Edition 10: 22 July 2016

News from Wellington Secondary College

Riddle me this

Wellington Journal

Year 10 - Shape Your Destiny

Q: What can you catch but not throw?

A: A cold.28 July

thOn July 19 all the Year 10 students participated in the 'Shape Your Destiny' talk. David

Verdugo from 'Success Integrated' got everyone really interested in what he had to say,

myself included. The talk focused on the future but in a slightly less traditional way than we

had heard before. Along with his DJ, Timmy D, he made the talk really fun and inspiring.

Throughout the program a few quotes were said to further emphasise David's points. The one

that will stick with me most is, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability

to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This stuck with me as it

helped me to realise that if I base what I think of myself purely on what I can do as opposed

to what I can't, I will be able to do something great.

I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to listen to such an amazing talk.

Anni Lyristis

10 L

During Periods 1 through to 4, the Year 10 students undertook a seminar

titled 'Shape Your Destiny'. As subject selections are coming up, now,

more than ever, we must be thinking about what the future may hold for

us, and with many of us not having a clear picture of what we want to do

with our lives, this could not have come at a better time.

The presenter, David Verdugo, gave us enlightening information and

helpful advice about not only how we could go about choosing subjects,

but also about searching for career pathways that would best suit our

talents, passions and ideals. He was also able to teach us valuable learning

methods such as ‘Anchoring’ and ‘Spaced Repetition’ and was able to use

these methods to help us find our own unique talents and passions. By the

end of the seminar, many people including myself, had a clearer view of

different careers and pathways that are available to us.

Overall, it was a fantastic presentation which was very beneficial to the

year level. I hope that they take the time to return in the later years so that

future Year 10 students have the opportunity to experience the same

thing.

Jack Scott-Smith

10 I

Competition

Australian Maths

V

Athletics Carnival

22

Principal’s Report

Simon?

International ProgramMr Blaikie is currently overseas with Ms Connie Tzelepis, our Director of International Programs, visiting Cambodia and Vietnam and will return on July 27. This annual trip gives many parents of our International Students the chance to receive feedback on how their child is progressing, both academically and personally. This trip is a powerful way to reinforce the reputation of Wellington as an elite college providing an excellent all-round education of International Students. During Mr Blaikie's absence, Mrs Fern Brisbane and Mr Dan Butler will be sharing the role of Acting Principal.

Infrastructure update

We are in the process of developing a five-year Master Plan for the College. Funding for this

was allocated in the recent State Budget. The initial stage of this plan has been approved by

DET and we will be interviewing Architect firms next week, with the intention of appointing

the successful company early August. Following this, we will be working closely with the

chosen firm to transform our vision into reality, with the hope that we receive Capital Works

funding in the 2017 budget.

Reports

End of Semester reports were uploaded to Compass at the end of last term and if you haven't yet had the chance to read these, I

encourage you to do so. If you have any concerns about issues raised in these reports, please contact the relevant Sub School.

Student Free DaystThe college had a student free day on Friday July 22 to assist staff as we move to a 21 Century style of Teaching and Learning.

The day was productive for all staff members.

Staffing News

Unfortunately, Mrs Commons has suffered an injury and will be on sick leave for a period of time. During her absence Mrs

Roberts will be Acting Assistant Principal (Student Programs), Ms Fry will be Acting Head of Junior School and Mr Jirasek will

be Acting Year 8 Coordinator. I wish these three colleagues all the best in their new roles and trust that the transition will be a

smooth one. I also wish Mrs Commons a speedy recovery and hope that we see her back at work soon.

Subject selection

Over the coming weeks, students in years, 9, 10 and 11 will be choosing their subjects for 2017. To assist them with these

important decisions, counselling sessions will be run prior to the selection process.

Dan Butler

Assistant Principal

Year 7 Immunisations

Year 7 students who have returned their permission forms will receive the second of

the three HPV immunisations as well as Tetanus/Whooping Cough

(Pertussis)/Diphtheria on the morning of 25 July.

The third and final immunisation session is on 28 November.

Students are permitted to wear their PE uniforms on immunisation days so that there is

easy access to their arms. They shouldn't wear tight clothing under their polo shirts.

Please contact the College Nurse for further information.

Athletics Carnival

23

French Poetry Competition

Simon?

The following students received high marks in the recent Alliance Française French poetry competition:

Camila Branca Gaona (8L)

Cindy Vu (8M)

Sama Harris (8I).

Two of our students, Rameen Khan (8M) & Nisha Udayakumar (8L) received a perfect score of 20/20. They will represent our

school as finalists competing against other Victorian schools.

Félications to all those who took part in the first stage of the competition. The poems learnt in preparation for the competition were

“J'écris” (by Amina Saïd) which is posted to the left below, and “ L'île des Rêves” (by Jacques Charpentreau).

Mme. Pilois.

“J'écris” (d'Amina Saïd)

J'écris

parcequ'il y a la nuit, le jour,

l'aube, le crépuscule, l'ombre et la lumière

et qu'il y aura toujours des saisons pour le rêve.

j'écris parce qu'à l'origine

est cette planète qui nous accueille …

j'écris parce qu'il y a le mot rire dans écrire …

j'écris parce que le monde

n'est pas une rumeur derrière la vitre

et que ailleurs tout près

des hommes, des femmes, des enfants

meurent de la folie des hommes.

Athletics CarnivalTaekwondo Champions

Raymond and Derek Liew from Wellington competed in the Presidents Cup International Taekwondo Championships in Canberra from the 16th - 17th July. The brothers train and compete for Joon No's Taekwondo in Dandenong and received excellent results on the two day trip.

Derek received second overall in the Cadet division of 12 – 16 year olds and Raymond has been selected to represent the Australian Taekwondo team.

Wellington congratulates you both on a wonderful achievement!

Junior School Values Awards

24

Year 9 Form V Form Basketball FinalWhat’s On In Our Classrooms?

Last Thursday we handed out values awards to three students who had been nominated for demonstrating the value of respect in Term 2. The values awards are designed to reward and promote a positive school environment in which respect is held in high regard as a value. We had several nominations from students who nominated their peers which was exciting to see.

This Term the value we will be focusing on is being inclusive. We are encouraging the students to look beyond their immediate group of friends to seek to include others. To look to "grow their circle" Whether this be within the classroom or in the yard at lunchtime and recess we want to create a culture that encourages adding to our groups rather than excluding.

Rachael JonesWellbeing

Athletics Carnival10L Science Investigation

Recently, the G-block fume hoods have been clogged up with rubbish. 10L has investigated the problem, coming to the conclusion that the crows have been picking up rubbish that was left in the yard and dropping it in the fume hoods.

With this, we would like to remind everyone to throw your rubbish in the bin so that it will not pollute our school and will keep Wellington looking pristine. This will not only improve our school environment, but will also maintain the fume hoods situated in our Science block.

In addition, we recommend students complete our survey to help expand our understanding of the problem.

Nilesh Vaheesan10 L

Chainmail is a type of flexible armour consisting of small metal rings linked together. In the medieval period, chainmail served as a form of protection gear in wars, jousts and battles. The original chainmail used back then was proved effective as it was stronger than the sharp points of the opponent's spear, axe or sword.

For the assignment, we were expected to research the medieval method of weaving chainmail and create a tutorial based on the information we acquired. The tutorial had to include an instructional video and had to incorporate steps in order to achieve the final product. The end result would be shown to another Year 8 class, who would then provide us with feedback.

Once we discovered an appropriate site, we began our trials. We were faced with problems which led us out of our paths. After a few lessons with a lack of success, we were close to abandoning the task.

After hearing Mr Lake's motivational speech, we rose back up from the ground -we were not giving up that easily. So we kept on trying and asking each other for help. Finally, we got the hang of the weaving process. Then, we put on our movie director hats as we were now going to produce the video. Many of our classmates were creative with their video. Some included background music and others attempted to add a little bit of humour. It was interesting to observe the different thinking processes of our peers and how they incorporated this into their project.

Several skills were necessary to finish the project such as concentration, focus and perseverance. This task of creating chainmail encouraged us to persist through harsh conditions, just like the Medieval Chainmail weavers were forced to themselves.

By Maheen and Rameen Khan 8M

Athletics Carnival

25

Wellingtons Got Talent Grand Final

Simon?

Athletics CarnivalYear 9 & 10 Course Counselling

Year 9 Information:

Year 9 students will be selecting their electives for 2017 during a course counselling session on either August 3 or 4. Students will be advised closer to the date as to which day their class will have counselling.

All students attended an information session last term in preparation for course counselling. We ask that students bring the completed handout that is downloadable from Compass with them to their counselling session.

It is strongly recommended that students read the Year 10 Course Guide for information on Year 10 core subjects and electives. Students hoping to undertake a VCE subject as an Advanced Placement should refer to the Senior School Handbook. Both these documents have been distributed in previous Compass Newsfeeds.

Please note that Year 9 classes will run as usual on these counselling days.

Year 10 Information:

Year 10 students are required to attend a course counselling appointment on Friday July 29, 2016 to select subjects for 2017. Appointments are available between 11am-1pm and 2pm-6pm. The appointment bookings are open to students now via their Compass login. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend their child's appointment. Please go to the 'Community' tab on Compass, then 'Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences' to find the booking information.

Course counselling will take place in C-Block and students should enter via the C5 classroom (on the Police Road side of C-Block). If the student is ill on the day and unable to attend we ask that a medical certificate be provided upon their return to school. Students must bring their completed subject selection documents with them to their appointment and should attend in neat, casual clothing. Year 10 classes will be cancelled on Friday July 29, but students who are studying a Unit 1 & 2 VCE subject will be required to attend this class (in uniform).

Ms Jan Mann is available for students applying to undertake VCAL in 2017. Students planning a VCE course can book with any member of the counselling panel.

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Wellington Journal - Fortnightly Newsletter of Wellington Secondary College - Designed & Edited by Mr Simon Coles.

Editorial Support by Mrs Dianne Schneider. Printing and Technical Support by Mr Brian Foster and Mr David Kerrisk.Wellington Journal - Fortnightly Newsletter of Wellington Secondary College. Designed & Edited by Ms Erin Daniels