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