Head of Secondary
Week 6 has come to a close. Wow, the term has gone so quickly!
We would like to thank the wonderful 3rd Year pre-service teacher, Faith Versaci, who has been working as part of our Health and Physical Education Department for five weeks. She has been a wonderful addition to the School and we are very sad to see her go - especially her Year 11 Outdoor Ed students pictured below.
We would also like to thank Janine Wallis, our 2nd Year pre-service teacher in HASS, who also spent a week with us on her prac. It is wonderful to welcome them both into the school and a delight to see the enthusiasm and genuine love of teaching that they show.
A letter to Year 12 parents and guardians has gone home with a timeline and expectations for these final weeks of secondary school. Please email me if there are any concerns or questions surrounding their departure from school. It is going to be very hard to say goodbye to our Year 12's as I feel I have become very close to so many of them in just three terms.
OLNA (online literacy and numeracy assessment) starts next week with writing. This is only for those students who have not yet met the target set by SCSA (School Curriculum and Standards authority). Only those students who received a timetable from me are completing the assessments. Results will be sent out in Term 4.
Warm regards
Sharon Cusack
Head of Secondary
Learning Areas in Focus:
Secondary English
Year 7 English
Year 7 students have enjoyed learning about film codes whilst viewing Star Wars and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Students are now working on writing their first essay for high school. They are combining their knowledge of film codes and paragraph structure to construct their essays. This is a writing skill which will assist them through their future high school years.
Year 8 English
Year 8 students have been working on informational speeches related to a chosen documentary which has included note-taking and working in pairs. Students have developed their skills in developing a powerpoint presentation as a visual aid to their presentation.
Year 9 English
Year 9 students have been revisiting their childhoods as they learn about Traditional Fairy Tale Conventions. We have read and analysed Traditional Fairy Tale, such as Little Red Riding Hood, explored subverted Fairy Tale, such as Shrek and The Paper Bag Princess, and we have discussed Modernised Fairy Tales. Students are now selecting a Traditional Fairy tale which they will either subvert or modernise and present in a format of their choice.
Year 11 ATAR English
Students have been completing their own persuasive and interpretive texts focusing on how text construction is linked to specific audiences and contexts. Over the next few weeks, students will investigate narratives of migration through the picture book The Arrival by Western Australian artist Shaun Tan as well as other multimodal texts.
Year 12 General English
Students have completed their topic about Australian Stereotypes and have learned to identify traditional stereotypes within a variety of texts. Additionally, students have developed their skills to identify and analyse how the current society challenges the original stereotypes. General students have now commenced creating a documentary which will highlight issues faced by people living and working in the Avon Valley. This will involve several interviews and discussions and will support the students’ learning of Film Codes, interview techniques and group work.
Year 12 ATAR English
Year 12 ATAR students are currently analysing and comparing the concepts and elements of Jasper Jones with a text of their choice. This involved exploring the societal issues raised in both texts, the representations being made and the perspectives, attitudes and values being promoted. Students are creating powerpoints and writing speeches in preparation for this assessment. Excitement builds as Year 12s work towards their final couple of assessments for the year and start preparing for their Semester 2 Exams.
Year 10 English
Year 10 English students have been learning to identify and interpret language features used in texts. At times they have worked in groups to complete their writing tasks and analysis.
Daniel Matthys
Head of Learning Areas: English and the Arts
From the VET Office
Student Successes
Congratulations to Jack Howlett and Jordi Smith for the completion of their Certificate II Community Services qualification. Community Service workers provide support to individuals and groups making positive impacts on their lives. Jordi and Jack have learned the skills and knowledge to provide a first point of contact to individuals when meeting their needs and are prepared for a variety of job roles across different sectors. Well done, Jack and Jordi.
Caroline Marriott
VET Co-ordinator
Secondary da Vinci Club
The da Vinci Club are now into their new rotations, where under the guidance of specialist staff, the students get to extend themselves in areas of interest developing a greater depth of understanding and skills, while having a little fun as well.
The Debating group have started with the basics of public speaking and have practiced including important elements such as rhetorical questions, examples and even humour. Students had a go a producing a quick improvised speech on fun topics such as ‘Why ducks are the ultimate pet’, ‘Which came first – the chicken or the egg?’ and also ‘The Cinderella story proves that a good pair of shoes can change your life’!
This week, students will be learning about how a formal debate is structured and the art of good rebuttal.
The Robotics and Coding students have started using the Arduino Uno microcontroller kits. They are working through the projects that include a spaceship interface, keyboard instrument, crystal ball and a colour mixing lamp. In a couple of weeks, they will begin designing and implementing their own projects. They are quickly releasing a microcontroller can make life much easier by automating tasks such as a wind screen whipper, a house gate or even the curtains in your home.
The Astronomy and Astrophotography group are learning how to use Stellarium to locate key objects in the night sky. The students are beginning to work with astronomical concepts such as declination and right ascension to be able to find specific objects and select suitable targets to image using remote robotic telescopes. The students will be working with two staff from University of WA, alongside the Year 11 Physics students next week to develop their coding and first imaging run for the year using the Spirit telescopes, operated by UWA.
The Biobarcoding team have developed a background understanding of cell theory and has their first run of extracting DNA, with everyday strawberries. The students will now be moving onto more advanced techniques and using the electrophoresis equipment to extract and identify DNA strands.
Our school recently competed in the annual da Vinci Decathlon at UWA. Students competed in a range of academic disciplines against up to 27 other schools in their year group.
The Year 7 team with Sophie McKenzie, Jeremy Parker, Ayla Grogan, Akshi Jayakumar, Bailey Naughton, Jayden Oliver, Madison Potocznyj, Ezra McLaughlin collected a 6th place in Engineering.
The Year 8 team with Fraser Horsburgh, Emily Street, James Marwick, Jianna Matres, Alan John, Chloe Bye, Jonti Leeson, Wani Yengkopiong obtained a 9th place in Ideation.
The Year 9 team with Susu Phung, Josna Jojo, Fredrick de Beer, Ben Retallack, Leah Morrell, Swaka Yengkopiong collected an 8th place in Science and an 8th place in Engineering.
The Year 10 team with Zackary Bowles, Antoinette Matres, Zsavinah Teodoro, Madison Longmire, Callam Salter, Balin Bradford, Patricia Moyo obtained a 9th place in English and 10th place in Science.
Well done to all our participants and we look forward to hearing about your da Vinci Club exploits throughout the term.
Mark Gargano
Teaching & Learning Coordinator Years 7-12
Secondary Sporting News
2022 Meckering Cross Country
St Joseph’s students from Year 1 to Year 12 attended the annual Meckering cross country event on Friday August 19. Students were selected based on their achievements in the ACC cross country event earlier in the year.
Upon arrival, students were required to walk the track for the distance they would be running and once this was completed by all age groups, we were straight into the action.
All students represented themselves and the school very well, with the Primary School producing some outstanding results to claim the Primary Shield on the day. The Secondary Campus came a close runner up, losing to Cunderdin DHS by only 2 points. Special congratulations must go to Lily Parker (Year 10) who won the Year 9/10 and Open age groups on the day, bettering her times from the previous year, and Marley Ferguson (Year 6) who took out the Year 5/6 girls’ event. Well done to all competitors.
Thank you to the Meckering P&C and Primary School for producing such an organised event and well-run event. Our students, staff and parents had a great day and can’t wait to return next year.
Adrienne Suckling
Secondary Sports Coordinator