Balgazette – Term 2, 2021

Time certainly seems to pass rapidly at the moment and it is hard to believe we are nearing the end of Term 2. As we know, each year at this time, our Year 12 students become a little more concerned about the need to complete their course work as they prepare for their last term as students at Balga Senior High School. For these students the next 10 weeks will fly by and I am sure there are quite a few late nights ahead of them. I, together with all staff, wish them well as they finalise their studies leading into life beyond school in 2022.

As a whole school however, we have had a very busy term. It started with ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in place and again our students responded well to the challenges presented. Our school continued to provide additional support for families and students and the school has remained a vibrant place of learning. Students have completed both intensive (Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment) OLNA and (National Assessments Program – Literacy and Numeracy NAPLAN) testing and results from these assessments will be made available to the school in due course.
We have had the pleasure of having Mr Matthew White assume the role of Deputy Principal of Senior School whilst Ms Hayley McGill has been on long service leave. I wish to thank Mr White for the wonderful job he has done in Ms McGill’s absence.

Mobile phones

I wish to advise students, parents and carers that our school policy on mobile phones is very simple and clear. In line with State Government expectations, students are not permitted to have their mobile phones switched on or out of their bags at any time during the school day. We have had this rule in place for an extended period and for the most part, we have taken an approach of working with students in a positive way to follow this rule. For some students this matter remains a concern and it does have an impact on student learning and in a number of instances, has interrupted our school operations. As a result, I wish parents, carers and students to be aware that effective from Day 1 of Term 3, any student who has their mobile phone out at any time during the school day (from when they arrive onsite until they leave the grounds at the end of the day) will have their mobile phone confiscated. The mobile phone will only be returned to the parent/carer of the student and not directly to the student. I am hopeful that everyone takes on board the need to follow this rule as I do not want to have to confiscate a single phone, so I encourage students to follow this rule.

Punctuality

At the moment, we are having significant numbers of students who are constantly arriving late to school each day. Over the course of this term, we have averaged 80 students per day arriving late during the first hour of the school day. Over the course of a year, this means they are missing the equivalent of 8 weeks of learning across the year. As part of our strategy to improve this trend moving forward, any student who arrives late (without a note of reasonable explanation – sickness, medical appointment etc.) will be required to complete a detention. Once again, I am hopeful that no student has to complete a detention and that all students arrive on time at the start of every school day.

Thank You

Our school volunteers are a fantastic support to our students. Within our school they assist through a variety of ways that include tutoring, mentoring, and conducting Breakfast Club. One of our wonderful volunteers has decided it is time to retire after volunteering at BSHS since 2009 in a variety of roles. Our Student Services Officer was able to present Carol Kitson with a Balga SHS Pen and Coffee Mug as a way of saying thank you for such a long term commitment to our students and the local community. On behalf of the whole school community, I wish to thank Carol for her efforts and repeat what a positive impact she has made for our students.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the great work and behaviour demonstrated by the majority of our students this semester. On behalf of all staff, we trust all our students will have a safe and relaxing break and come back energised to complete the second half of this school year. To my staff I say thank you for the manner in which you have supported our students and each other across this semester and I hope you too have a relaxing and safe break.

Mr Mark Carton – Principal

Our students in Year 11 have now begun to understand the hectic world of the Senior School. Assessments and tests are now part of their weekly schedules and students are reminded to improve their organisational skills through the use of their school diary that they received at the beginning of the year. It is important for families to remind students to use this daily for school, work, sporting and family commitments. This will help them develop a routine and become better at time management, which will come in handy for next year, when they are in Year 12.

Finally, our Year 12 students have just completed their  ESTs, which ran over 3 weeks in May. These tasks are set by School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) and count for 15% of their final grade. Our teachers provided preparation activities and homework study plans, to assist them through this stressful time. Students should be proud of their efforts, as many of them achieved some very pleasing results. As we come to the close of a long term, I would like to thank the dedicated English staff for all the support and guidance they have provided all our students, to help them enhance their literacy skills, as well as develop an appreciation of all the different forms and styles that encompass the learning area of English.

Ms Silvana Cockroft – HoLA English

Term two started with the construction of the Science Block. Two laboratories were used to teach this term. With most of the equipment locked away, we still managed to teach Chemical Science units to all year groups.

Year 7 students were investigating different states of matter and looking at the creation of carbon dioxide when experimenting with chemical reactions. They correlated chemical changes to everyday life.

Year 9 students were busy with their conservation of mass practicals. Scientific measurements, recording, analysing and evaluating results were covered during the practical lessons.

Year 10 students were fascinated by the colourful precipitates. Working out chemical equations and writing a chemist’s language was all exciting to these Year 10 students.

Year 11 and 12 students have been extremely busy completing their semester one units and are now getting started with the second unit. It has been a busy term in Science.

Ms Guddy Litt – LAC Science

Some of The Stars Balga girls had the opportunity to dance at the Fremantle v Western Bulldogs clash during the halftime segment.

The girls performed the Spirit Dance alongside Banksia Grove Primary School who sang the Fremantle Dockers club song in Noongar language. It was a wonderful opportunity to not only show case their talent but to celebrate their culture as part of the Indigenous Round.

2021 State Championship WA Karate Federation

Congratulations to Kobie Dunstan, one of our current Year 12 students, who came second in the Junior Boys division and 5th in the Senior Mens Division on the 16th May in the State Championships. What an outstanding achievement.

HaSS AND CAREERS GO HAND IN HAND

As part of their studies in Economics and Business and Career and Enterprise, students in Years 7 to 12 have completed an Individual Pathway Plan, (IPP), this term. These plans are sequenced and designed to be age appropriate. The Year 7 focus is called ‘About Me’ and seeks to develop self-awareness, Year 8 looks at influences and significant others, Year 9 looks at the things that help shape who we are, Year 10 begins to develop an individual profile, Year 11 seeks to identify changes to past results and Year 12 seeks to develop the individual’s idea of success. The IPP’s support the implementation of career development for all students whilst at school and have been developed by the WA Education Department.

In addition, the Year 7 students completed a case study of an entrepreneur, the Year 8 students have researched products to see if they have breached consumer standards in the Shonky Awards, the Year 9 students created an international trade info graph after conducting research, and the Year 10 students completed a task called, ‘Breaking News’, where the students worked collaboratively to produce a news segment on how well Australia’s economy is performing.

In Year 11 Foundation Career and Enterprise, the students focused on their personal organizational skills, and looked at strategies that they could use to help improve their skills in this area. Examples included, using a diary on a daily basis to record due dates for classwork, as well as sporting and work commitments. This has also assisted the class to work on their time management and punctuality.

In Career and Enterprise, General, the Year 11 students developed their problem solving skills, researched different work environments and work search tools and completed an IPP.

In addition to the IPP, the Year 12 students have looked at the development of personality theory and how it relates to them.

They researched global workplace trends, learnt how to address selection criteria and completed a report on recent workplace trends, prior to and post the Covid 19 Pandemic. There has never been a more crucial time for students to be aware of their own strengths, skills and abilities and where they may lead them in the fast changing world of work.

Aspire UWA Incursion

Year 12 students attended the Next Step session presented by the Aspire team which explored potential careers that related to the students’ interests and future goals. Discussions were held about the university application process and pathways for 2022, to be completed later this year. The visit increased students’ awareness of post school options and left them enthused and excited about the next phase of their planning journey. In addition, it also tied in with their upcoming individual career planning sessions.

The Year 10 students participated in a UniDiscovery session that reflected on their subject preferences, interests and hobbies to consider their future pathways and the possibility of university studies. This session ties in perfectly with their upcoming Senior School subject selection.

In addition, a representative from the UWA School of Indigenous Studies held a session with our indigenous students to look at potential study options for them at UWA.

Ms Mandy Hampson
HaSS & Careers Coordinator

The drama team has been extremely busy this term creating and rehearsing the upcoming production. The junior production, ‘New Arrival’, is a fast paced comedy that explores the themes of Isolation, resilience and the importance of family.

The senior group will present ‘Demise of Disney’.  This is an energetic musical theatre piece that explores life as a fairy tale and challenges the notion of a “Happily Ever After”.

The drama production will be performed in August of this year.  Our talented drama pupils will also compete in the Youth on Health (YOH) Drama Festival.  They will travel to Mandurah in September of this year to compete in the preliminary state wide heats.

Thirty of our exceptional drama students will participate in a three day musical theatre workshop at WAAPA, culminating in an integrated performance for a live audience.  We would love to see you all at our upcoming shows.

Ms Kate Maughan – LAC Teacher Drama

Another exciting and productive term coming to an end…

Work Experience gives students the opportunity to gain real on the job training and experience in their chosen field, with every 55 hours completed in this role, students may gain points towards their WACE upon the completion of Skills Journals. Placements are sourced according to the needs of each student.

We have students experiencing many roles throughout our community, retail, hospitality, automotive, hairdressing, the list is endless. Upon completion of Year 12, each year some students are being offered direct entry into apprenticeships as a result of their dedication to work experience.

It has been wonderful re engaging with the City of Stirling, who host our students throughout various sectors such as Hospitality and Day Clubs, to name a few. We are working together with the City’s volunteer representative in creating further exciting placements, to come in the near future.

We had the chance to attend an excursion with some of our students to CTF (Construction Training Fund) where we were able to connect with their training advisor, we are looking forward to meeting and working with them in the near future, to enable our students the opportunity to apply for scholarships, traineeships, pre apprenticeships and apprenticeships, which is exciting for our department and school. WATCH THIS SPACE, as we progress with them.

We have a big notice board in Senior School, where all opportunities are offered, so please remind your Year 10, 11 and 12 students to check each week for what is on offer.

All Year 10 Students will require a USI (Unique Student Identification) number, this number is required prior to applying for Training and Further Education (TAFE). Students are required to bring a CURRENT MEDICARE CARD (OR PHOTO OF THEIR CARD ON THEIR MOBILE) to the WPL/VET office asap.

After 11 weeks, enjoy the break … Looking forward to a fresh busy start to Term 3.

WPL Team – Ms Sharon Hunt, Ms Jessica Johnston & Ms Jan Jansen

Hooray, swimming is back!

All IEC students went swimming during Term two, even though the program was cut short due to Covid-19 restrictions, they had fun in the swimming pool. The students worked really hard with their instructors during their 40 minute lessons.

During the first lesson, students were assessed and placed into lanes to begin their intensive 5 day program. All students received a certificate at the end of the program, outlining the skills they have achieved over the lessons.

Each group had different learning goals with their swimming and lessons were tailored and adapted specifically to the students within the group.

Ms Enda Gilbert-Rosette
Program Manager – Intensive English Centre

Students in IEC2.2 have been learning all about narratives. They enjoyed reading fairy tales and retelling stories. They wrote their own stories and enjoyed illustrating them. Students learnt how to plan, write, edit and publish their work.

Ms Kathy Wyatt – Teacher IEC

Students in IEC3.2, Graduation class, learned about the causes and events of World War 1.

They did a Scavenger Hunt trying to find out information and answer questions. They completed this activity in partner work and used booklets that we had read previously, classroom displays and the internet to research and answer the questions.  Students enjoyed learning independently about World War 1.

Ms Steffi Selle – Teacher IEC

Values

In Health, IEC 2.3 looked at Values and how they could shape someone’s behaviour and character. Then, each student chose a value that was really important to him or her and designed a poster. Below are some of their thoughts:

“Kindness, is showing love to someone who is alone, sad or needs your help. It is also caring about others and doing things to help make their lives better.”  Mu Say Blut

“Helpfulness, is being of service to others. Good deeds needn’t take much time or cost any money”.  Htee Klay

“Forgiveness, everyone makes mistakes. Don’t punish people for what they have done. You look over what they have done. Forgiveness makes you happier and keeps you healthy. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life”.  Ali Azizullah

“Friendliness is treating your friends like a brother. You hang out with each another and eat together. When your friends don’t have food, you share your food with them.”  Hsa Lwa La Htoo

Ms Lorraine Marie – Teacher IEC

Nationally Consistent Collection Of Disability Data

Our school is part of a national project about students with disability and/or learning difficulties.  Some of these conditions could include, but are not limited to, such things as Physical Disabilities, Hearing Impairment, Diabetes, Autism, Anaphylaxis and Cerebral Palsy.

We have been asked to provide data about the number and learning needs of children at our school.  The name of the school and the name of the student will not be reported.

Information about the different types of needs and the programs and resources the school uses to overcome barriers and support children with special educational needs will be collected.

We believe it is important to contribute to this because it will help the Government and the Department of Education develop better policies acknowledging the level of resources needed in schools to meet the needs of all students in Western Australia.

If you do not want your child/ren to be included please advise the school in writing as soon as possible and, once received, the information will not be included in the information provided to the Commonwealth.

To learn more about the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for School Students with Disability, you can visit the website:

https://www.education.gov.au/what-nationally-consistent-collection-data-school-students-disability

Ms Lenka McPherson
Program Manager – Learning Support

Where’s your place in Space?

The LS2 students have been learning about the Solar System, including the Sun and all the planets that orbit it. Students engaged in a variety of activities including making mobiles of the Solar System, displaying them around the classroom. The students also demonstrated their Literacy skills by writing a creative story about travelling to their favourite planet.

The students enjoyed learning about various countries sending rockets to our closest neighbour Mars, in search of water. They improved their research skills as they collected facts about the Sun and identified its important role to Earth.

Ms Biljana Jankulovski – Teacher Learning Support

Year 10s in Term 2 were given the opportunity to participate in some great excursions with the focus on promoting safe behaviours as drivers, riders and passengers. 70 Year 10 students joined 6000 other high school students from around the state at the RAC Arena to be part of the B Street Smart exhibition and show. It had strong messages in demonstrating the ramifications of road trauma, the consequences of distracted driving and informed students on how to reduce risk taking behaviour.

A select group of Year 10s joined the Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program at Midland hospital. The program enabled students to experience the journey of an imaginary trauma patient from the hospital Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Rehabilitation at St John of God.

Mr Jason Bristow – PCYC Year 10

This term the Year 7 and 8 students in the STEAM classes built balloon powered race cars made from recycled water bottles. They researched how to build the cars and made their first prototype with varying success. They had a chance to race them and find out how well the cars they designed and built worked.

The main problem they experienced using the water bottles as the car body was that it was hard to place the wheels at the same height on the front and rear and have the axels parallel to each other. In re-designing the cars they used flat corflute plastic which made it easier to have the wheels at the same height and parallel. In both designs they found that the straw was crushed by the rubber band so the need to use a stronger straw or other type of tubing for future builds.

In Robotics, Year 9 and 10 students learnt to build and program the Edison robots in Term 1. In Term 2 they progressed to the more difficult Lego Mindstorm EV3 robots. They built the robots and have been learning to program them to do more and more complex tasks. The goal is to compete with each other in completing complex tasks.

In Term 1, the Year 7 and 8 Technology class students learnt how to remotely control the Edison robots as vehicular drones before moving on to programming the robots to do set tasks. This term they learnt how to remotely control flying drones (quadcopters) and are now learning how to program the drones to work autonomously. Students have been fully engaged and excited learning about drones. After researching jobs using drones, some students hope to become drone pilots.

Ms Ros London – Teacher

This semester the students in the Textiles class, made very attractive and colourful face masks. Some students even used what they made earlier this term when mask wearing was compulsory. They commented that the mask they made were more comfortable to wear than the commercial masks.

Their latest project was to “upcycle” the old clothes they purchased from the second hand clothing stores (Op-shops) making them more attractive by adding embellishments and/or converting them into other useful objects. This was part of their sustainability project which is aimed at teaching students to reduce, reuse and recycle textiles so less used clothing is sent to landfill. At present in Australia 36 tonnes of clothing is thrown out as rubbish in ONE hour. This data made an impact on the students and they did a great job converting old clothes into other useful things. The students made a cat bed from an old jumper, a teddy bear from a baby jump suit, a t-shirt into a shoulder bag, a jeans leg into a purse, old t-shirts or ties into scrunchies and coasters and pen holder to name but a few of the inventive projects the students created.

Ms Ros London – Teacher

Building and Construction

Students from our two senior classes have been busy developing their skills in metal fabrication and in other building and construction activities. Some of their projects have included designing and producing a metal frame stool and plumbing activities, including surveying and trenching a new reticulation waterline for the garden area.

Certificate II in Applied Digital Technologies

As part of their practical assessment students are helping to maintain the school’s computer laboratories. They are ensuring all of the peripherals are working and correctly placed and are able to diagnose and correct common problems. This hands-on activity has help them see the application of their classwork and assignments.

Changes in Staff

After many years of service teaching at Balga Senior High School Mr Stephen Lee has changed his role and is now enjoying a variety of new roles in the garden and around the school. We thank him for his hard work and dedication. Mr Ben Hogarth joins us as the new teacher in Design and Technology. He has had a great start with the students in Metalwork creating a variety of projects.

Mr Liam Penstone
Teacher in Charge – Design and Technology

Balga’s Visual Arts students have been incredibly busy this term, creating some amazing sculptures and paintings. We feel enormously proud of their effort and commitment to learning. Well done!

In March, our Year 12 students headed off to Bells Rapids for an open air painting day. The landscape was stark and imposing with varying shades of orange and brown. The hilly areas were scattered with spiky green grass trees, growing again after the recent fires. The visit proved to be a wonderful inspiration for our Australian landscape paintings.

The importance of empathy in our community cannot be underestimated. Our ‘Be Creative’ and Senior School Engagement classes have explored the old idiom; to understand another person, try walking a mile in their shoes’. Our students have reflected on their individual journeys and created a life size shoe that captures an experience, a significant event, or dreams for the future. Our students’ shoes, together with their self-portraits, will give you an insight into their experiences of the world.

Finally, we cannot forget to mention our Mother’s Day pot plant and vase sale. The Gardening and ‘Be Creative’ Business models teamed up and braved a rainy lunchtime to sell their popular wares. We would like to thank, Mr John Pericles, for his assistance in setting up the stall.

Ms Cindy Foster – Teacher Art

Year 7 – 10 Lightning Carnivals

From all of us within the Health & Physical Education team, we would like to thank students, staff and parents/guardians for their support of our carnivals and excursions during the term. In Term 2, we had four Lighting Carnivals where students competed against 8 other schools on the day. The students had the opportunity to showcase their skills in their chosen sport and our students did themselves and our school proud. We entered teams in the Soccer, Basketball, and Netball competitions.

Senior Boys Soccer

This year the senior boys team were placed in a tough qualifying group and showed strength and willingness to work harder than the other team. The team had a great win defeating Dianella Community College 5-1 at home and then lost to Mercy A College 3-1 away with Mohammad Erlangga scoring in both games. Their final game is against Mercy College B team away and hopefully the boys can come away with the 3 points.

Year 9 Basketball

Our Year 9 Lightning Carnival Basketball Team competed strongly in B division to end up winning five of a possible six matches, resulting in becoming Runners up. Ryan Culbong was judged to be (MVP) Most Valuable Player, the squad demonstrated great teamwork, sportsmanship and enjoyed each other’s success.

Year 9 Girls Soccer

Our Year 9 girls  won the competition easily. Great assistance from helpers Paw Rey Moo, Dah Eh Paw, Hser Lah She Paw and Jhanela who ran warm ups, officiated, refereed and coached the team.

AFL

During Term 2 we had teams playing in the WAFC interschool competitions, the Senior Boys in the Simply Energy Glendinning Cup and the Junior Boys Eagles School Boys Cup.

The Senior boys first game was against Duncraig Senior High School. The second against Ashdale Secondary College, unfortunately this was not played due to a number of students being away on the day it was scheduled. The  game will hopefully be able to be rescheduled during Term 3.

The Junior boys first game was played against Duncraig SHS and the second against John Septimus Roe ACS. In all of the games the score didn’t go our way, but the way that the boys kept trying their best was great to see.

Mr R Milevski –  LAC Health & PE
Mr Brad Stevenson – Teacher Health & PE
Ms S Bagshaw – Teacher Health & PE

This term there was a strong careers focus to the excursions that the students went on. The first excursion was based around the students using public transport to arrive at a destination by a set time. Prior to going on the excursion the students had research and plan their journey using the Transperth website and app. The students arrived at the Perth Zoo on time and enjoyed their day.

The students attended the Construction Futures Centre in Belmont and here they got to have a look at a wide range of career opportunities in the construction industry, and not all just in trades. Again before the students went they researched some of the different careers available in construction which enabled them to have some specific conversations with the staff at CTF about the careers they had chosen.

The students went on a tour of the Osborne Park Fire Station. While at the station the Senior Firefighter explained the different opportunities that exist as a career firefighter or with the other different branches of the emergency services.

Most recently the students spent the day at Kings Park where they got to take a behind the scenes look at the different roles and career paths available working at a place like Kings Park. The students got a tour of the nursery, talked to the arborist team, had a look at the workshop and general maintenance team, spoke to the manager of the team that looks after all the turf in Kings Park and finally got a tour of the Botanic Garden from the manager.

Mr N Arnold
Coordinator S/School Engagement Program