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NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 12, DECEMBER 2013
09-Dec Year 6 Dinner Dance
11-Dec Primary Praise and
Thanksgiving, 9:00am –
10:30am - BDISC
Secondary Praise and
Thanksgiving 12:30pm –
2:30pm – BDISC
Term 4 concludes for students
Administration
9495 8100
Early Learning Centre
9495 8166
Primary School
9495 8118
Secondary Absentees
9495 8111
Secondary Student Reception
9495 8113
Term 4 15-Oct to 11-Dec Summer
Uniform
____________________________________________________________
2014
Term 1 03-Feb to 11-Apr Summer
Uniform
Term 2 30-Apr to 04-Jul Winter
Uniform
Term 3 23 Jul to 26-Sep Winter
Uniform
Term 4 14-Oct to 09-Dec Summer
Uniform
Centre Road, Camillo, WA 6111
Tel: [08] 9495 8100
Fax: [08] 9495 1504
Email: mail@jwacs.wa.edu.au
Web: www.jwacs.wa.edu.au
IMPORTANT DATES
MISSION STATEMENT
“We help our students discover their passion and direction in life and make a positive
contribution in the world.”
CORE VALUES:
We are a nurturing Christian community, basing all we do on the values of:
RESPECT for ourselves, for others and the environment. RESPONSIBILITY for our actions.
HONESTY in our interaction with others. COMMITMENT to achieve our best in all we do.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
2013 / 2014 TERM DATES
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents
Talk of holidays and Christmas celebrations
fill the playground as the school year is
drawing to a close. It is fitting that our final
newsletter for 2013 arrives in households
around the time of Praise and Thanksgiving.
It has been a positive year for the School
with many significant achievements. I hope
that your association with us this year has
been a happy and fruitful one.
I would like to thank all members of the
school community – School Council, Parents
and Friends Association, Executive, staff,
parents and students for their support of and
contribution to the School during this period.
I am aware that involvement and interest in
the School for some members of our
community has been longstanding. Indeed
our families whose sons and daughters
graduate as Year 12s this year have made a
special investment in our school and
deserve acknowledgement and thanks. For
those families who joined us this year, I hope
your child’s progress and general sense of
well-being have vindicated your decision. I
encourage you to continue to be actively
involved in your child’s education and the
life of the School. I firmly believe that at the
heart of every successful school is a strong
sense of community brought about by the
interest and involvement of its members and
we must continue to nurture this at every
opportunity.
FAREWELLS
This year we bid farewell to a few staff who
leave us to pursue other opportunities. Each
person has made a significant contribution
to the education of our young people. On
behalf of the John Wollaston community I
thank them for their service to the School
and wish them well. I would particularly like
to acknowledge the lengthy service of
Science Technician, Marilyn Miles who
leaves to pursue new career opportunities.
PRIMARY
Mrs Karen Ayres (Year 4) – Term 4 contract
Ms Sabrina Carnevale (Primary Music
Specialist) – Semester 2 contract
SECONDARY
Ms Lynn James (Science & Technology) to
Mandurah Catholic College
Mrs Louise Lont (Japanese) – Semester 2
contract
Mrs Lee Parker (English) – 12 month contract
NON-TEACHING
Mrs Marilyn Miles (Science Technician)
LEAVE
The following staff will be taking leave from
the commencement of 2013. We wish them
a happy and refreshing break.
Mrs Carolyn Gelmi (Science & Technology) –
Semester 1 and Mrs Sue Worth (Education
Assistant) – Semester 1
Good luck and best wishes to all departing
students.
Finally, I bid farewell to families who
conclude their formal association with the
School this year. Thank you for entrusting
John Wollaston Anglican Community School
with your children’s education and your
support of the School. It has been greatly
appreciated.
As the Festive Season approaches I would
like to wish all families a safe, peaceful,
joyous and Holy Christmas and a relaxing
summer holiday together.
With good wishes
ANNE FORD
PRINCIPAL
Congratulations to Ms Alice
Alibrandi, Mrs Michelle Willis
and the entire Learning
Enrichment Team on being
the recipients of the
2013 Count Me In Award for
Education and Training.
This is a prestigious
achievement awarded to
one school in the State by
the Disability Services
Commission. It recognizes
the wonderful work our staff
do to enhance the learning
opportunities for students
with a disability.
PRIMARY
In our Western society, there are a few ‘rites of passage’ that
signal the transition from one developmental stage to the next.
Our Year 6 students will experience various rites of passage, such
as graduating from high school, obtaining their driver’s license
and eventually leaving home. This week, a special rite of
passage has occurred; graduation from our Primary school, an
important time in the collective young lives of our Year 6 cohort.
In a similar fashion to most cultures, this Valedictory event involves
significant elders; their teachers and families.
In my address to the students on Valedictory Night, I indicated
that some students may be itching and ready to move on, some
a little in-between and some very nervous. This is all okay and a
very normal part of the process. Change is part of life. In my
speech, I explored the emotional journey of each student,
how their feelings have evolved from the early years of Primary
School. I asked students to remember what they were feeling on
the first day of school, to look back and also recall
how their parents were feeling. Going to school required a whole
set of new life skills. Imaginary friends were left at home, along
with special blankets and stuffed toys. School routine had to
be followed and they sometimes missed Mum and Dad.
For you as parents, the Primary School years are often a welcome
respite after the more turbulent toddler years and before the
interesting (and possibly equally turbulent) years of adolescence.
While society tend to focus more on this adolescent period, the
primary years are crucial. You have witnessed your child develop
his or her identity and in doing so give you a glimpse of them as
an adult. “Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you
the man”. This Jesuit proverb is worth considering in this light.
The important task during the Primary years is to move from close
parental guidance on how to behave and regulate emotions to
students learning to control their own impulses and feelings. This
process is called individuation and is one of the most important
journeys of your life. Students gradually let go of their parent’s
hand, literally and metaphorically. You had to learn to let go
of their hands and let them explore, which is not easy for some of
us as parents, including me!
By the age of 11, students are using their emotions to solve social
problems and deepen friendships. They develop empathy for
others. Parents are a vital part of this developmental process in
encouraging children to express their feelings and think of
others.
Why this focus on emotions? Because the knack of understanding
and getting along with people is a major factor not just in
sustaining wellbeing but in success in all aspects of life. The ability
to control emotions and impulses is important as our emotional
development has a great influence on our future. If we think
about people we know, people we go to school with, work with,
are friends with, it is those people who are good at getting on
with people who tend to succeed in life. Obviously, some level of
intelligence is helpful, no doubt but interpersonal skills are just as
important as pure intellect.
The Primary Years Programme has a focus on both the academic
and the emotional. It is a road map for progress; how to be
knowledgeable and a thinker, live a balanced life and be
reflective, be open minded and caring, principled and a risk
taker. To research and take action on so many engaging units of
enquiry has consolidated a strong, rigorous approach to
development and will have life long, positive consequences. An
interesting question I posed to parents during a coffee morning is
this: if you had to make the choice, would you want your child to
be either smart or good? It seems silly at first, an impossible
hypothetical question. However, on reflection, most of us would
choose for our children to be good.
Some of the most heart-warming experiences I have had as a
parent involve my children doing something good for someone
else. Think of school reports. If you are like many parents I know,
you have a brief glance at main subjects before turning straight
to the back to read the general comment and personal ratings.
You want to know what sort of person your child is,in the world
you can’t always see, their part in the world away from you.
As our Year 6 students experience their rite of passage they take
with them memories that will last a lifetime and, hopefully,
friendships that will endure the test of time. They will think back to
teachers who have made a significant difference in their lives,
teachers who cared for them and gave them just the right piece
of advice at the right time. My best wishes to all Year 6 students.
They are fortunate to have families who care
about their education and well-being and they have
demonstrated through Exhibition and all the work completed
over the years that they are ready to tackle the challenges
ahead. I know the enthusiasm and the positive energy of the Year
6 cohort will continue to flourish in the Secondary School.
I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and I thank
you all as a school community for making me feel so
welcome. I acknowledge the excellent work of
all the Primary staff in providing such a warm, caring and
engaging learning environment. Have a safe
and happy holidays and I look forward to 2014
in the Primary School.
WAYNE REVITT
HEAD OF PRIMARY
LINKS ACROSS THE SCHOOL
When interviewing prospective families who
would like to send their children to John Wollaston I always like to
ask why they have chosen our School. The level of pastoral care
we offer and the fact that we are a Pre-K-12 School always rate
very highly.
Over the past term we have had many opportunities to develop
these links across the School and have older and younger
children working along side each other.
The Year 8 Science students were in the ELC and Year 3-6 classes
last week demonstrating how to grow vegetables and giving
each student their own little take home pack. Hopefully we have
some budding gardeners in our midst.
On Wednesday 20 November the whole School from Pre Primary
to Year 11 participated in the Jump Rope for Heart day. It was
an amazing sight seeing everyone out skipping at the same time.
In the ELC it was lovely to watch the Year 6 Captains helping and
assisting our very youngest students.
Orientation Day also provided the opportunity for students across
the years to help and welcome others. Our JWACS buddies
welcomed new students to the School and made them feel at
home. The overwhelming response from the new students was
that they had thoroughly enjoyed the morning’s activities, were
very happy to meet their buddy and were looking forward to
starting at the School next year. Our 2014 Year 12 Prefects also
took part in the Orientation Day and took our current Year 6
students on a tour around the Secondary School, answered any
questions they may have and helped alleviate any concerns.
These are just a few examples of how we all work together as a
whole school to look after each and every student and ensure
they feel safe and secure.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry
Christmas and an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.
FIONA SHAND
DEPUTY HEAD OF PRIMARY
THE IMPACT ON STUDENTS – TEACHERS AND PARENTS
This week our Secondary staff spent an afternoon together reflecting on our teaching programmes and
planning for 2014. We took note of research conducted by Hattie (2009) that reminded us that teachers have
one of the biggest effects on student learning.
To find a balance of rigour and engagement in the classroom, we use two proven approaches that are
combined to strengthen their impact. One is Bloom’s Taxonomy that categorises thinking into a hierarchy
from simple, such as recall and recognition, through to the ability to propose, apply and evaluate. When this
is combined with activities that recognise the Multiple Intelligences, learning becomes both challenging and
engaging.
At John Wollaston the intelligence strength of the student is taken into account and, as much as possible activities to incorporate the
different intelligences are used in the classroom. Not all students have strength in reading/writing. They may be verbal/linguistic, into
movement, musical or visual learners or best at mathematical/logical thinking. They may learn best through talking to others or
through working alone. Or they may excel in the outdoors.
However, as hard as we work in the classroom with your son or daughter, the parent remains one of the biggest influences in a
child’s life. Staff and parents need to work hand in hand with parents to help students reach their learning potential and develop
their strengths.
I look forward to working with you again in 2014 and wish you a safe and Merry Christmas.
ANNE HARRIS
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (TEACHING AND LEARNING)
The past couple of weeks have been very busy with both welcomes and farewells. The Year 6 students were welcomed to the
Secondary School in 2014 at their Valedictory evening by myself and the Student Prefects, Madisen Fuller and Dillon Gazzone. There
is always some trepidation about the move to the Year 7 Centre, however, there will be plenty of teachers and student leaders to
assist the Year 7s in this transition.
The Year 10 students finished up on Wednesday 4 December with a River Cruise in the evening. The students were both well-dressed
and well-behaved, earning compliments from the staff at Captain Cook Cruises.
The Year 11 students also finished on Wednesday 4 December, many keen to get part-time jobs and earn some money, get their
driving licences underway and generally enjoy a well-earned break from the rigours of study.
The morning of 4 December was a Colours Assembly. House Colours were awarded to students who have made a significant
contribution to their House in a number of areas over the course of the year. This is a great stepping stone towards earning Honour
Colours in Year 12. Other awards were presented for subject achievement, citizenship, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, rowing
and an assortment of individual achievements. Congratulations to each student who was recognised for his or her success.
As the academic year draws to a close I would like to take this opportunity to wish all John Wollaston families a safe and happy
Christmas and New Year.
BRONWYN TWINING
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (PASTORAL CARE)
FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPALS
FROM THE BUSINESS MANAGER
END OF TERM EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS
As we expect large numbers of families to attend each event, existing parking will be supplemented by 'overflow' parking on the
school oval. Please note that parking is not allowed in the yellow bays in the Church of Christ car park.
Access to oval parking is via Inverness Circle, not through the BDISC car park, due to ongoing building works. Please see the
attached map for more information. Please click on the link to see the map: Map for Parking
GAILENE SHORE
BUSINESS MANAGER
OSHCLUB FEES 2014
After School Care Fees Range from $8.85 to $13.75 per session
(Maximum fee of $27.50 will apply to families who haven’t
applied for or are eligible for the 50% Tax Rebate)
Before After School Care Fees Range from $6.25 to $10.25 per
session
(Maximum fee of $20.50 will apply to families who haven’t
applied for or are eligible for the 50% Tax Rebate)
Vacation Care Fees Range from $9.04 to $27.50 per session
(Maximum fee of $55 will apply to families who haven’t applied
for or are eligible for the 50% Tax Rebate)
Please ensure you apply for the 50% tax rebate as it IS NOT
MEANS TESTED and most families are eligible!
Fees range from family to family depending on their Childcare
Benefit Discount and 50 % Tax Rebate eligibility.
Bookings made within 24 hours of the session starting will be
charged an additional $1.65 late/casual fee. ($3.30 if you don’t
have the 50% Tax Rebate). Bookings made within 48 hours of
Vacation Care Session will be charged an additional $2.50 late/
casual fee. ($5.00 if you don’t have the 50% Tax Rebate)
WESTFIELD PARK DENTAL CLINIC
The School Dental Service continues to provide free general and
preventive dental care for all enrolled students up to the end of
Year 11 or the age of 17.
Your child can continue to go to the same Dental Clinic that they
attended in Primary School or you can contact a new centre if it
is more convenient to your Secondary School.
Please advise the Dental Clinic if you have changed your
address, so that you can be posted a recall reminder when your
child is due to attend. If you are not already enrolled, it’s not too
late to enrol now by contacting us on 93908434.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY DENTAL CLINC CLOSURES
The Westfield Park DTC will be CLOSED from 24 December 2013
to 20 January 2014.
If you have an emergency during this time, Please contact the
Mt Henry DTC on 93130552.
Have a safe school holiday break and we will see you all back in
2014.
Thank you
THE WESTFIELD PARK DTC STAFF
FROM THE CHAPLAIN
As December begins, we enter the Church season of Advent. One of the main
messages of Advent is that of hope. It is impossible to fully encapsulate this
message of hope in this short article. However, these are a few ‘useful steps’
along the way that I hope will be helpful to you as you reflect more deeply on
Christmas and its meaning for us all.
We read in the Old Testament that the prophet Isaiah foretold:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will
be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Hundreds of years later, the angel Gabriel appeared to a young woman called
Mary and said to her:
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will
conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his
kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)
When this baby was born, the “angel of the Lord” appeared to some shepherds watching over their sheep in the fields and said:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior
has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)
When I talk to the students, I encourage them not to look at Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and other events around ‘story
of God’ in isolation; thereby reading separate chapters without reference to the others. What we need to do is read the whole book
and to put the events into their context. Christmas is not simply a cute story of a baby born over 2000 years ago. It is far more
significant than that. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him, he said:
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
At the end of Jesus’ life, whilst he was hanging on the cross,
“… the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were
terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’ (Matthew 27:54)
This is the gift of Christmas; Jesus, the promised Messiah (Saviour.) What a gift this is to us all; to people often coping with the trials
and tribulations of everyday life.
Jesus himself pointed us to what is to come in the future.
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and
gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (Mark 13:26-27)
For some, that moment will be the “Hallelujah” moment, for others, the spine-tingling moment of realization! I encourage you all to
reflect deeply on this wonderful and hugely significant event of Christ-mas.
May God richly bless you and your families this Christmas.
REVD DAVE
CHAPLAIN
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
I would again like to draw your attention to the 25th Anniversary
Fair, being held on Sunday 25 May 2014.
We have begun approaching local businesses to hold a stall at
the Fair, if you would like to or know of anyone else who would
like to participate, please contact me directly on 9495 8185 or
by emailing me at nlau@jwacs.wa.edu.au.
We are also looking for entertainment for the Fair. If you know of
a band, roving performer or someone similar who might suit this
event, please let me know.
NICOLE LAU
COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER
The Sustainable School Shop is Australia’s largest resource of
second-hand textbooks for secondary schools, presently +50,000
textbooks are listed on our website and over 200,000 textbooks
will trade this season.
We provide our Second-hand Textbook Trading System to 200
secondary schools around Australia, plus families from other
schools access the service to buy and sell their second-hand
textbooks.
We are an excellent resource tool for schools and families and we
may be of assistance to families at your school too.
If appropriate, the attached Flyer can assist to advise families of
the service. In short:
All families can register on our website and search the For Sale
ads, gaining the contact details for free, and then proceed to
purchase the textbook from the seller. It costs $1.00 to advertise a
book for sale, and we provide an exceptional matching service
between buyer and seller.
User Guide Secondhand Textbooks (100 Kb)
SECOND-HAND TEXT BOOKS – SECONDARY
UNIFORM STORE
TERM TRADING - TERM 4, 2013
The last in-term trading day for 2013 will be Monday 9 December
between 8:30 and 10:00am.
HOLIDAY TRADING
The Uniform Store will be closed for the Summer holiday period
and will reopen for holiday trading on Thursday 30 and Friday 31
January 2014 between 9:00am and 2:30pm, with the exception
of booked appointments.
TERM TRADING - 2014
In-term trading will recommence on Monday 3 February 2014 as
per the schedule below.
Please be reminded that the Summer Uniform continues to be
worn in Term 1.
BLAZER FITTINGS AND ORDERS
All Year 8 students will require a school blazer which is worn in
Terms 2 and 3. Please ensure a
blazer fitting is arranged with me
during January by either phoning
or emailing the Uniform Store as
soon as possible.
Blazers will be ordered by the first
week of Term 1.
DEANNE MARSDEN-YOULL
UNIFORM STORE COORDINATOR
2013 has gone very quickly and the P&F is already busy
organising events for next year. We will start the year with our
annual Bush Dance and Barbecue which will be held on the 19
February 2014. This is always a fun evening and a great chance
for new and old families to catch up. I hope to see you there.
Invitations will be sent out in the first week of first term.
On behalf of the P&F Association I would like to wish everyone a
very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.
DEL NASH - PRESIDENT
P&F ASSOCIATION INC
LIBRARY RESOURCE CENTRE
As you read this LRC will be in the thick of our last major event of
the year, our biennial stocktake, which checks that the
resources we have acquired are still on the shelves!
All books and other items were due back on 27
November so, to avoid receiving overdue letters or
being billed, please encourage your children to return
any school library items they still have right away.
Our other big event of the term was the Book Fair which was our
second best ever and allowed us to add over $1500 worth of
resources to our collection. Thank you to everyone who
supported this event.
The LRC will be closed to all from Thursday 5 December due to
the stocktake (though it may be possible to make the Library
Lounge available to students at lunchtime if the weather is
particularly unpleasant).
Don’t forget the Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge to children
and young people from birth to Year 10, a fun and rewarding
way to keep the children reading through the holidays. For more
information go to http://www.summerreadingchallenge.org.au/
It only remains for the LRC staff to wish the John Wollaston
community a safe and peaceful Christmas and a happy New
Year.
HEATHER WILLIAMS
COORDINATOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES
LOST PROPERTY
The lost property box is overflowing with
items of unmarked clothing that have not
been claimed. If your child has lost any
item of clothing, it may be in the lost
property at Student Services Reception.
There are also other random items waiting
to be claimed.
2014 BUS REREGISTRATIONS
Bus registration forms for 2014 are now
available. Students who catch or wish to catch the JWACS School
Bus or the BusWest School Bus MUST register for 2014.
Students are not automatically rolled over for the following year.
If you are not sure which bus form you need, please check the
John Wollaston website for route details by clicking on the
following link for the 2014 School Bus Registration Forms.
2014 BUS REGISTRATIONS
MRS DE JONGE AND MRS ATTHOWE
STUDENT SERVICES
P & F ASSOCIATION
GENERAL NOTICES - STUDENT SERVICES
RELIEF BUS DRIVERS REQUIREDRELIEF BUS DRIVERS REQUIREDRELIEF BUS DRIVERS REQUIRED