greetings and firstly a huge thanks to all Year 8s and families for a great start to the year. Term 1 is always busy and we’re nearly there. Having almost completed a whole term in person with no lockdowns is an achievement in itself, but has come with the challenge of re-learning how to be at school full time. Full time classes and all that social interaction is ultimately rewarding, even if it can feel a bit tiring from time to time, so well done all for making the most of what school can be.

As mentioned, Term 1 usually includes a lot. We had a swimming carnival, athletics carnival and excursions to Wyndham Tech School to name a few. It was great to see strong participation in these events; at this age we begin to discover who we are as people and immersing ourselves in new experiences is a vital part of that discovery. Keep being kind and having fun.

Year 9 Student Management Report

A full term of face-to-face learning at school, you wouldn't read about it!

It has been what feels like a “jam-packed” start to the year for the Year 9s. As always, the first term is packed with school events like the school swimming and athletics carnivals. A special mention to the Year 9 leadership team and house captains, who did a mountain of work to make these events a huge success!

The cohort also moved into their new home groups, which were made at the end of the school year in 2021. All students have had the opportunity to reintegrate themselves into all aspects of learning that WHS offers, with little COVID-related interruptions and the opportunity to learn and engage with others. The first group of Immersion students were working hard to raise awareness for their Make A Difference (MAD) projects and worked equally as hard during their presentations.

The Year 9s have done an excellent job this term and have set themselves up for more success as the year progresses. The cohort and their teachers deserve a well-earned rest for the upcoming holiday break. We look forward to much of the same action-packed activities that Term 2 will bring.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Easter.

Year 10 Student Management Report

This year’s Year 10 students have spent the majority of the term settling into the new campus, with their new classes, teachers and environment. The students embraced the step up from Bayview, with varied timetables a result of the freedom to choose the classes they take. Their new and more specific subjects are able to give them insights into what subjects they may want to take for VCE including one more semester with even more options for them to consider.

The Year 10s had one week with the campus to themselves at the end of last year, and it was certainly a good week for getting used to the campus and meeting their new teachers. With the move from Bayview, students have enhanced their understanding of the role of education in influencing their future pathways. Independent study, free periods and unlimited access to the library is certainly helping a lot of students to prepare for upcoming CATs and SACs. Year 10 has certainly been a challenge so far for a lot of us, but we’re all excited and ready to see what the rest of the year will bring.

Home group periods have extra significance for the Year 10s, as they are the only class we have with our entire home group. This is a major change from Bayview, where almost all of our classes were with our home group. During Week 7, we had a special home group assembly dedicated to women in the workplace and in society, as an homage to International Women's Day the week before. In other weeks we have completed workplace modules in relations to our work experience placements, and have set goals in relation to our transition to Pasco. The classes are often welcomed breaks from the new and challenging senior campus!

Earlier this term, Year 10s attended a Success Integrated Incursion, to learn tips and tricks to achieve their “B.E.S.T.”, and learn four key factors for improving learning:

• Belief - Students were told the importance of having a growth mindset in order to develop their intelligence.

• Excellence - Explaining how to work smarter, not harder, and how SYSTEM’s can “Save You Stress, Time, Energy and Money”.

• Study - How environment, timing and incentives can help students focus their minds to achieve results.

• Toughness - Getting gritty with it, how using “I will… until…” statements are an important part of self-discipline.

Overall, the incursion was a great tool to teach Year 10s skills that will come in handy going into later years of schooling. They also brought along a DJ to fill the room with energy. The music was certainly loud.

This year, work experience for Year 10 students will take place during the first week of Term 2, from 26-29 April. During this week, students are given the opportunity to explore possible career options, increase independence and self confidence as well as develop an understanding of the work environment and what employers expect of their workers. So far, over 200 students are currently participating in the program. Students have secured placements from a wide range of career paths, including the Queenscliff Marine Biology and Ecology Centre, and the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne.

Sienna Broekman (10E), Heath Corry (10B) , Avina Hoang (10B), Maggie Lynch (10L) & Indy Readsmith (10H)

Year 10 Student Leaders

Year 11 Student Management Report

2022 was kickstarted by the introduction to VCE for most of the Year 11 cohort. Whilst it has been a change, the students are embracing this new challenge and are gaining a new set of skills to achieve personal goals.

Term 1 focused on helping students adjust to VCE and the new study habits that accompany it through the Educate Elevate program. Students gained from this experience the confidence and knowledge on how to prepare themselves for academic success. ​​Students have also been working on their Career Action Plans, introduced in our year level assembly, which assists students to:

• set their goals

• clarify the actions needed to achieve these goals

• commit to participating in the planned activities

There have also been opportunities for social engagement within the school community, such as Athletics Day, where students proudly wore their house colours and supported their peers. This term each home group representative has been brainstorming a small year level event that will run later this year.

Overall, we hope that the Year 11 students of 2022 have had a smooth introduction to VCE and take the opportunities given to them, using them to their benefit.

A comment from one of our student representatives, Ben Dorey:

“This term in Year 11 has been, in all honesty, normal. The experience has yielded an array of events. For example, if you are an Arts student, an excursion to the NGV to see previous VCE artworks. Assessments this term have been incredibly varied in terms of subjects but nevertheless required a decent amount of effort. Further, there have been multiple clubs set up this term, from Art Club to Environmental Club.”

Year 12 Student Management Report

The first term of Year 12 is always an exciting one, as students come to the realisation that, as far as schooling goes, this is the beginning of the end. Although that is sometimes tinged with nerves, it makes the Study Centre a vibrant place to be, the beating heart of an important set of milestones for our class of 2022. The fact that this – touch wood – will be the year level’s first full year of schooling at the Pasco campus makes this even more special, and our group of students have not disappointed with their enthusiasm.

It begins, as it always does, with Year 12 camp. There must be some scientific justification as to why activities like giant swings, raft building and archery seem to connect young people on such a deep level; they never fail to leave a cohort feeling closer after three days than they perhaps ever thought would be possible. Certainly sharing these experiences, along with late night tarot readings, classic camp food – hello, pasta with red sauce and chicken maryland – and the annual Year 12 Talent Show, helps to build a shared vocabulary of experiences that become fuel throughout the year. Highlights of 2022 included Ales Naumovich’s exquisite Belarusian dancing skills; Jemima Fincke’s promising future in balloon animal engineering; and a recorder ensemble that could not be faulted for enthusiasm.

The highs of camp make the first round of SACs almost bearable, and as we have watched the Year 12s adjust to the pace of the VCE, it has been heartening to observe the way that they have leant on one another for support. The Alumni Tutoring Program in the Library (Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-5:30pm) has helped several students build confidence, and we look forward to seeing this wonderful group of young people spend more time together in Term 2 and 3 as they prepare for the end of the year.

Teaching and Learning at Williamstown High School

This term, we have been working together as the Teaching and Learning team to develop practice excellence in our teachers to enhance the intellectual engagement and agency in students. In our roles as Learning Specialists this year, we work across the school to deliver professional learning to staff, as well as lessons to students, to help drive the priorities outlined in our Teaching and Learning 2022 framework, as pictured below.

We have been particularly focused on establishing Professional Learning Teams, where our teachers can collaborate in meeting times to support one another in achieving our school’s Strategic Plan Goals, pictured below. Through this initiative, staff have worked in teams around the following topics this term:

• Learning from each other through peer observation

• Embedding literacy initiatives in the school

• Using student data to best inform our practice and support every learner in the classroom through differentiating our curriculum

We have also developed lessons around goal setting and reflection for the Year 7s in home group to encourage self regulated learning. This will be a continued priority across the year, and we will also be promoting this student agency by empowering students with growth mindsets and the ability to use developmental assessment tools in other year levels too.

Curriculum Report

I would like to congratulate all students, teachers, support staff and the whole school community as we are nearly at the end of our first full term on site in over two years. Students will be completing many assessments and I encourage students, parents and carers to engage with teachers and discuss these results and opportunities to improve on them during parent teacher interviews occurring in Week 10. Please find below some updated information regarding the process for the GAT(s) in 2022.

The GAT is changing.

From 2023 we will be transitioning the VCE and VCAL to a new integrated senior secondary certificate. As part of the reform of the VCE and VCAL system, Victorian senior secondary students will this year have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed GAT.

The new standards will indicate whether students have demonstrated the literacy and numeracy skills typically expected of someone completing their secondary schooling – giving another indication of their readiness to move onto further education, training or employment.

The 2022 GAT will be held on Wednesday, 7 September. The slightly later test date provides the time required to ensure the revised GAT is valid and reliable, and for teachers and students to understand the changes – with the test expected to return to its traditional June date from 2023.

The reformed GAT follows a comprehensive review conducted by the VCAA. It will see Victoria join other jurisdictions who already incorporate literacy and numeracy standards as part of their senior secondary reporting. The GAT will provide specific information on each student's key skills for life beyond school.

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/general-achievement-test/Pages/index.aspx

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday break.

Literacy News

The recent school curriculum day had a literacy focus with staff members focusing on various elements of discipline specific literacy. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to work collegiately to begin to explore language and structural elements of the different subjects and how explicitly teaching these aspects can support and extend student learning.

Importantly, Williamstown High School continues to work on the explicit instruction of sophisticated target vocabulary in all subject areas. This work allows students to recognise and understand these words and the concepts that sit behind them in their reading as well as integrate the vocabulary into their own writing. Growing an understanding of these sophisticated words and their meanings also assists students to expand, and make links in, their understanding of the world. As a result of this continued work, a session of the curriculum day was dedicated to evidence based practice that involves investigating how to effectively explore and then continue to revise vocabulary.

Other areas of focus for discipline specific literacy that staff members explored on the day included considering the varied text types that we ask our students to create and comprehend in a secondary setting as well as analysing linguistic and structural features of some of these texts. This deep understanding allows for teaching and learning, which both supports and extends students through explicit, scaffolded teaching of these features.

Additionally, the annual Principal's Writing Competition has recently been launched with entries open for the theme of 'Duality'. Students may create an entry for a range of categories including: Persuasive Text, Narrative Text, Poetry or Lyrics and Graphic Novel and Illustrations. There are a host of exciting prizes on offer to the top entries this year and I look forward to reading the unique and interesting pieces that our students will spend time creating for this competition.

Mathematics Report

How many eggs?

Credit - https://nrich.maths.org/

Wow! What a whirlwind start to 2022, it’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of Term 1 already. There are so many great things happening in and around the school and I can definitely say that this is also the case for our Mathematics learning area. The Year 9s have been, and will continue to be, diving into the depths of algebra; the Year 8s are now climbing their way through the topic of linear graphing; and our Year 7s are carrying out some excellent work on statistics.

We would like to welcome some new faces to our fantastic Mathematics team. We would like to welcome Ezra Bangun to the teaching profession and Natasha Molent to the Bayview Campus for Term 1 only.

One of our continual focuses as a Mathematics team is to regularly reflect, improve and update our work programs, assessments and resources. There has already been lots of time and effort from across the team that has gone into creating more engaging and effective resources, as well as more rigorous assessment so far in 2022. This is all focused on creating a better teaching experience for students and improving student growth in our learning area.

The Cambridge textbook is a resource that is widely used within our classrooms and we are encouraging all students to activate their online code. This will provide your child with access to an online interactive textbook with additional interactive features plus a PDF textbook that can be downloaded for offline use. Instructions are found on the inside cover of the textbook, however, please speak to your child’s teacher if you are experiencing any difficulties. Here is also a link to accessing your digital resource.

Mathspace is an online Mathematics program designed for secondary students and another resource used extensively by our teachers with our students. Waypoints is an adaptive application within Mathspace. The program has the ability to track student gaps and growth; thereby providing specific and targeted questions to improve student achievement. The ‘check-ins’ are five short questions and can easily be completed regularly at home.

As always, we as a team wish to continually better ourselves and provide a quality Mathematics education for your child, so please do not hesitate to get in contact with me if you have any thoughts, ideas or concerns.

PS - The first Bayview student to email me at felicity.christmass@willihigh.vic.edu.au with the correct answer to the 'How Many Eggs?’ problem will win themselves a prize!

Art Report

5x7 Art Prize Year 7

Congratulations to the following Bayview students who have won second prize for the 5x7 Painting Competition with their interpretation of the theme ‘What Matters’:Aidan Lala, Xavier Holloway, Edie Fraser, Josh Godfrey, Eden Schneider, Ella-Rose Lah, Manon Muir, Miller Szalay, Tehzeeb Marwaha, Anmol Sharma, Mia Mifsud, Isaac Goga, Bella McArthur, Zoe Birch, Clove McColl, Demi Avamopoulos, Amali Peck, Sarah Stevenson, Amelia Cahill, Lam Vu, Alyssa McPheat, Abigail Beresford, Darcy Flaherty and Brody Knight.It was a very difficult task for the Art teachers to select the final 24 entries. We looked for a theme running through the artwork that was important to the students: the Environment, Gender, War, Protection of Animals, Having a Heart, Friendship, Pollution, Global Warming, Celebration of Culture, Recognition of our Aboriginal History, Social Media, Future of Our Planet, and Justice.The competition is in its eighth year and the students' work, along with other schools and artists, will be on exhibit at the Louis Joel Gallery Altona from 9-21 April. Well done to all Year 7s involved and the Bayview Art teachers Helen Bacon, Dale Chapman and Natalie Boicovitis for providing the inspiration for their students to achieve great work.

Immersion Report

In Term 1, classes 9B and 9K participated in the term-long Immersion program. They have embraced the opportunity to work in groups to 'Make A Difference' by planning and executing a MAD Project about an issue they are passionate about. Some of the issues explored this term include: fast fashion, body image, food waste, school sporting facilities, homelessness, health and fitness, and gender equality. Projects culminated on 'Intervention Day', March 18. While the MAD Projects have been our core business, other highlights have included.

Community Service

We were very pleased to be able to get the Community Service program back up and running this term. This program ran over three weeks on Wednesday afternoons. Our Community Service partners included Williamstown and Newport libraries, Williamstown Primary School, Williamstown North Primary School, Newport Lakes Primary School, Saint Vinnies in Newport, and Mission Point Op Shop in Yarraville. These sessions proved a great opportunity to 'give back' to the local community. Student feedback suggests this was a highlight of the Immersion program for many.

City Excursion One

Students used teamwork and problem-solving skills to navigate the Melbourne CBD while participating in an ‘Amazing Race’. We then gained an insight into Melbourne's Street Art scene on a guided walk through of the city's laneways.

City Excursion Two

Students participated in two workshops run by the Intersection - Urban Learning. During the 'A Most Liveable City Walk' they were encouraged to challenge their assumptions and recognise the dangers of single stories and stereotypes. The second session was an Empathy Workshop. In this interactive workshop, students explored the meaning of empathy and discussed their ideas around what would happen if they empathised with people different to them.

In the afternoon students completed an Indigenous Discovery Trail along the Yarra River.

Thank you to the students of 9B and 9K for the way in which you have embraced the opportunity to make a difference to yourselves and the wider community. Bet wishes for the rest of 2022.

Music Report

Congratulations to the Bayview and Pasco musicians who performed at the Athletics Carnival and Harmony Day! You sounded fantastic and it was awesome to hear live music again after so long. Thanks to our Music Captains and VET Sound Production team for supporting the events.

The Music Department has a new Padlet site dedicated to all things music. Bayview campus is looking for new bell music suggestions at the moment - hit us up with suggestions on the Padlet: padlet.com/mou00081/3nwwu2niml30b4i

Our Warchild Benefit Concert is finally going ahead this year after two years of COVID. Get your bands together - it's going to be a big one!

Science at Pasco

At Pasco Street it’s been exciting to have everyone back in the classroom and doing practical work again. Our Year 10s are working hard to make up for lost time outside of a science lab. Currently in Core Science, students are focusing on chemical reactions and performing experiments to test the effect of concentration on the rate of a reaction between hydrochloric acid and magnesium.

Students of Year 10 Environmental Science are learning about climate change and the distinction between natural and made made influences, while in Mind and Body they are learning valuable lessons about the importance of following ethical codes of conduct during psychological tests.

In Forensics, students have been learning how to extract DNA from cells, as shown in the photos. This process is essential prior to the DNA Profiling that is required to establish the identity of potential suspects when solving crimes. Stay tuned for Issue 7 of the W-Files, where we will report back on the work of our VCE Science students.

VCAL Report

Our VCAL students have had a busy start to the term, many of our students are starting to look for work placements and some students have started a school-based apprenticeship.

Work placements are an important part of VCAL as it enables students to put what they have learnt in VET into practice. It also enables them to get some real-life experience in a workplace and hopefully make useful contacts for job opportunities when they complete their VCAL certificate.

The VCAL teaching team has been working together to develop some projects that will cover all the learning areas. The Year 11 students have been investigating Australian history in Literacy and creating their own amazing race-style walks around Williamstown using skills they have learnt in Numeracy. They have also completed their accredited barista training course as well as safe food handling, and are excited about using these newly acquired skills in future projects.

The Year 12 students have also been looking at occupational health and safety and have completed their responsible service of alcohol certificate and barista training. Many Year 12 students shone as they participated in their very own live podcast to discuss issues surrounding gambling harm. This took students out of their comfort zones and it was great to see so many participate with such enthusiasm.

The VCAL team are looking forward to working on these and more projects in Term 2.

Sport Report

Swimming Sports

In swimming, we had a super successful Year 7 girls’ relay team who absolutely blitzed the freestyle by over half the pool length and also won a very exciting medley race. They and the Under 16s boys’ relay team are through to the state finals, which will be held early in Term 2. Overall, our students did the school proud placing in most events and, as a result, accumulated enough points for our school to win the Western Zone swimming finals. We have nine students who will progress to the state finals, the best result we have had in a long time. Congratulations to students Ava Palser, Mia Mifsud and Mahli McCarrol.

Athletics

We were blessed for the school Athletics Carnival this year with absolutely perfect weather. It was incredible to see so many students dressing up in their house colours and giving their all in their events. The Year 12s went above and beyond with their costumes, with a special shout out to the Addams Family and Three Stooges tributes! The highlight of the day was the staff versus student relay, where the staff unfortunately came third! Special mention to Mr Duker, who somehow kept both hamstrings in tack.

Senior Sport

In Term 1, senior students proudly represented the school in swimming, cricket, volleyball and tennis. In the swimming, every senior swimmer made it through to the next round and we have a few state swimming hopefuls. Special mentions go to Heath Corry, who will soon be swimming in the National Championships in the school holidays for 50 metre freestyle!

We had teams progress through in senior and intermediate cricket and senior tennis. Unfortunately, the senior cricket team has since been knocked out but we are hopeful the other teams can progress through to the states. I will keep you all updated in the next W-files.

Careers, Pathways & Transition Report

Year 12 Pathway Meetings

Year 12 students have been steadily making Careers & Pathway appointments to discuss potential pathways or further study beyond 2022. Students have been reminded to complete their Career Action Plans within the Department of Education and Training's My Career Portfolio site. Year 12 students can visit mcp.educationapps.vic.gov.au to finalise this. Year 12 students will be making some important decisions based on the “I Apply” stage of Career Development.

Year 11 Extended Assembly

During Week 5 of this term, Year 11 students were introduced to pathway information including the VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) site and VTAC tools for research. Students were encouraged to begin their Career Action Plans at mcp.educationapps.vic.gov.au so that they can explore all options during Term 2 when course selection for 2022 takes place. Year 11 students will focus on the “I Decide” stage of Career Development.

Year 10 Work Experience

Year 10 students have actively prepared for the work experience program. From contacting employers to completing Safe @ Work learning, more than 200 students have secured a work experience placement. All participating students will engage in this invaluable program from Tuesday, 26 April, to Friday, 29 April, the first week of Term 2. The school has invested significant resources as a part of the Career Education program to enable students to undertake an opportunity that is becoming increasingly difficult to arrange. This program is a perfect example of the three-way partnership of parents/carers, students and teachers all playing a role to facilitate a powerful program. Year 10 students have received their work experience packs during home group if all forms and Safe @ Work certificates were submitted. This week all Year 10 teachers will sign up to either visit or call students/employers during work experience week.

Year 7-9 Career Education

My Career Exploration is an important step that Year 7-9 students take in their career journey at Williamstown High School. The My Career Exploration program at Year 7, 8 & 9 is designed as a set of DE&T lessons and dedicated CEAV program booklets within their Career Education journey in the Home group curriculum. The Year 7 students focus on “Discovering Careers” whilst Year 8 students “Explore Careers” and Year 9 students “Focus on Careers” within the Career Education curriculum. My Career Insights is designed to help Year 9 students discover, develop and drive their career planning. It's a unique opportunity for them to learn more about their strengths and abilities while exploring potential career options – giving them the confidence to start taking control of their future.

Year 9 Students will investigate jobs of the future and learn more about the rapidly changing world of work and also undertake the Morrisby Profiling in Term 2.

Next term, National Careers Week will take place during week 4 between Monday 16 May – Friday 20 May. Students from Year 9-12 will engage in a Career Expo and be able to explore and research careers or pathway options. National Careers Week is an initiative of the Career Industry Council of Australia and aims to celebrate careers, career development, career development services, and career development practitioners. It also promotes the economic, social and personal benefits of career development for all Australians.

All students are encouraged to explore careers and pathways via www.willihighcareers.com.au especially the Subject Career Bullseyes. Whilst not a new resource students enjoy the interactive career connections.

Parents and Friends Association Report

Many thanks to the new Bayview campus principal, Karen Anderson, who was the guest speaker at our meeting on March 22. Karen updated us on the new strategic plan, road safety issues that have been identified, upcoming parent-teacher interviews, and some new strategies to deal with the ongoing issue of litter at the Bayview campus.

The new sensor loggers donated by the PFA to the Bayview Science Department have now arrived, which will be used by students to collect data in future experiments. We are working with staff at both campuses to identify ‘extra’ resources for our kids that the PFA funds can provide.

The PFA is exploring new fundraising opportunities, and have applied for a spot in the ever-popular Bunnings Sausage Sizzle roster at Altona North. Grill’d Burger’s ‘Community Matters’ program is another option – we will keep families updated on these via Compass and the WHS social media platforms.

The next PFA meeting is on Tuesday, 17 May, at 7:30pm. Amy Curran, from the Student Leadership team at the Bayview Campus, will be our guest speaker. We welcome all new families. Meeting location/Zoom links will be available closer to the date.

What is the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund?

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are a part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use toward expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $125 for primary school students

• $225 for secondary school students

How to Apply:

To obtain a CSEF application form please click here to download..

If you applied for CSEF at your child’s school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

• new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.

• changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.

More Information

For more information about CSEF visit:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

Our Dobsons Uniform Shop Easter trading hours will be:

Thursday 21 April 8:00am - 11:00am

Friday 22 April 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Tuesday 26 April 1:00pm - 4:30pm

For further information about our uniform shop please click here.

Photojournalism for Teens

Are you an aspiring young photographer or considering a career in photography?

Spend the day with professional award-winning photographer and Wildlife Photographer of Year Finalist Doug Gimesy. At the end of this interactive workshop, you will be able to create a photo-documentary story using images captured during the session.

All participants must have their own camera with a range of zoom or lenses from 20mm to 100mm (smart phones are not suitable for this workshop).

About Doug Gimesy

Doug is a professional conservation and wildlife photographer, whose clients include National Geographic, BBC Wildlife magazine, bioGraphic, Australian Geographic and papers such as the NY Times, The Australian and various NewsCorp mastheads.

An Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), Doug is also governor of the World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia). In 2017 he co-established the Victorian Alliance for Platypus-Safe Yabby Traps to facilitate a ban on the use and possession of platypus-drowning fishing traps.

• Bookings essential via Eventbrite
  Tickets are fully refundable or transferable if this session is rescheduled due to COVID-19 Restrictions.

When:

12 April 2022, 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM

Where:

National Wool Museum Wadawurrung Country, 26-32 Moorabool Street, Geelong 3220

Cost:

Other/More Information: $15.00