Welcome to this month’s edition of the W-Files. Please enjoy reading and viewing a number of articles and photos on events that have occurred at both campuses this term. It has been a very productive half year for our students and the positive energy at both campuses has been clearly evident.

Students from Years 9 to 12 have recently participated in exam programs and were well prepared for and invested in these major assessments. These will provide great experience and feedback to our students, reinforcing both what is working well and what new strategies or behaviours need to be explored.

The recent Year 9 Immersion project showcase was sensational. I was impressed by the work put in by all groups as well as enjoyed listening to how working on these projects had a profound impact on them. I would also like to highlight the group who presented on Disability and Accessibility. It was clear this was a topic they were very passionate about. What a wonderful educational board they produced!

I would like to thank all our students for a great semester of work and highlight the qualities of persistence and resilience that will continue to lead each one in the pursuit of achieving their personal goals.

Attitudes to School Survey

As mentioned in previous W-Files, our students have recently completed the Attitudes to School Survey. We will soon receive a report summarising the responses and the leadership team will then look at what our students have told us in terms of their perceptions and how they are feeling about their wellbeing and learning. The leadership team will not only look at identifying focus areas for improvement but also reflect on the highlights to ensure these practices are embedded and continue.

Building Updates

As you are aware, the Victorian Government investment of $1.37m together with the school’s locally raised $2.1m investment have already been allocated to upgrades around the school, including revamping the Year 12 Study Centre and completing the school’s Centenary Theatre complex (total project cost of $3.47m).

The project was forecast for completion in May 2022. However, due to suspected issues with the construction, works were paused to allow an independent structural engineer to investigate.

I am now pleased to announce that works have been given the go-ahead to recommence. I will provide further details regarding this early next term but all indications are that these buildings will be handed over to the school in the first quarter of 2024.

I am also pleased to announce that our half-a-million-dollar Pasco student toilet upgrade will be complete by the start of Term 3. Our students will be very pleased with these upgraded modern and inclusive facilities.

Our beautiful Q Block building, which has experienced cracking due to drainage and foundation issues, has also seen stage one works commence with a grant of just under $800,000 received to redo roofing, drainage and foundations. Once this settles (ground moisture content), further funding will be received to address the cracks from a more cosmetic viewpoint.

We are also working with a consultant to develop a master plan for the Bayview Campus grounds following the recent development of a Pasco masterplan. Over the next few years we can plan for modernisation of both campuses as well as continuing to upgrade our basketball and synthetic surfaces.

Public Reporting Meeting

We held our Public Reporting meeting on Tuesday, June 20. It was a wonderful opportunity to both reflect on the school’s achievements, review the data as well as share our vision for the future as we continually strive to improve our school programs and environment.

Demand For Places

Enrolment demand for our school continues to be strong - well in excess of the places we have available. In line with statewide policy, all students in our school zone are offered places as are all siblings. The remaining places are offered to students purely on a closest distance to the Bayview Campus criteria. Once offers are made, students who have obtained a place are then able to apply for select entry classes or accelerated sports programs.

This continued demand is very pleasing and reflects well on the standing the school has in the community, but also presents a number of challenges in managing the enrolment process and the number of requests from prospective families.

Term 3

There will be a number of highlights on the cards for Term 3, but I imagine for our wider school community none will be greater than watching the talented performers in our whole school production of FAME.

For our staff professional learning, we are currently well underway for planning of our curriculum day, which will be primarily focused on the theme of student wellbeing. We will share some of these learnings through our newsletter next term.

I wish all staff, students and their families a relaxing and enjoyable midyear break and look forward to a productive and successful second half of the year.

Hold fast.

Dear parents and carers

As the semester draws to a close, I take this opportunity to thank you for your support during the first half of this year. All students have been undertaking learning activities and completing assessment tasks to conclude the semester.

Semester 1 has seen Year 9 students undergoing a ‘redemption’ process for the first time at Bayview - an opportunity to show their teachers skills and knowledge not evident in their initial assessments. Year 9 students also undertake examinations for the first time today and, in preparation, have been revising in class, outside of class and also during the after school sessions facilitated by Ezra Bangun, Academic Enhancement Leader at Bayview. This has also been supported by teachers from English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education and Science. Large numbers of Year 9 students have attended these sessions and we hope this preparation will see them feeling confident and ready to perform, as required.

Please speak with your child about their SMART Personal Learning Goals, recorded in the Homegroup Student Resource and on their end of semester report. This is an opportunity to reflect upon achievements and plan for Semester 2. We encourage all students and parents/carers to speak to their homegroup teacher about further support that may be required to achieve their goals in the second half of the year.

Our learning environment

We are continuing to work on maintaining and improving learning environments for our students. We have recently seen the removal of the greenhouse that was deemed beyond repair for our school. This is due to be replaced with smaller, ‘class sized’ greenhouses to germinate seeds. Thomas Frawley, Horticulture teacher, has developed plans for the northern end of our site - our Horticulture area - and we are looking forward to seeing the teaching and learning environment in this area improve for our students.

Our physical environment

Improving our physical environment for students continues to be a focus. Staff have recently discussed and planned how we will continue to address ‘waste production’ at Bayview. Some of our ideas will take time to implement, ie. changing our behaviours as consumers. All Year 7 students were involved in an incursion on Thursday, June 1, from the Sea Shepherd. This presentation highlighted the challenge we all have in regards to our choices and behaviour and the consequences of poor choices. We are going to continue to work with our Year 7 students and those at other year levels in this regard. We have engaged Sara Coladonato, former student and passionate environmental advocate, to work with us and challenge us to achieve results in this area. Reviewing our Environment and Sustainability Policy is also due to occur through the Educational Policy sub-committee of School Council.

In the short term, teachers are focusing on maintaining optimum learning environments for students, free of litter, and our staff and year level coordinator workspaces now have new tongs and buckets for litter collection - and a class set is available for staff to borrow from the library - so we are hoping, with appropriate and accessible tools, to see improvement with this shortly.

Please speak with your child about respecting our environment and encouraging them to be a responsible member of our school community by making an appropriate choice for their litter - bins are available in classrooms, General Waste, Recycling (glass, cans, plastic) and Paper and Cardboard in the Atrium and B wing, Bottles/Cans Recyclable Containers or Rubbish in our yellow and red lidded metal receptacles alongside our buildings or simply the bins with wheels in the outer grounds. We will continue to address this issue as a school and as part of the local community.

Staff farewells and welcomes

We are due to farewell Marie Glass, who is taking leave in Term 3. Karen Mahoney is also due to take leave as of the beginning of Week 2, for three weeks. Mathew Grossman is due to begin working across our two sites, commencing with Year 10 Health and Physical Education.

We welcome Kathryn Harink, French and Humanities teacher, to our school. Dat Che, Doug Leckie, Hannah Erasmus and Warren Patterson are also due to return from leave.

We are due to confirm changed teacher allocations shortly and our Semester 2 timetable will be available on Compass prior to the end of term so that students can be prepared for the first day back.

We are currently in the Waring season of the annual Eastern Kulin Seasonal Calendar, as described by Woiwurrung traditions: Wombat Season. This time of the year is evident at Bayview Street with misty mornings and some cool, rainy days. Please see below for an early morning moment looking out over the wetlands earlier this month.

All the best to students and families for the break.

Karen Anderson

It has been an incredibly busy term - nine weeks instead of the usual 10 has certainly challenged us to have everything completed before heading into Semester 2. I am very proud and appreciative of the hard work both staff and students have undertaken this term. The examination period has run smoothly and whilst exams can cause a level of anxiety for some, it is vitally important to experience authentic exam conditions to ensure students are well equipped to tackle both the GAT and Unit 3&4 VCAA examinations.

Campus Upgrades

Our brand new student toilets will be available and ready to use early in Term 3. Pro Start Constructions have done a great job and they are nearing completion. The facilities will be a marked improvement for students and I’m sure they will be looked after and appreciated by all in the coming years.

School Council had the opportunity to complete a walk-through of both the new toilet blocks and the Study Centre/Performing Arts building sites last week. These are significant projects that will enhance students' learning at WHS.

Our beloved Q-Block is having some much-needed stage one restoration works undertaken over the coming weeks. The building is over 100 years old and the planned works will ensure the building survives for many more. It really is an iconic feature of the school and requires urgent maintenance work.

Uniform

I would like to thank and acknowledge all families and students who are wearing their school uniform with pride. It is important that every student complies with the uniform expectations and everyone continues to work with their respective year level coordinators to meet that expectation. As we enter the winter months, being organised and prepared is important. Many students have opted for the new jumper and student feedback has endorsed the change.

I hope everyone enjoys the midyear break. I will be accompanying 18 senior Art students to New York over the break for an experience of a lifetime. Look out on the socials for some photos and highlights of their trip.

Hold fast.

Daniel Pearce

Pasco Campus Principal

‘Capturing’ student voice

This year we have been updating the text for the Williamstown High School ‘School Profile’ - a document that essentially serves as a short story about the school’s historical and current context, and includes information about the location of the school, its background, how many students and teachers we have, and what our values are among other important features. The profile appears in a range of promotional materials about the school and now we are taking this a step further, by having our students ‘tell the story’ via a voice recording project with our Music Department.

Over the past month, five of our students lent their voice-over talents to a recording of the School Profile. With the help of Bayview Music Leader Mr Lachlan Wyatt and VET Music students, Valentine Ninnis (7E), Adam Lorenc-Goodman (9B), Savannah Dunn (9I), Mia Williams (12D) and Mak Woltsche (12D) engaged in recording sessions at the Pasco Campus recording studio. The students performed very well and experienced firsthand the recording process, including creating different takes that could be compiled for later editing.

The editing process is now underway and the plan is to feature these recordings on the Williamstown High School ‘on-hold’ system, which initiates when people call the school and are waiting to be connected with the right person. There will be more to report on this in the coming months.

Helping our students to grow

Williamstown High School highly values the opportunity to help students learn and grow. But how do we know if we are achieving this aim? And what things can we do to support continued growth?

Over the past six months we have been making improvements to our Data Dashboard tool so that it can assist teachers to track the growth of their students more effectively and easily. A working party of our teachers made recommendations to improve this tool and it is now ready to relaunch for all staff. The working party also recommended that the tool become available to students and parents in the future, and this is now also in our long term plans. More information will be published as we get closer to each milestone in the rollout.

STEAM update

GHD STEM Pathways program

The GHD STEM Pathways program is again being offered to Year 10 girls, and we have had several students apply to undertake this amazing week of work experience and industry exposure in September. GHD is a global network of multi-disciplinary professionals committed to addressing the world’s biggest challenges in the areas of water, energy and communities, and the objective of their program is to provide students with exposure to STEM career pathways. Fingers crossed for our applicants to be accepted!

English and Humanities exploring STEAM

Many of us are quite used to seeing the sciences and various technologies associated with STEM and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering the Arts and Mathematics), but we don’t hear about ‘A’ as much. The English and Humanities teams at the Bayview Campus have been considering incorporating STEAM principles into their classrooms - including using collaborative spaces, tools and practices, as well as various technologies - to enhance the learning experience of students.

Pivotal to this is a redesign of our traditional ICT room, Room 13, which will continue to serve the ICT electives but also be renovated to support STEAM principles in the Arts. I look forward to sharing more about this later in the year as plans for 2024 start to take shape. Thank you to Middle Years English Leader Eliza Lawless and Acting Middle Years Humanities Leader Sarah Barry, as well as the English and Humanities Curriculum Area Teams for their insight and enthusiasm so far.

A new Year 8 STEAM Elective

Investigations have been taking place into the feasibility of offering a new STEAM-related elective at Year 8 level - it is still early days in relation to this but we are keen to keep expanding STEAM opportunities for our students. More news to come next issue.

STEM Girls Outreach Opportunity For Y8 Girls

The University of Melbourne wants to support girls to pursue participation in STEM through building their confidence to practice science through a variety of hands-on laboratory and problem-solving workshops.

A group of 50 girls from different schools will visit The University of Melbourne and interact with women and graduate students in the Faculty of Science and learn more about studying and working in STEM. They will then participate in an interactive tour of the DARK MATTERS exhibition and then complete the day with a hands-on FUTURE FOODS workshop. This is due to take place on Thursday 7th September from 9:30AM – 2:30PM at The University of Melbourne Parkville Campus, and Science Gallery Melbourne. There is no cost to the students attending, but we can only apply to take five. So if there are any interested students, please email me at gavin.clifford@willigh.vic.edu.au with the subject heading “I’m interested in STEM!” and we will try to become part of the lucky 50!

NAIDOC Week 2023

This year Williamstown High School will celebrate NAIDOC Week in the first week of Term 3. The planning team this year includes student leaders from both campuses, as well as student members from the VCE Vocational Major Team.

Stay tuned for more announcements via Compass about the activities for the week.

Gavin Clifford | Strategic Assistant Principal

Farewell to Tracey Fogarty and Rose Hyman

We are sad to announce that two of our valued staff members, Tracey Fogarty and Rose Hyman, are retiring at the end of this term. Tracey has been our Business Manager for thirteen years having worked at WHS for twenty, and Rose has been our secretary for thirteen years. They have both contributed immensely to the smooth running of our school and have been a great support to the staff, students and parents.

We would like to thank Tracey and Rose for their dedication, professionalism and kindness. They will be greatly missed by everyone at our school and we wish them all the best for their future endeavours.

From a personal perspective I would like to share my own ‘thank-you’ with Tracey and Rose for their support during my time as school councillor and as School President. Working with both of you has been a highlight for me. Your warmth and dedication to the school has been truly inspiring.

Thank you to the PFA

We would also like to thank the Parents and Friends Association (PFA) for their generous contribution of $9,000 to help fund furniture for both the Pasco and Bayview libraries as well as outdoor furniture for the yarning circle at Pasco. The PFA’s donation will make a big difference to the learning environment and wellbeing of our students. We appreciate the PFA’s ongoing support and involvement in our school. If you are interested in joining the PFA or volunteering for their events, please contact the PFA president.

Fame the Musical

Don’t miss the school production of Fame the Musical, a spectacular show about the lives and dreams of students at a performing arts high school. The performance dates are 11-14 July, at 7.00pm each night, and then two shows on Saturday 15 July (2.00pm and 7.00pm). You can book your tickets online at trybooking.com. We would like to thank Mr Commons and all the cast and crew for their dedication and talent. They have rehearsed tirelessly after school, on weekends and during the holidays. Break a leg!

As the term comes to an end, we would like to wish everyone at Williamstown High School a happy and well deserved holiday. Thank you to the teachers, parents and students for your hard work, resilience and cooperation throughout this challenging year. Enjoy your break and stay safe and healthy.

With the end of the semester fast approaching, the Year 7 students have comfortably settled into school life at Willi High - they have solidified the friendships they’ve made, built connections with their teachers and are feeling more than comfortable in their Year 7 area. They are well and truly no longer the newbies.

This nine-week term has meant the Year 7s have had to cram a lot into a short space of time:

The students were visited by Williamstown’s local Sea Shepherd branch. Sea Shepherd is a nonprofit organisation that campaigns to defend, conserve and protect the world’s oceans. Our guest speakers, Peter and Maddie, spoke to the students about the need to respect and protect the unique marine life here at Williamstown by cleaning up after ourselves and reducing our dependence on plastics. It made a huge impact, as the cleanliness around the locker area improved dramatically!

Even though Year 7 is the beginning of the high school journey, it is never too early to start thinking about what might come once the journey is over. This term, the students were visited by Williamstown High alum Matthew Allsop, current Aviation/Business student at Swinburne University. Matthew spoke to the students about the many options ahead of them and how school is a place to focus on passions and skills that can lead down certain pathways. The students had many questions for Matthew about life during and after Williamstown High.

Moreover, the students had broader exposure to potential pathways during Careers Week, where they had a look at the many subjects available to them and where an interest in particular subject areas could lead them - both vocationally and with further study.

The Year 7s were avid participants in their first IDAHOBIT Day observation as Williamstown High students. IDAHOBIT aims to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ rights and build interest in social justice work worldwide. Face painting, Just Dance, doughnut eating, chalk drawing, badge making and flag waving were just some of the fun activities students took part in to show their support and allyship on the special day.

The Year 7s demonstrated their sporting prowess in a number of team sports including boys AFL and boys soccer, as both teams advanced through to the regional finals. Good luck in the next round!

We would also like to congratulate our Semester 1, Term 2 students on receiving their Citizenship and Academic Achievement awards. Students are nominated by their teachers and the students with the most nominations in that class get the award. The Citizenship Award goes to students who demonstrate how to be an effective learner, a supportive peer and someone that supports community spirit and is a positive role model. The Academic Award goes to students that consistently show growth in their learning. The students receiving an award this time around were:

Finally, we would like to wish our students and their families an enjoyable and restful break during the well-earned holiday period.

Nicholas Madden and Isabella O’Malley

Year 7 Coordinators

With Term 2 ending, it brings us to the midpoint of the year. This term the Year 8s have had the opportunity to participate in multiple events and educational sessions.

Camp

On Tuesday, May 16, we were greeted by pouring rain at school. Luckily we left the weather behind us in Melbourne and the Grampians, although cold, was dry for the rest of the week, allowing us to take part in all the activities Roses Gap has to offer. I thank students and staff for making it an enjoyable camp.

Victoria Police - Cyber Safety Incursion

Recently officers from the proactive policing unit visited the school to discuss the expectations around online interactions and how to stay safe online. We ask families to keep the conversation open at home around their children's footprints and activity online. There are great resources and further information available on the e-safety commissioner's website.

Sporting Achievements

Year 8s continue to represent our school with pride. The following sports have teams progressing to the next West Metropolitan finals:

• Girls AFL

• Boys AFL

• Boys Soccer

• Girls Netball

Good luck to all during the next round.

Uniform

It has been pleasing to see students proudly wearing our newest item of school uniform, the black windcheater. Please use the midyear break to make sure you have all the uniform items you need in Term 3.

Finally, we would like to wish all students and families a happy, safe and restful midyear break.

Term 2 has absolutely flown by! In Year 9, there have been several opportunities for students to explore their passions and interests and look ahead to some potential career paths, as well as prepare themselves for their first set of semester exams.

Careers

Students completed a range of careers lessons, as part of our all-important Homegroup Curriculum, aimed at exploring their passions, interests and the various career pathways/jobs that exist in key sectors. This assists them in understanding potential subject pathways in Year 10, VCE and beyond, which will come in handy in Term 3 when they select their subjects for 2024. This was complemented by a guest presenter, who spoke during Careers Week, about their experience going from high school to university and their related job pathways.

Exams

Students have now completed their first ever set of exams! Well done to everybody for giving it their best and for learning and practising some important organisation and revision skills, in preparation for their senior years.

Breakfast Club has made a popular return to Friday mornings, with a variety of foods and hot drinks available to students to warm their bellies and help make a bright start to the day.

The 9C, 9D and 9E Immersion class enjoyed their turn for the Immersion Camp in the city. Students were able to enjoy the obvious social benefits of participating in several fun activities with friends and classmates. They also took part in some unique social and community learning. Twenty of our students attended the Big Umbrella kitchen experience – cooking meals for Victoria’s homeless community – while the rest of our group attended a homelessness seminar delivered by the Big Issue – hearing from a member of the marginalised homeless community. These groups have been able to further ‘Make A Difference’ this term through community service activities such as running lunchtime craft activities at local primary schools, tree planting in the Jawbone area, assisting at Williamstown Library and op-shops. 9F and 9G are up next in Term 3!

Well done to our students on a very busy but successful first semester. Everyone will be looking forward to a well-earned break before coming back refreshed and recharged, ready for an important Term 3.

Tyson Hartwig & Carmen Wiseman | Year 9 Coordinators

Term 2 has been jam packed with CAT assessment tasks, exam revision and our Year 10s’ first experience sitting senior school exams, with many even completing their first VCE Unit 1 exams. With just nine weeks of this term, the holidays are fast approaching and the first half of the year at Pasco Campus for our Year 10s is coming to a close. It has been nice to see so many of our students now settling into their new surrounds at Pasco Campus. With the end of Term 2 on the horizon we have still been busy with a range of activities through Head Start, our self-improvement day, and are getting ready and prepared for our Year 10 into Year 11 pathway work.

Head Start took place on Thursday, June 15, at Seaview Events Centre at DSV Stadium in Williamstown. The day was jam-packed with special guests, mindfulness activities and, of course, Subway lunch! The students first sat with Lucy Thomas, the CEO and cofounder of the anti-bullying foundation “Project Rockit”, to tell their story, the importance of student empowerment for standing up to bullying and how to be empathetic to one another.

The students could then choose to participate in an activity to encourage mindfulness and those happy endorphins, such as yoga, mat pilates, team-building activities, a beach walk and a fitness workout session. It was great to see so many of our kids trying their hand at a new skill or activity on the day.

A mental fitness session then took place with Sian Whittaker, an Australian swimmer who provided insight on the importance of harnessing your strengths and creating goals to persevere no matter what challenges life throws your way. The students had the opportunity to form their own goals, engage in positive conversations with their peers and further deepen their understanding of what strengths they hold as individuals.

We would like to thank all our homegroups for their continued enthusiasm and competitive nature with our weekly homegroup trivia and challenges. We look forward to introducing a HG vs HG competition next term to see who truly is the greatest homegroup in Year 10. We have also been working closely with the VCE-VM students in Years 11 and 12 to develop a basketball tournament that will be held at consecutive lunchtimes next term, with our grand final winner to take out the grand prize. Sign-ups and more promotional information is to come in Term 3.

The Year 10 into 11 Course Selection Process for 2024 will begin on Thursday, June 22, for our Year 10 students. A range of support and key events will be provided for Year 10 students and families to enable them to make informed and appropriate course selections for their final two years of high school. Year 10 students will begin with a special presentation on the VCE and the new VCE Vocational Major next Thursday, June 22, during Period 4 Homegroup. The 2024 Later Years Handbook, which contains significant course information, will also be shared with students and families as it becomes available next week. On Thursday, July 20, we look forward to seeing all our Year 10 families at the Year 10 into 11 Course Selection Information Evening held in the Centenary Theatre.

We would also like to acknowledge the whopping 196 students who have received a positive acknowledgment over Term 2, ranging from work output, dedication to studies, behaviour expectations and academic achievement. We cannot wait to see more of this to come in Term 3!

Finally, there has been a renewed commitment to uniform expectations at the end of Term 2, refocusing students’ commitment to wearing the correct uniform to school each day. It would be appreciated if you could review your child’s uniform over the term break and address the need for new items if necessary as the new policy outlines that students need to be in full school uniform at all times. Students will be provided uniform items to borrow if they are out of uniform or will need to go home and change into their correct uniform. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the school to discuss further.

Being a nine-week term packed with assessment, excursions, exams and much more, Term 2 feels like it has flown by. Hopefully the term break provides students with the opportunity to rest, relax and recharge, but also get a headstart on studies for Unit 2 in the VCE and VCE-VM.

The University and Careers Expo took place over two days in the city and at Melbourne Showgrounds, allowing students the opportunity to explore and gain information relating to a range of future tertiary and career pathways. Attendance at university and TAFE open days by students and their parents/carers is recommended. Upcoming events are listed in the following link:

TAFE and University Open Days

VCE-VM students had the opportunity to attend the Newport Railway Museum and the Seaworks Maritime Museum recently, gaining a valuable insight into local issues and sites of interest.

All VCE students had the opportunity to sit practice exams for Unit 1 subjects, which was a good opportunity to review knowledge and practise exam techniques.

We would like to congratulate 11B as the Homegroup Challenge winners for Semester 1. The group displayed excellent trivia knowledge across a range of different topics and their participation in all of the challenges brought home first place. 11B students and their homegroup teacher, Ms McKeegan, enjoyed a lunch in the final week of Term 2 to celebrate their win.

We would also like to acknowledge the amazing efforts of Kiera Mead, Eva Bugeja, Maddie Mok and Chantel Simon, who have made it through to the final round of the statewide Indonesian Speaking Competition. This is a remarkable effort and we wish them all the best in the final.

Finally, congratulations to the following students who have been successful in securing roles for this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular core performing company:

• Excelsior Madden - Principal Vocalist

• James Priday - Audio

• Shoshana Theilhaber - Orchestra

The winning design for the 2024 Year 12 jumper is shown below. Multiple designs were created by students and, through a number of committee meetings, they were narrowed down to a final three. This design was the clear winner getting approximately 55% of the student vote. The process for students to order a jumper has been shared with them via email and the year level Google Classroom.

Finally, there has been a renewed commitment to uniform expectations at the end of Term 2, refocusing students’ commitment to wearing the correct uniform to school each day. It would be appreciated if you could review your child’s uniform over the term break and address the need for new items if necessary.

We are now officially halfway through our Year 12 marathon. It is important as supporters of those participating (the students) that you congratulate them on this achievement and remind them to stay focused on their goals and what lies ahead.

The second half of every marathon is always the most challenging and it is no different in Year 12. Although the finish line is getting closer and closer, fatigue from the previous kilometres begins to set in. This is where the role of supporters (you) becomes even more important. Continue to regularly check-in on how they are feeling, provide encouragement and remind them to continue to look after themselves.

For those sitting exams, Term 2 holidays are the last break before the final stretch so it is important they have some rest to ensure they have enough energy to get to the end.

Throughout the term the Year 12 students have been competing in the very first edition of the Homegroup Games. The competition so far has seen egg-throwing contests, five-legged races and team drawing games. It has been a great opportunity for the cohort to take a break from the stress of everyday school and we look forward to crowning our inaugural champions next term.

To conclude the term the students celebrated the year so far with our Formal. It was a great night full of good times, laughs and lots of dancing. It was great to see the cohort really come together to celebrate this occasion as the class of 2023.

Year 12 Coordinators,

Angus Rodda & David Urwin

It has been a busy Term 2 for students at the Pasco campus with students finishing their CATs, SACs, and SATs for Semester 1. Between May 29 and June 8, the students completed the end-of-semester exams. While not counting towards the students’ S/N result, this is an excellent opportunity for Year 10 and Year 11 students to become familiar with the examination process, and for them to start developing exam-taking techniques in time for Year 12.

On Thursday, June 15, all students completing Units 3&4 VCE and VCE VET subjects, as well as all senior VCE VM students, completed the GAT (General Achievement Test). While not counting towards students’ study scores, the GAT is used as part of the VCE quality assurance process to ensure that school-based assessments and external assessments have been accurately assessed. The GAT also includes a Numeracy and Literacy section to indicate whether students have demonstrated the literacy and numeracy skills typically expected of someone completing their secondary schooling. This was the first VCAA exam for a lot of the students and many showed great initiative in how they prepared for the GAT, from reading up on all of the rules, to attending the tips and tricks session that were offered in the weeks leading up to the GAT.

As part of National Careers Week at the Bayview Campus, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 welcomed guest speakers at their year level assemblies who shared their academic experiences and career journeys.

Former Williamstown High Student Matthew Allsop spoke to Year 7s about his time at Willi High and how his school experiences (although he didn’t know this at the time) helped shape his future. Matthew is currently studying for a Bachelor of Aviation Management and a Bachelor of Business at Swinburne University of Technology and his advice, “Do your best”, was warmly received by students.

Dylan Nguyen, creator of BUGBOX Robotics, spoke to our Year 8s about his non-linear and very interesting career path in the building of his company. Dylan highlighted the importance of Humanities subjects within STEAM to foster critical and creative thinking in technology related industries.

Claudia Mytnik-Bondin, a Victoria University senior student ambassador, was the guest speaker for the Year 9s. In her fourth year of a Law (honours) and Criminology degree, Claire shared her rich experiences of student life and of the possibilities that further study has to offer.

A huge thank you to all our guest speakers for giving up their time and allowing our students to gain a broader perspective of career journeys.

Additionally, we were thrilled to host an engineering workshop for some of our Year 9 students in partnership with the Port of Melbourne and Engineering Tomorrow. Students created electric vehicles as part of the Sustainable Transportation of the Future Program and followed the design, build and test process. Assisted by NASA engineers, who ‘Zoomed’ in to support and share ideas, our students thoroughly enjoyed the collaborative and interactive nature of the workshop and gained a real insight into the world of engineering.

Encouraging Women in STEAM, Technology CAT leader Ms Bacon accompanied 25 female students from Year 9 to Wyndham Tech School to explore possible career pathways in technology. The students listened to informal panel discussions involving influential women who work in technology roles across Amazon Web Services. This was followed by a ‘speed networking’ activity where students asked questions surrounding technology, study pathways, or simply a day in the life of these women's roles in the workforce.

(Wyndham Tech pic)

Also as part of Careers Week, select Year 9 students were fortunate to experience an in-house Career Expo last month at the Pasco Campus. This opportunity allowed students to engage in conversations and collect invaluable information about courses, employment and apprenticeships.

Last Thursday during the examination period, the Year 9 cohort participated in the Morrisby Career Profiling Assessment. The Morrisby can help support students in making informed choices about their subject selection, vocational education and training, senior secondary school certificates and further study. In early Term 3 students will analyse their career assessment reports with an accredited Morrisby career counsellor, either with a one-on-one or ‘group unpack’ session to discuss the outcomes of their assessment and future options. More details to follow.

Years 7, 8 and 9 students are also well underway to completing their Career Action Plans. These were conducted during dedicated homegroup sessions. I encourage parents and carers to ask their child to share their Career Action Plans with them and see how they view themselves in terms of strengths and interests.

By engaging in interactive workshops, attending inspiring sessions, and connecting with professionals, we hope our Bayview students become aware of more opportunities and possibilities for future career pathways.

Liz Lorenc, Careers Coordinator, Bayview.

It’s been fantastic to see the entries rolling in for The Principal’s Writing Competition! There’s still lots of time to submit work as the closing date is 14 July (Term 3 Week 1). The Writer’s Clubs at Pasco and Bayview have been well attended over the term and we look forward to reading everybody’s ‘Destination’ themed entries. Students can submit their work via google form on the Year Level google classroom or here. There are many exciting prizes to be won including an iPad, book prizes, certificates, and tickets to Writer’s Festivals. Additionally, the names of the winners will be printed on our Principal’s Writing Competition honour boards, and all winning entries will be also be published in an anthology which will be available to borrow in our school libraries.

3L (Language and Literacy for Learning) professional development is well underway for participating staff. The course provides effective strategies for scaffolding students through explicit teaching of the language and visual resources that they need to be successful learners across all learning areas. The course will continue into term 3 and enhance professional dialogue between staff leading to the potential for ongoing whole-school initiatives.

Following VCAA’s publication of the Glossary of Command Terms, CAT teams across Pasco and Bayview collaborated to create meaningful and student friendly glossaries with examples, within their disciplines. Students may benefit from using these glossaries in the context questions and tasks they are working on in their subject areas and in preparation for their examinations where understanding command terms is essential.

Bayview librarian, Alice has been encouraging students to read through a range of fun and engaging activities to be found on the library website. Students can play book-themed games (and win prizes), receive personalised suggestions for borrowing based on their read-alikes and check out the Wheeler’s ePlatform digital library for audiobooks- lots to keep busy in the school holidays! Visit the library website here to discover more.

English at Bayview has had a cracking start to the 2023 school year!

Our Year 7 cohort started with a creative poetry unit and media analysis unit, followed by their first text response. It has been wonderful to see the Year 7s apply themselves in their first semester of secondary English, and we hope their results indicate the hard work they have put in.

Our Year 8s and 9s have engaged with a range of texts this semester including Macbeth, The Sapphires, Of Mice and Men and Never Let Me Go. They further developed their literacy and language skills in units ranging from creative writing, reading circles and media literacy.

This term also saw us recognise Reconciliation Week with daily book recommendations organised by our school librarians. Fiction and non-fiction titles were suggested to broaden students’ reading of First Nation writers and stories.

As we look towards Semester 2, our Years 7 and 8 mainstream classes will be studying media literacy. Families can get involved by discussing current issues and global events at home. This is a great way to engage students with the world around them for their upcoming unit!

In English, during Semester 1 students read, evaluate and then produce diverse forms of writing. A refreshing change in the 2023 VCE English study design allows more freedom for students to write their own texts based on a broad theme.

Current Year 12 students recently wrote in response to ‘Flames’, written by Tasmanian author Robbie Arnott, many adopting the magical realism mode or gothic noir he utilises in his novel. Year 11 students read texts based on ‘The Future’ and have had a more open-ended opportunity to write articles, speeches and science fiction stories. Year 10 students will soon evaluate texts based upon ‘Love’ and then produce their own texts, potentially including love sonnets.

Attached are some snippets from recent Year 11 students who may have utopian or dystopian views of the future!

“We are going to space Maxine, where we belong.”

“Ryan? How are we supposed to create altered food to solve world hunger?” Ben politely asks. “Well, nuclear waste and radiation, obviously.”

As I walk through the dark, dirty and dusty streets of Hyper-Melb, I gaze up at the synthetic sky… Why did you do this Elon?

In my flurried rage at her ‘uncalled for’ disobedience I flap menacingly towards her sending picture frames clattering off the mantel.

Term 2 Interschool Sport

Williamstown High School students have once again shone bright on the sporting stage, with many outstanding achievements across the term. The following teams have represented the school with great success in competitions so far:

Baseball

The Intermediate Boys team placed third overall in the state finals.

AFL

Hobsons Bay Division Premiers

• Senior, Intermediate, Year 8 and 7 Boys

• Senior, Year 8 and 7 Girls

Netball

Hobsons Bay Division Premiers

• Intermediate, Year 8 and 7 Girls

• Senior and Junior Boys

Hobsons Bay Division Runners-up

• Senior Girls

Soccer

Hobsons Bay Division Premiers

• Senior, Intermediate Girls

• Intermediate, Year 8 and 7 Boys

Hobsons Bay Division Runners-up

• Senior Boys

Cross Country

A number of students have advanced to the WMR Cross Country championships.

Term 3 Interschool Sports

The Hobsons Bay Division competition commences early on in the term with the sports listed below on offer. Parents need to pay and consent first on Compass in order for their child to be involved in the competitions.

• Hockey

• Basketball

• Table Tennis

• Lacrosse

• Athletics

Parents are most welcome to come along and support their child at any of the events.

A big congratulations to all students and their sporting success. Please let us know the sporting achievements of your child so that we can acknowledge their accomplishments in the next W-Files.

If you have any queries regarding the Interschool Sport Program at WHS, please do not hesitate to email either:

• Karen Mahoney - karen.mahoney@education.vic.gov.au at the Bayview Campus OR

• Thomas Schnerring - thomas.schnerring@education.vic.gov.au at the Pasco Campus

Accelerated Sports Program

The Accelerated Sports Program at the Bayview Campus is more popular than ever with around 140 students involved in the program this year. There have been some exciting changes to the sports on offer in the program at WHS in 2023, with the inclusion of two new sports: Lacrosse and Football (Soccer).

Bayview Assistant Principal Darren Nicholas is the coach for the lacrosse program and Pablo Puime Picos, from SDC Programme, is the coach for the football program. Some parents may be acquainted with Pablo as he coaches several of our students outside of school.

The Accelerated Sport program has also seen the expansion of the before-school sessions with:

• Basketball 7:30-8:30 Year 8/9 Bayview Gym Thursday mornings

• Football 7:15-8:20 Gray Reserve Thursday mornings

• Lacrosse 7:30-8:30 Fearon Reserve Tuesday mornings

• Triathlon 7:30-8:30 in the local Williamstown area Friday mornings

The program has also seen the long-time association with the following coaches and organisations continue:

• Marg Lind as coach of the Netball program

• Darren Hindle, with his company, Transition Sports, and coach Tim Devlin with the basketball program

• Mat Tippett and ETPA Racing with Triathlon

• Williamstown Seagulls and the VFL program with teacher, Mat Grossman

If you have any questions regarding the program, please do not hesitate to contact the Junior Sport and Accelerated Sport Coordinator Karen Mahoney at karen.mahoney@education.vic.gov.au or on 9399 9228.

Our first semester of Science at Williamstown High School’s Bayview Campus was packed with adventures, experiments, and theory. As the new Year 7 class cohort settled into a new high school routine, they immersed themselves in studying marine life with an emphasis on flora and fauna from our local Port Phillip Bay. In Term 2, Year 7s continued their quest for knowledge while familiarising themselves around the science lab, earning their Bunsen burner licences.

Year 8 students began the school year by studying physical and chemical reactions in the science lab. This involved experimenting with chemicals and refining their scientific report writing skills. Year 8 students concluded Semester 1 by learning about the digestive system. In this unit students had the opportunity to dissect a rat, which enabled students to study animal organs firsthand. Students also examined ethics in the scientific discipline by completing an assignment on the ethics of animal dissection.

Year 9 Science students began their last year on the Bayview Campus by studying the pH scale and chemical reactions in a series of experiments. A highlight of Term 2 was the Tubeworm Investigation. Year 9 students had the opportunity to observe a tubeworm colony either in the lab or at the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary. We really are lucky to have such a valuable resource adjacent to our campus.

The Science Teaching and Educational Support Staff are looking forward to Semester 2!

Educators from the Pelvic Pain Foundation will be visiting the Pasco Campus to present to Year 10 students on Tuesday, June 20.

As a part of the follow-up they are offering a program called Next Steps.

Next Steps is a free online session for any student who identifies a complex pain concern or would like their caregiver to know more. Students attend with a caregiver and have the opportunity to ask questions to a gynaecologist and pain specialist, Associate Professor Susan Evans.

Students can register for upcoming sessions below:

https://www.pelvicpain.org.au/ppep-talk-schools-program/ppep-talk-next-steps/

I have also attached the PPEP Talk Next Steps flyer for more information. The next session will be on August 2.

The VET Music students of Williamstown High School proudly present the 2023 War Child benefit concert. This evening of music will feature bands and artists from Williamstown High School, as well as guest performances by ex-students and the all-star staff band. Join us for an evening of music at the Substation in Newport. All proceeds go to War Child Australia to aid families torn apart by war.

Wednesday, July 26

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1073118?eid=1073118&

It has been a busy semester in the Bayview Digital Technology classrooms.

In the ICT & Robotics classes, students were learning about the development and design process. They did this by developing a computer game to be played on a handheld computer, and then finished the semester with programming and debugging robots to navigate a maze. Students also built on their computer skills by learning touch typing and the ethical ramifications of robots and AI in the workplace.

In the STEAM Synergy, students have been spending weekly lessons at Wyndham Tech School learning about project management, team building and CAD design skills. In the first term they worked in teams to design and run an eSports tournament. They learnt different tools used for managing, promoting, and running an online eSports game. In the second term, they have designed F1 cars on a 3D CAD platform, to be printed out and raced against each other.

Through the Wyndham Tech programs, we also had an opportunity to go to the F1 at Albert Park and look at the various technologies that are being used in both the cars and the workforce in general.

Students from Years 8 and 9 participated in the Toyota Design Thinking Workshop for Careers Week. They had a presentation from Toyota about the importance of creativity in the design process, and the importance of working together to find solutions to a problem. Students worked in groups of five or six to identify a problem and then think about solutions by designing them with Lego.

From the students:

In STEAM Synergy I enjoyed racing our 3D printed cars. In STE

AM Synergy I learnt how to use Onshape, a 3D design program, and I also learnt how to organise a video game tournament. I also learnt a bit about artificial intelligence. Skills that I used in STEAM Synergy were: communication, teamwork, project management and computer programming.
- Ky Reardon

In STEAM Synergy I enjoyed being able to go off-site to learn about different technological aspects like the construction of 3D printed cars and their aerodynamics. Through STEAM Synergy I was able to learn how to operate Onshape and how to develop 3D printed designs. This required patience and effort, but I think that the result gave a good reward through being able to put up a finished product.
- Archer Russell

In STEAM Synergy I enjoyed working in groups to create an eSports tournament. I found the group work fun and inventive, and it was enjoyable and interesting bouncing ideas off one another to create our final product. In STEAM Synergy I learnt what kinds of teams are needed and skills those team members need to create engineering/software like goals. The goal we were achieving in STEAM was an eSports tournament and I worked in the technology group. Here I learnt what computer specs were, room floor plans and much more. I also learnt how to 3D print things and how to create an online digital version of something to be 3D printed. Skills that I used in STEAM Synergy were creativity, innovation and problem solving. There are many challenges when creating a car online and designing an eSports tournament, problems which need creativity and innovation to solve.
- Mischa Johnston

Daniel Marshall

Design/Technology

It’s been a great start to 2023. We welcomed new staff members Thomas Frawley and Nicholas Madden, who are teaching Horticulture this year. We also have a new Wood teacher, Garrett Drago, who is new to Technology and enjoying the challenge of teaching Year 7 Wood.

This semester we have worked together to develop a plan for the Horticulture area with the aim of creating a more manageable workspace for the students. Our large greenhouse, which was badly damaged last year, has now gone to a good home. It took some time to get quotes for a new greenhouse and new plans are now being developed for this space.

In Term 1 we celebrated Art, Design & Technology Week with an array of activities from, Kahoot competitions, displays in the Atrium, pop-up workshops on kinetic sculpture, pop-up textiles, wood, a photography competition and materials workshop with plastics.

Thanks to Dylan Jepsen for doing a presentation on kinetic sculpture. There was lots of STEAM happening, with Dillon asking maths questions of the students to be able to program the kinetic movement of the Lego sculptures. All built, designed and programmed using Maths, Design, Technology and Art.

Brain STEM

Our mission is to help raise the next generation of STEM

leaders | change-makers | disruptors | innovators.

Through mentoring, critical thinking, story-telling and more,

we empower high-school students to write their own story

During this term, Brain Stem (Toyota) came out to do a workshop on STEAM with the Year 8 SEAL Class. This was a unique experience to teach students about problem solving, design thinking and creative brainstorming of problems. This was a Lego workshop free to our students.

A Mentimeter online feedback tool was used to gauge what the students learnt about STEAM and their thoughts about the workshop, the results of which are displayed in graphs and word clouds below. All of the students were introduced to something new and challenging. Thanks to Sid Verma from Toyota for running this workshop and Daniel Marshall for giving his students this experience.

Girls & Technology Workshop

On Thursday, June 8, 23 female and nonbinary students attended Wyndham Tech School to hear about successful women in STEAM. This was an informative program with opportunities to discuss and ask questions about some of the career paths the presenters had taken. There were architects, an Amazon marketing manager, engineers, designers, ICT programmers and environmental designers. The students were also able to meet other students from three other schools in the West.

Thanks to Liz Lorenc for being part of this event and assisting as the careers advisor, seeing and hearing about the new career opportunities that are being developed and the jobs of the future in the design and technologies field. For example, there will be a need for 286,000 people to enter tech jobs in the next four years, and Australia needs an extra 653,000 people to join the tech workforce by 2030.

5 x 7 Art Exhibition Movement 2023

Louis Joel Gallery Altona.

Twenty-four students from several Year 7 classes had their work chosen for the 5x7 Art Exhibition & Competition this year. The theme this year was Movement.

The following images are from the exhibition, including the year 7 work of our students. Congratulations to all involved.

You can visit the 2023 Exhibition at this link of the Hobsons Bay Website.

https://hobsonsbayartsociety.weebly.com/currentfuture-hbas-exhibitions.html

Helen Bacon

Visual Art.

Next meeting – Tuesday, July 25, 7:30pm – online and in-person at the Bayview Campus

Guest Speaker – Corrine Hall, Assistant Principal, Pasco Campus – speaking about the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationship (RRRR) program

$9000 donation to Pasco Campus

Thanks to the generosity of our school community, the PFA has just donated $9000 to the Pasco Campus. This donation will contribute to a new timber high table and stools in the library (similar to those at the Bayview Campus), and a ‘yarning circle’ in the Pasco grounds.

Thank you so much. We are super appreciative of the support. Both of these items will be well used and add wonderful collaborative spaces to the library and outdoor area at the senior campus and be used for many years. – Daniel Pierce, Pasco Campus Principal

Monster Scouts and School Raffle

Purchasing raffle tickets will assist the PFA to continue raising funds for ‘extras’ for WHS students – like the new library furniture, or the extensive aquarium upgrade in the Marine Education room at the Bayview Campus.

Raffle tickets are now available via the link or QR code below. This is an important fundraiser for the PFA, which offers generous prizes including a car, a holiday to Uluru, mountain bikes, stand-up paddleboards and even a hoverboard!

https://scoutsvic.raffletix.com.au/willyhigh

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of Williamstown Primary School and they will be celebrating their sesquicentennial year with their students, alumni and wider community. The primary school will be holding an anniversary gala at 7pm on August 18 at the Williamstown Town Hall, and a School Open Day on August 19 from 11am to 2pm.

For further information and to secure tickets, please see the link below:

https://www.hobsonsbaytickets.com.au/project/williamstown-primary-150th-anniversary-gala/