PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Congratulations for wrapping up a huge Term 1 with us. We’ve had an incredibly busy and vibrant kick-off to the school year and I’m very proud of how we have collectively tackled the challenges the term has presented as a school community.
I want to thank our families for your patience, understanding and support as we’ve navigated the shifting tide of COVID-19. I especially want to thank and formally acknowledge the wonderful staff whom I am privileged to work with every day. Despite the pressures of high absences, our team has continued to provide quality learning experiences and the highest level of support and care for our students and families, including those who have been required to learn from home due to periods of isolation.
Continued growth
Once again, we have grown as a school and currently have almost 700 students enrolled and more than 100 teaching and non-teaching staff members in 2022. We continue to exceed our enrolment cap by almost 100 students, and unfortunately, this means we cannot accept non-local enrolments unless there are compelling circumstances approved at the Director level. We anticipate another large group of Year 7 students coming to us in 2023 and were thrilled to meet more than 100 families at our first transition information session last week.
Last year's pressures on the construction industry delayed a range of scheduled site improvement projects. To support our growing enrollment, we expect those projects to kick off over the coming months. These include extensive work on several of our classroom blocks and an upgrade to our COLA. As a school, we are also funding several beautification projects to provide additional outdoor learning spaces for students.
Continuous improvement
Earlier this term, we celebrated and recognised the significant achievements of our graduating cohort of 2021. We are so proud that last year’s HSC group achieved the school’s highest results, with every student moving into a positive pathway of further study or work.
In 2022 we continue to provide the highest levels of support through our IGNITE case management program for Year 12. Students have access to a fully staffed Senior Hub, and extensive supports are in place to enhance academic, wellbeing and career pathways. I encourage all parents/carers to look out for our weekly Step-Up Senior newsletter on our school Facebook page to stay up to date with the programs and opportunities available for seniors. Year 11 and 12 students are also highly encouraged to engage with the Senior Hub supports every Thursday afternoon.
Uniform update
Towards the end of last year, we consulted with our community to seek feedback on our uniform before moving to a new tender process, which happens every five years. We are about to go to tender and when we secure a new uniform provider, we will share many ideas that families and students provided to refine our uniform. The general look and feel will remain the same; however, we will look to improve comfortability and quality for several items. Our current uniform will still be accepted as part of the transition to new items. We will continue to keep you informed as we move further through the tender process.
As we come into the cooler months, can I remind our community that at West Wallsend High School, we are a proud uniform wearing school. Uniform creates a sense of belonging. It ensures the safety of students due to ease of identification, and it creates an equal playing field, so there is no competition and conflict is reduced. Wearing a uniform also allows students to take pride in being a part of our school community. It is expected that students wear appropriate uniform at all times. If they are unable to, on occasion, a signed and dated note with an explanation should be provided to a deputy principal.
Please do a uniform check with your young person over the holidays to ensure they have the correct uniform items to support the incoming winter weather. We understand at times that uniform items/sizes from Lowes can be difficult to source, or financial assistance may be required – please don’t hesitate to contact the school so we can help – we have lots of great quality items in our uniform pool that can be accessed.
RISE Program
One of our goals this year is to continue to improve the personalised learning support for every student. Our RISE intensive support program has already benefited hundreds of students with in-class support and small group tutoring sessions this term. Students can book in for support with assignments, classwork or additional support with literacy or numeracy. Follow our school Facebook page and check out our website for regular updates about the RISE Program.
Congratulations and thank you
I’d like to extend my warmest congratulations to Mrs Jenna Hancock, who has been appointed to a permanent position in English/History from next term. A big congratulations to Miss Stephanie Sugden, who has also been made permanent in her position as School Administration Officer. Westy is so lucky to have secured the skillset and professionalism of these two wonderful people.
Mrs Sharon Cox from our administration team will be retiring and I’d like to acknowledge and thank her for her service to our school community for many years.
Thank you also to some of our outstanding temporary staff members who have supported us this past term – Tavis McLellan, Bruce O’Donnell, Alexandra Wratten and Tracey O’Brien.
I wish our entire community a safe and happy school holiday period and look forward to having everyone back for a terrific term two. Take good care.
Krystal Bevin | Principal.
Swimming Carnival
Our sporting school year got off to a great start with a perfect day for our swimming carnival on 9 February at Wallsend Swim Centre. You can see all the photos in the Gallery on our website.
Students raced for house points as well as the opportunity to represent WWHS at the Zone Carnival.
The house scramble gave everyone a chance to cool down.
Qualifying students went on to compete at the Zone and Regional carnivals. Zaria W (Year 9) enjoyed the opportunity of competing at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in the State Championship, where she swam a personal best in the 100m Backstroke event – well done, Zaria.
2022 Sport Captains
SHOUT
Since COVID restrictions have been lifted, Students Helping Others United Together (SHOUT) is relaunching under the guidance of Ms Meares (Learning and Support Teacher). Following leadership workshops, Ms Meares invited students to self-nominate as year group representatives or student voice representatives or for the bookworms as hub heroes. We cannot wait to see what these groups will accomplish during the remainder of 2022.
High performing students program
Congratulations to Year 10 students Mikayla and Thomas and Year 11 students Mason and Ryan who interviewed successfully and were offered places in The University of Newcastle High Performing Students Program. These students will complete a first-year university course, Foundations of Health and Disease, throughout Semester 1.
Year 7 camp
Year 7 camp was at the Great Aussie Bush Camp at Tea Gardens this year. We were incredibly lucky with the weather for the first two days enabling students to enjoy a wide range of activities. You will find all the photos from the camp on our website.
English faculty update
Stage 6 Debating
Our first Stage 6 debating team in nearly 20 years, competed in the first round of the Premier’s Debating Challenge against Swansea High School this term. The topic was that “school captains and leaders should be chosen by teachers to reflect the school’s diversity instead of by a vote”. We were the negative team and were delighted to take home a win.
The team was exceptional in their delivery and sophistication of ideas. We are looking forward to our next debate.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is back again for another big year. All students in Years 7-10 are invited to participate in this challenge and to read 25 books by August. Students are encouraged to speak with their English teacher if they need help logging their read books. We look forward to our students participating in this challenge again.
High Achieving Targeted Students (HATS)
Our HATS literacy program is back again and is better and bigger than ever!
This year, we have kicked off our HATS Reading Challenge early and this will run until 1 August. Last year students read 96,846 pages and staff read 52 586 pages. Staff are looking forward to giving our students a run for their money this year. Remember that you can log your pages via our electronic form this year to keep track as you finish each book.
Year 8 Booknic
With restrictions easing, we could finally gather all of Year 8 together to celebrate a big first year of high school.
We surveyed Year 7, 2021, late last year to gather information about a book they would purchase for our library. We used this information to buy a book for every student in the year group. We wanted to hand the books out at the Year 7 presentation day in Term 4; however, these plans did not go to schedule and instead, we had to wait to celebrate their achievements in Term 1, 2022.
We presented all of our now Year 8 students with a book they had chosen and had some time together as a year group to read and enjoy the sunshine with an ice block, courtesy of Mrs Bevin.
It was great to see so many happy and smiling faces when they received their books during their English lesson and were able to share what they were reading with their friends.
Excursions/Incursion
This year, we have lots of cool and exciting things happening in English for our students.
In Term 1, Year 11 Standard and Advanced English were lucky enough to have Will Kostakis come in to run workshops with them to explain how he approaches the writing process as he crafts his novels. Our students were able to use this valuable information when they crafted their own pieces for their first senior assessment task.
Year 12 English Advanced students travelled to Sydney in Week 11 to watch a symposium of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. Students will be able to use information from this great performance in preparation for their upcoming assessment task and their HSC exams.
Our HATS group will finally set sail on their boat excursion in Week 11. These students will explore a 19th-century tall ship, hoist sails, heave cargo and participate in a writing workshop session led by an award-winning young adult fiction author.
We will also have some cool incursions from Poetry in Action, Bell Shakespeare, and other fun learning activities planned for our students throughout the year.
Welcome to our new English teachers
RISE Team Update
The RISE Team at WWHS is a dedicated group of teachers, led by Mrs Jacqui Jones, who are available to provide additional learning support to students who want it or need it. This may be in the form of one-off support to complete an assessment task or ongoing support throughout the year.
The RISE Team have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes in Term 1 to plan and establish a number of ways to meaningfully support as many of our students as possible. We have established an Offline Learning Support Calendar, which outlines the many ways that students in all year groups can get help with their schoolwork whenever they need it from the beginning of Term 2, 2022. We will display the Learning Support Calendar outside the Learning Support Staffroom (next to DTD in the Industrial Arts Block) and around the school.
Students can access RISE Support in many ways. Please see the Learning Support Timetable for scheduled RISE Support opportunities. The timetable will be displayed outside the RISE Staffroom and at various other locations around the school.
In addition to the above listed times, students can self-refer to the RISE Team if they need additional support. This referral can be for a one-off scenario, or we can provide ongoing support if required. Please see the Student Referral QR Code, which you can find outside the RISE Staffroom and at various other locations around the school.
Parents and carers who are seeking Learning Support for their young people can call or email our RISE Coordinator, Mrs Jacqui Jones, to discuss support options moving forward.
The RISE team is looking forward to meeting and helping many more of our wonderful students soon!
SPARK
Students in the SPARK Program have started the year beautifully. It has been a pleasure to see all of our SPARK students applying themselves with diligence and pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to unlock their potential here at West Wallsend High School.
Students in 7SPARK have settled into high school with immense maturity and have faced the challenge of adapting to a whole new routine incredibly well. They have undergone Academic Testing for their Literacy and engaged in their Best Start Exams. These assessments have allowed their teachers to gain a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
In addition to this, 7SPARK have learned a range of new skills, from lighting a bunsen burner in Science to composing detailed TEEEC paragraphs in English to using hand tools in Woodwork. The entire SPARK Team is so very proud of the way 7SPARK have conducted themselves in their first term of high school.
Mrs Jones visited our Partner Primary Schools in Week 9 to advertise the SPARK Program to our incoming 2023 Year 7 Students. The Year 6 students at Barnsley PS, West Wallsend PS and Edgeworth Heights PS were very excited to hear about what it could be like for them if they are successful in their application to the SPARK Program. We look forward to our next intake of high potential and gifted students.
Excitingly, with the help of some of the wonderful students in 7SPARK and Mr Macdonald, there is a promotional video in the early stages of production that will allow us to share with our community some insight into what life is like for students in the SPARK Program. Watch this space!
Wellbeing
Students have had the opportunity to participate in a number of wellbeing programs during Term 1.
Bully Zero
Year 7 learned about some of the changes they will experience starting high school and Years 8 -10 delved deeper into the understanding of bullying.
Headspace workshops
Corinna Nolan, Headspace Schools Presenter, ran 1-hour workshops for all our students over four days in Week 8.
We were fortunate to be able to offer a session to parents on Tuesday night in which Corrina shared information that resonated with parents who attended in person and on Zoom to help support themselves and their young people!
Bright Girl Health presentation
We engaged Bright Girl Health to help us empower our female students to understand the menstrual cycle and be friends with their bodies so they can make the most informed health choices now and in the future.
Small group workshops in Term 2
At West Wallsend High, we see supporting student wellbeing as a crucial element of our work. To help our students with challenges that they may be experiencing, we are proud to offer small-group wellbeing programs throughout the year. In Term 2, the programs include:
- Seasons for Growth - Years 7 & 8
- Feeling Fantastic - Years 9 & 10
Jen Elhindi, our School Support Officer, explains the programs running in Term 2 in the video below. You can find more in-depth information and the program registration form on our website.
If you have any questions about any of the programs running at WWHS, please call the school and leave a message for our Student Support Officer, Jen Elhindi.
The school holidays are a great time to unwind and spend time with family and friends. But holidays can also mean that we don't have access to the support that you might be accessing through school. If you need support during the holidays, there are services that you can reach out to either online or via phone.
- Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or https://kidshelpline.com.au/
- eHeadspace for online or telephone support https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/
- Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support
- 13YARN for 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- 1800RESPECT for 24/7 support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic violence and abuse
- QLife for LGBTQIA+ peer support on 1800 184 527 or https://qlife.org.au/
Stay safe and have a fun break.
Jen Elhindi | School Support Officer
BREAKFAST CLUB
It is wonderful to have our breakfast club running again, providing complimentary toast to any students who do not manage to eat breakfast before coming to school.
A big thank you to the team at Cameron Park Woolworths for supporting our Breakfast Club! Their donations of fresh fruit each week help ensure that all of our students have access to healthy food to start their day.
mathematics faculty update
The term is quickly coming to a close and it has been a demanding one, as most families have been exposed to many of the challenges we still face.
Students have been challenged by various topics and assessments this term in mathematics and can be congratulated on their application. I would like to highlight the importance of parents regularly discussing mathematics learning with their children. Collating and highlighting revision pages for any new concepts learnt is especially beneficial for students to review later, particularly before assessments. An excellent way for parents to check their young person's comprehension of a new mathematical concept is to ask them to teach you the method they use at school.
Maths teachers provide free maths tuition at Maths and Milo every Wednesday morning before school for students in all years; come along for extra help or because you can't get enough math!
I would like to remind parents that all students require the correct equipment, including a calculator, not just a pen, for class. Student understanding is often hindered by poorly presented work and/or workbooks.
Welcome to our new maths teacher
Allan Burns | Head Teacher, Mathematics.
ANZAC Day Service
We held our ANZAC Day Service in Week 11. In attendance were our Year 7 students with other year groups participating remotely.
During this year's service we paid special recognition to the servicemen and women from West Wallsend who lost their lives during World War I and II.
The highlight of the service is always the speech by our special guests from Cardiff RSL sub-Branch Syd Lynch, Phillip Mills and Peter Sneesby - you never disappoint and we greatly appreciate you giving your time to attend.
Thank you to Mr McLennan on trumpet and Mr Daniels on guitar, who accompanied Teibe , Mr Lawrence and our student leaders.
A special thanks to Year 12 student Will, a keen collector of military memorabilia, who kindly brought his WWII Willys Jeep in for students to see, and to Mr Muir and Mrs Bailey from our HSIE faculty for all their organisation.
Holiday activities
Lake Mac Council has some great activities scheduled during the school holidays, from sound studio tutorials to drama workshops and lots of Youth Week Events – for details and to book visit their website.
The Sugarvalley Neighbourhood Centre is running some awesome activities on Wednesday 13 April, from 10am-1pm to celebrate Youth Week.
The centre is running arts and crafts activities, cake decorating, and switch gaming (featuring Mario Kart, Just Dance and Jackbox TV). There are prizes and good times to be had! If you're interested, give the Sugarvalley Neighbourhood Centre a call on 4953 1667.
Term 2 key dates
- Tuesday 26 April – Staff development day
- Wednesday 27 April – All students return to school for Term 2 - Week A
- Friday 29 April – WWHS Cross Country Carnival
- 2-4 May – Year 11 Life Ready Course
- Tuesday 3 May – Year 8 SAIL students Stockland Glendale excursion
- Wednesday 4 May – Year 9 Drama excursion
- Friday 6 May – WWHS Athletics Carnival
- 10-20 May – Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN testing
- Friday 13 May – SAIL excursion to Hunter Disability Expo
- Tuesday 17 May – Year 10 Immunisation
- Thursday 19 May – Year 7, 2023 First Taster aftermoom