School Newsletter 13 December 2022

Term 4 is always a busy time in schools. The rush to the finish line often sees students completing their final assessments for the year combined with a flurry of special events, assemblies, and co-curricular activities. It is also a time of much joy as students and staff begin to think about the Christmas break and the possibility of some down time with family and friends.

The last edition of the newsletter for 2022 details the latest happenings at our school. While there is always plenty on which to report, two particular events from the past few weeks highlight the special opportunities we provide for students here at Peter Moyes ACS.

For our Primary students, children’s entertainer, Peter Combe, performed a set of his classic songs in the Allan Shaw Centre on Wednesday 23 November. The event was very well received by students (and staff!) with lots of singing and dancing, and Peter was very impressed with the level of student engagement. In particular, Peter was full of praise for the aspects of the sound and light production handled by one of our Secondary School students.

On the same day Peter Combe was entertaining our Primary School students, our Secondary School students enjoyed a special event held in the Black Box Theatre. Former student and winner of the 2023 Giro D’Italia, Jai Hindley, paid the School a visit and was the star attraction at a special assembly. The students present asked lots of questions to learn more about Jai’s experiences and what it takes to be a professional athlete. Jai graciously brought in his race bike and trophy, with the session running over time due to demand from staff and students alike. As a school we are so proud of Jai and his achievements and are so grateful that he took the time to share stories of his success with students across the School.

Male and Female Role Models

During November, students in Year 9 attended a special event to recognise the importance that role models can play in supporting young people. Year 9 girls attended a special Afternoon Tea, an opportunity to gather with their peers and the significant women in their lives. While enjoying some tasty treats, the girls were motivated by guest speaker and alumnus, Kate Major, who spoke at length about good and bad role models and how to work out the difference.  As a former Head Girl and Dux of our school, Kate provided an engaging address to our Year 9 girls on the benefits of perseverance and seeking support when needed. Not to be left out, the Year 9 boys had the opportunity to attend a ‘Male World’ Breakfast and hear from School Council member Adam Inder. As a former Head Boy and Dux, Adam struck a good balance between humour, relevance and seriousness that was appreciated by the crowd. Adam particularly highlighted the role dads play and shared stories of his own fatherhood journey. I extend my sincere thanks to both Adam and Kate for their inspiring addresses.

Primary Nativity

One of the School’s favourite events was held this year on a Tuesday 29 November. The Primary Nativity signals that Christmas is fast approaching and this year we were treated to Angels, Shepherds, and Wise Men performing the Nativity story with enthusiasm and spirit. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the balmy weather with family and friends while being entertained by our students. A particular highlight was the performances of the Year 1 & 2 violinists who excelled in tricky conditions. A big thank you to all staff for coordinating the event and to all parents who ensured their children looked resplendent in Christmas attire.

Twilight Markets and Tour

The annual Art Exhibition and Twilight Markets were held on Friday 11 November. The event continues to grow annually with an increase in the number of stalls and food vendors this year, along with a broader repertoire of artistic performances. We were blessed with favourable weather conditions on the night, although a little chilly, and we also had the largest turnout since the combining the two events. One change this year was to move the music performances to the Café Lawn, with mostly dance performances on the stage. This had a twofold benefit of creating a beautiful ambience in the outdoor areas and providing more opportunities for students to perform on stage in the Allan Shaw Centre. Moving forward we will look to add an outdoor bar and fire pit for the adults and continue to explore options for more activities to grow the event.
 
Festive Season

As this is the final edition of the School Newsletter for the year, I would like to extend my thanks to Belinda Lockyer for her significant work in preparing and editing the School Newsletter in 2022. Belinda does a wonderful job in capturing and collating the multitude of activities that occur across our School and the broader community. Belinda is ably supported by Lauren Knapp and Corrina Agostini who are responsible for the majority of media content on the School’s Website and Social Media pages. 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all School families the compliments of the Season. May God’s Peace be with you all as we head towards a well-earned break.  To all students, stay safe and take care over the holidays.  We look forward to seeing you refreshed and invigorated in 2023 for another big year at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School.

Every Blessing.
Benjamin Lomas
PRINCIPAL

 

Congratulations on reaching the end of another year!

For students in Years 11, 10 and 9 end of year examinations were completed, rounding out the Assessment Outline for these cohorts. The examinations for many students can be a time of anxiety, particularly as students are taking these for the first time. However, they are a wonderful opportunity to prove resilience, organisation and ultimately a marker of ending the academic year well.
Examinations are pointers as to how well a student has learnt a body of content and express this knowledge in a timed setting. They are also an indication of future pathways of study for the next few years.
Please take the time to discuss aspects of the completed examinations with your child. The feedback should become part of the goals set for the 2023 academic year. 

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA)

As the term draws to an end, parents may appreciate a brief reminder of the meanings of some of the terms that will be part of your child’s next phase in their secondary schooling.

‘SCSA speak’ can be confusing!  

The information below should clarify the terms that your child’s teachers use on a regular basis. All are important to understand to assist your child as they work through Years 11 and 12 to gain secondary Graduation. In particular:

• WACE
• Depth and Breadth
• Unit Equivalents
• VET programs
• Endorsed programs

The Western Australian Certificate of Education or WACE

A student who meets the requirements upon completion of Year 12 will be issued with the Western Australian Certificate of Education. In mid-January 2023, they will be able to download digital copies of their WACE. 

Students will generally take two years to achieve the requirements of the WACE; however, these requirements may be met over a lifetime. The WACE is recognised nationally in the Australian Qualifications Framework and by universities and other tertiary institutions, industry and training providers.

Summary of the WACE requirements

To qualify for a WACE, students must successfully meet requirements relating to breadth and depth, an achievement standard and the literacy and numeracy standard in their senior secondary schooling.

Breadth and depth

Completion of a minimum of 20 units, or the equivalent*. This requirement must include at least:

• ten Year 12 units, or the equivalent
• four units from an English learning area course, post-Year 10, including at least one pair of Year 12 units from an English learning area course
• one pair of Year 12 units from each of List A (arts/languages/social sciences) and List B (mathematics/science/technology).

Achievement standard

Achievement of at least 14 C grades or higher (or the equivalent) in Year 11 and Year 12 units, with a minimum of six C grades (or the equivalent) in Year 12 units.

Completion of:

• at least four Year 12 ATAR courses, or
• at least five Year 12 General courses (or a combination of General and up to three Year 12 ATAR courses) or equivalent, or
  a Certificate II (or higher) VET qualification in combination with ATAR, General or Foundation courses. 

Literacy and numeracy standard

Demonstration of the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy.

• Achieving the OLNA
• Gaining  Band 8 or higher in the NAPLAN 

An ‘Equivalent’ is gained through two pathways, VET and Endorsed pathways

VET programs

VET industry specific courses require students to achieve specified units of competency, successfully complete a full qualification and fulfil the mandatory workplace learning requirement. Once all requirements are met, they are recorded as ‘completed’ and contribute to a student’s achievement as a  C grade or higher in other WACE course units.
A maximum of eight units (four in Year 11 and four in Year 12) may be used towards the WACE requirements.

Endorsed programs

Endorsed programs contribute to the WACE C grade requirement. They address areas of learning not covered by WACE courses or VET programs. There are three categories of endorsed programs: Authority-developed, Provider-developed and School-developed. These programs can be delivered in a variety of settings, such as schools, community organisations, universities, training organisations and workplaces.

A student can accrue up to four unit equivalents from successful completion of endorsed programs. Endorsed program unit equivalents are allocated by the Authority at either Year 11 or Year 12 in the manner that best advantages the student (up to a maximum of two in Year 11 and two in Year 12).

A C grade in a maximum of four units can be replaced by unit equivalents from the completion of endorsed programs (two units in Year 11 and two units in Year 12).

What does this all mean for your child at Peter Moyes ACS?

Firstly, we stipulate a recommended number of courses for Year 11 and 12 students. Students in Year 11 take 6 courses. However, if during the course  of Semester 2 in Year 10 a student gains a placement for a one-day a week TAFE or Work Place Learning, this constitutes as an unit equivalent and effectively becomes their sixth course in their timetable.

In Year 12, a student on an ATAR pathway may take 5 courses on their timetable, with the sixth becoming a Study Group. Students on a General pathway continue with 6 courses, or 5 if they continue with TAFE or WPL. 

It is not recommended that an ATAR student take fewer than 5 ATAR courses. We do not know how a student will receive their final WACE examination in terms of content and performance. There is always the possibility that of one of those 5 external examinations does not play to the student’s strength. As each WACE examination constitutes 50% of the student’s year 12 ATAR grade, having the student place their secondary Graduation on four courses is a risk that the School tries to avoid.

It is to be remembered that a student who does not sit the final WACE examination, wipes off the whole year record of that course for the student. They risk the additional loss of meeting the WACE Achievement Standard.

Students sitting their final ATAR examinations who perform below that of their achievement during the year or who leave the examination before the allotted three hours are completed not only affect their secondary Graduation, but that of their cohort. This is because TISC who moderate and scale every examination, apply this in the examination of that course for all students and across the other courses of students in the cohort.

For further information about TISC, please review its resources and information at: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/atar-about.tisc
 
Year 12 students

The period after the End of Year Examinations for year 11 students is a time for teachers, parents and their child to review the marks gained for particular courses and pathways. The key factor here is what is in the best interests of the student in terms of secondary Graduation. 

After the review of your child’s Year 11 results and are either on an ATAR or General pathway they may have been permitted to take fewer than five ATAR courses, it is important that the above information is taken seriously. Secondary Graduation is not a game and a mature, stable and realistic approach is required. 

Students with an unusual mix of ATAR and General courses will have their results reviewed early in Term 1 2023. Unlike Year 11, SCSA rules do not allow any changes of course direction once the Year 12 year is underway. Students will be required to follow their chosen pathway for the remainder of the year.  

Enjoy all aspects of the Christmas holidays. My best wishes for a well-earned break.

Natalie Shaw
Associate Principal Teaching and Learning

 

 

Our Term Honour Awards Assembly recognised the achievements of our students across the term and had a varied focus as we presented achievement awards to students across language, mathematics, the arts, and sport. We had contemporary and classical musical pieces with solo performances from Gina Latimer (voice), and Sylvia Pekic (piano).

The Honours Awards are presented to a student each year level and is a prestigious award given to students who demonstrate the School Values and have particularly achieved their personal best. 

The School Values Award is presented to a student each year level, each term, by their Head of Year. It is awarded to a student who consistently demonstrates one or more of the School Values – Faith, Excellence, Compassion, Respect, Responsibility and Courage.

Congratulations to all our Term Four Award winners. 

Honours Awards:

School Values Awards:

Colours & Honours Awards:

The School wishes to recognise the outstanding and exceptional achievement of its students in a variety of School activities - Academic, Cultural and Sporting- through enabling students to be awarded Colour and/or Honour Awards for these achievements. The School also wishes to recognise those students who provide outstanding service to the School by the granting of Service Awards. This term the following students were awarded Colours or Honours: 

Congratulations to Oscar Gray who has completed the Maths Pathways course in his Year 9 year! The Maths Pathways course covers the Australian Curriculum to the end of the Year 10 Advanced Mathematics, meaning that Oscar is more than a year ahead and this is no mean feat. He has shown mastery in 438 modules over the past 3 years.

Mrs Martin asked Oscar a few questions about his journey on Maths Pathway

What did you enjoy most? “I enjoyed the methodical approach Maths Pathway took to learning, guiding us step by step through the subject matter as well as determining the gaps in your knowledge.”

What motivated you to finish? “My love for Maths coupled with a well thought reward system (updated progression) which kept me motivated to finish Math Pathway.”

What was your biggest challenge? “The biggest challenge I faced was the distribution of time spent on Maths Pathway to achieve my goals compared to my other subjects

Oscar challenges Year 7 and 8 students to use the opportunity given to invest in learning Mathematics at a pace tailored to your needs, this program’s design means the harder you work the more you can achieve in Maths.

Along with three other Year 9 students, Oscar now has the option to choose a Year 11 ATAR Mathematics course, Maths Methods, in his Year 10 year because of their phenomenal progress in Mathematics over the last three years.

With a growth mindset, attention to accuracy and with determination, all students can take the opportunity to grow their mathematics skills exponentially in their Maths Pathway journey!
 

During each year, we have special events to look forward to.  For Year 9 it's our Boys' Breakfast and the Girls' Afternoon Tea. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend with my lovely mum. Everyone from the year was invited and welcomed to bring along two female role models as our guests. You may wonder was the Girls' Afternoon is. Well, it is a special event where we get to celebrate and spend time with our role models.

When we first arrived with our role models we were greeted by Ms Di Lallo, Mrs Lawrence, Ms Grey, and our guest speaker Kate Major, who is an alumni of Peter Moyes. We were all directed to a set of tables that were perfectly decorated with tablecloths, plates, napkins, and cake stands of food and delicious plates of food.

To begin, we had some time to talk, share stories, and eat some delicious food that was catered to by the amazing café staff. We had different desserts, sandwiches, and snacks to enjoy while we waited for our amazing guest speaker, Kate. Finally, it came time for Kate to have her moment shine. She began her speech by talking about what a role model is. Kate shared some amazing stories about how her role models have helped influence and shaped her into the woman and fantastic mother that she is, and how she still relies on them to support and guide her when she struggles still to this day. Kate explained how having a positive role model allows not just girls but everyone to thrive and grow as individuals and as a collective group and community.

Even though the afternoon tea only lasted an hour, everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves and the time they spent with friends and family and even those who unfortunately couldn’t bring a guest were still engaging and getting involved. I believe that the Afternoon Tea, even though is a short event, if you listen and engage you can have fun and truly benefit from the understanding of the importance of why we all need role models in our lives that help shape and guide our beliefs and values. I encourage all the future Year 9 girls to attend and learn how a role model can guide you or how you could even be a role model to someone else.
 
Gemma Vine and Grace Cameron Year 9 Students 2022

Snapshot Youth Theatre Company finished the year with a BANG! The final production was a huge success with audience members returning to see the show for a second and third time. The cast consisted of students in Years 6-10, and they gave it their all. They took to their roles like true professionals, and it showed by the smiles on the audiences faces.

Transylvania High School is where the kids of all the classic monster movie villains go to learn the tricks of the trade.  There are vampires, mummies, werewolves, zombies, witches, Frankenstein’s daughter, the Invisible Man’s daughter, and even the Phantom of the Opera’s kid, all of them struggling to live up to their parents’ legendary examples. When a group of human high school students stumbles upon the monster school thanks to a broken down bus, utter mayhem ensues. And I can assure it did.

There were too many outstanding performers to single out any one in particular, and each shone in their own way. A special thank you must go to SYTC Alumni student, Mia Nicholson who came back in the roles of stage manager as well as light and sound technician for this production. She is a joy to work with. As Artistic Director, I have been continually impressed by the caliber of students that audition for our productions and I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for us.

Students having a go…

Between Wednesday 23 November and Friday 25 November a group of intrepid Year 9s were given the opportunity to try their hand at a variety of different trades at Clarkson TAFE. The students were hand-picked by their Humanities teachers who nominated them to participate in the Try-A-Trade programme. The programme is designed to give students a taste of life as a student at TAFE and to explore some of the options on offer. Over the three days students were involved in a broad range of activities including: plastering walls, wall & floor tiling and finally carpentry. Teachers supervising the event were pleased to see the boys rising to the challenge of tackling new and unfamiliar tasks with gusto.

Awards WA believes that all young people have the potential through self determination to become active and inclusive citizens. They provide the scope through adventure in learning for young people to invest in their future by challenging themselves, being community focused and empowered to achieve their potential. They offer experiential learning programs that allow the community to invest in youth, enabling them to become confident and resilient members of society.

Awards WA have two levels of Award – Ignite and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Scheme.

Ignite Award

Ignite Award is a unique WA based self-development program for young people aged 9 to 13 years. Ignite Award connects children to community through volunteering, improves wellbeing through exercise and develops self-esteem through learning new skills and taking part in an adventure. 

Ignite Award allows WA children to discover their inner strengths, learn new skills, move beyond their comfort zone, and make a difference in their local community. The Award is designed around the individual needs of each child, engaging, and empowering them to discover their potential. It is a great tool for young people to transition into secondary school and fosters positive self-development and leadership skills.

There are 4 levels of Ignite Award (1-4) and to achieve any level of Ignite Award, young people create a unique program of activities across four activity sections:

• Physical Activity - to encourage participation in physical activity and improve performance and fitness
• Hobby - to encourage the development of personal interests and practical skills
• Volunteering - to develop and encourage a sense of community spirit and responsibility to others
• Adventure - encourage a spirit of exploration and increase confidence in unfamiliar places

Young people can complete the activities in a single session; however, we encourage them to undertake their activities over a period of time.

Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

HRH Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT, is remembered for many things, but his lasting legacy will always be the youth awards programme that carries his name. The awards programme was founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 and has since expanded to 144 nations. The award recognises adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement tasks: fitness training, expeditions, projects, and rescue services. The award was initially for boys and was administered by John Hunt, who led the first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. The first girls joined in September 1958.

Today, the Award is an internationally recognised programme, with over 8 million young people taking part since its inception. It aims to build skills, equipping young people for life and work, and playing a critical role in their development. Each programme is personalised which allows young people a structure to fulfil their passions and ambitions in a way that suits them.
 
It has three levels; bronze, silver, and gold and with assistance from adult leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:

• Volunteering – undertaking services to individuals or the community
• Physical – improving in an area of sport, dance, or fitness activities
• Skills – developing practical and social skills and personal interest
• Expedition – planning, training for, and completing an adventurous journey

At Gold level, participants must do an additional Residential section, which includes staying and working away from home for five days, doing a shared activity.

To achieve an award, participants must work on each section for a minimum period and must be monitored and assessed by someone with knowledge of the chosen activity. Each progressive level requires more time and commitment from participants: Bronze 3-6 months; Silver 6-9 months; Gold 12-18 months.
 
If you would like more information about either award, please look at the website: https://www.awardswa.org.au/ or contact Sara Priest, Phil Carr or Alison Grey via email or telephone via Secondary Reception.
 
We are delighted that five students have achieved awards this year and congratulate them on their achievements:
 
Ben Brown – Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Bronze
Rory Coplin - Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Bronze
Bailey Neale – Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Bronze
George Burke – Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Bronze
Isabelle Curtis – Ignite Award – Level 4

This years house sport was an abundance of fun! Mr Hollingsworth had organised various different activities for the Secondary School to take part in, which allowed a range of different skills to shine from each of our students. The activities were extremely diverse and included the Amazing Race, Soccer, Volleyball, Master Chef, Pickleball, Capture the flag, English rounders, Lego challenges gaming lounge, competition Inter-house Ballroom dancing - just to name a few! This years house sport was a highlight for many students, and a fan favourite was most definitely Masterchef, with House Tutors having to pull names out of a hat! A Year 7 Inter-house talent show was also run as a part of house sport, with special guests such as Ms Grey judging. This special event showcased the Year 7s raw talent and developed confidence through  performing in front of their peers. House sport is a wonderful opportunity for students to take a break from classroom work and integrate with each other, forming new skills and creating new bonds. We love house sport at Peter Moyes, and cant wait to see what next year holds!

-Written by Year 7 student

We have had one incredibly busy, but awesome year! 

Early Year Nativity Service

On Tuesday evening 29th November, the Kindergarten, Pre-Primary, Year 1, and Year 2 all took to the outdoor Primary School stage for their annual Christmas Nativity performance. It was once again a tremendous evening, made even more so with a delightful balmy evening. The children were superb, remembering numerous songs and delivering their lines on cue. The costumes were of course delightful, and I am sure there were some very proud parents in the audience. Congratulations to all the Early Years staff and students on a wonderful performance that reflected the story of Jesus and also their great learning and growth throughout the year. Well done to Mrs. Gair and all of the staff on their efforts in pulling it together.

Year 6 Graduation Assembly

On Wednesday afternoon, 7th December we celebrated with our Year 6 learners and the School community their Year 6 Graduation from Primary School. Quite simply, it was an extraordinary event! The Year 6 singing for us, the song ‘Coming Home’ normally performed by the group, Sheppard. In this euphoric song, they really did capture the joy and excitement that the song deserved.
It was difficult to walk away not being struck by the huge growth and maturity that the students have experienced over 8 years since they joined the school in Kindergarten. Congratulations, Year 6 on a superb Graduation and leaving a mark on the Primary School community! My sincere thanks go to Mrs. Lawton, Mrs. Corkery, Mr. Pestell, Mrs. Gaensler, and the entire team of mentors and teachers that helped the students through their Primary experience.

Primary School Presentation Assembly

Thursday morning 8th of December was a lovely occasion celebrating the success of our students in the Primary School Presentation Assembly from Years 3 to 6. The Primary School Choir sang beautifully ‘Sunny Day’ conducted by Mrs. Gair. And later towards the end of the assembly, the Primary School Dance Troupe performed ‘Hero’ led by Mrs. Leadon and they were impressive.

Some of the highlights that I shared in my Presentation Speech of what the students have been doing in and around the Primary School:

• Pre-Kindergarten – Learnt about the seasons throughout the year and did an awesome enchanted forest dress-up.
• Kindergarten - implemented the talk for writing programme which helped retell stories such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They used inquiring minds to explore space, the ocean, and worms and were led on a chase around the playground as our Gingerbread Man came to life and ran away!
• Pre-Primary – They did lots of Talk for writing and loads of fabulous inquiry and investigation activities – but who was the Evil Pea?
• Year 1 – The time inquiry project explores many facets of time. But what was school life like in the olden days?
• Year 2 – Incubated Chickens that hatched and grew. During your time in the Kitchen Garden, you did some cooking, doing 20 different recipes and many different gardening activities. How many chickens hatched?
• Year 3 – The Raven Inquiry was amazing, and that led to the Clean-Up Crew and the Scare ravens (these were the Scare Crows that you made). I always thought the ravens were crows, now I know! 
• Year 4 – They have been learning about the Explorers who discovered the new world. What was the new world?
• Year 5 – Lego Robotics and exploring Non-Newtonian Fluids – Wow, what is a Non-Newtonian Fluid?
• Year 6 – There was the Year 6 Shark tank where students designed a business for our Year 5s and 3s to invest in. Who was the team who had the most profitable business?
• In Music – The annual Instrumental Concert was a blast as were the Popup Choirs for our lunchtime and before-school concerts.
• In Drama – The Performing Arts Festival that was for Years 2, 4 and 6 on the theme ‘Magic of the Musical’ were phenomenal!
• In Phys Ed – let us just say that Durack was the outright Champion House in the Primary School for Cross Country, and Athletics! 
• In Indonesian – The Year 5s had fun in their Indonesian Restaurant (great food) and the Year 4s went travelling and created a travelogue in Indonesian!
• In Art – The Art Show was amazing, and it just seems to get better each year, and as I am a lover of tree houses, I loved what the Year 5s did this year with making their own miniature tree house versions.
• In Library – The Tinker cad Book setting project was pretty cool, and the Museum of Mysteries Minecraft projects were a standout. And of course, we all love, love the amazing Book Week of events each year.
• In Academic Extension – PMACS won the Academic All-Stars contest for the 8th time against all the schools in this area! Sensational!

Awards Criteria:

1. Achievement Award - Awarded to the student who performs consistently in all academic areas.

2.  Application and Effort - Presented to the student who has applied themselves consistently to improve their work.

3. Citizenship - Awarded to a student who has consistently shown consideration for others.

4. Parents and Friends Award

This award goes to a student who is a standout winner in the field of caring for others and displaying respect toward adults, as well as making an outstanding commitment to the School.

This award went to Charlie-Rose Agius

Beginning of Year Details

The first official day of 2023 is Tuesday 31st January for all students in Pre- Kindergarten to Year 6. Further information about this will be communicated via the School Office.

Appreciation and Happy Holidays

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all Primary students for their contributions to a great year in 2022. I have been impressed with the manner in which our Primary Students have conducted themselves and represented the School. I am very proud of each and every one of them. Our dynamic staff are a vital part of the Primary School and our support staff, our teachers and educational assistants, and the PS Leadership team have kept the year busy and active and also deserve special praise and thanks. The students’ interests are always foremost in their minds. We are blessed with an outstanding Primary team at PMACS!

I trust that everyone will have a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday period. May God watch over and protect all families and bring everyone back safely for another great year in 2023.

Roderick Wood
Associate Principal – Primary School

On Tuesday 22 November nine Academic Extension students from Years 4, 5 and 6 took part in the Academic All Stars Contest against students from St James, St Andrews and St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primaries.

This year we hosted the event in the Gym mezzanine, which was a great venue for the different activities.
The twelve teams spent the whole day tackling different challenges, starting with six hectic rounds of really tricky questions about topics like Geography,  Science, Maths and General Knowledge as well as longer, more involved Engineering and Drama activities.

It was a challenging, fun day and our students excelled, resulting in our winning the overall school trophy, as well as the top team of three. However it was a whole team effort, and the contest was very close, with only half a point between the first and second placed schools. 

Winning team: Finn Gibson, Joshua Whelan and Alyssa Fernback – winning 4 out of 8 sections, they dominated!

Our other two teams also performed extremely well, assisting the overall win:
Roland Chhun, Lara Branford and Eva Stewart and Lachlan Leadon, Charlotte Smyth and Neve Arthy

The students are to be congratulated for the excellent results and representing the school with a positive attitude and a sense of humour which was displayed in the Drama task, which received special mention.

Our Year 11 Indonesian Accelerated class (6 students) sat their WACE Indonesian ATAR written exam on Tuesday 16th of November.

On Wednesday 17th of November, we  farewelled and congratulated them for completing their course. This was done Indonesian style, with a lunch feast of ‘Nasi Tumpeng’ (cone-shaped rice symbolizing a holy mountain) that is traditionally served as a thanksgiving or blessing (Slametan) and is a symbol of gratitude. As per the gratitude ceremony, the top of the ‘tumpeng’ was cut by all the students, after which everyone enjoyed the tasty lunch together.

It was wonderful to acknowledge the achievement of these students as they finish with their Indonesian studies in High School. We wish them every success as they write their next exciting act after their amazing journey learning Indonesian at Peter Moyes.

Ibu Swailes

Tuesday, the 15th of November marked the end of a strenuous (but fun) two years for the year 11 ATAR Accelerated Indonesian class as we sat our final WACE exam for the course. In true Indonesian style, we celebrated with a delicious lunch of Indonesian dishes and drinks to enjoy our achievement with family, friends and teachers.

The Indonesian ATAR course provided us with invaluable insight into many areas of Indonesian culture, with some of our favourite topics including film, careers and travel, as well as issues facing teenagers in today’s world. This equipped us with a variety of skills and knowledge that will undoubtably help us in our future.

We can’t thank our teachers, Ibu Swailes and Ibu Hara, enough for the amount of time, effort and dedication they offered our class. They always ensured we were achieving our best while still keeping the classroom enjoyable and fun. Terima kasih banyak!

Brady Reynolds  
2023 Head Boy

In Week 3 of Term 4, 50 students from the Global Prestasi School in Jakarta visited PMACS. The visiting students were from Year 7, 8 and 9 and were buddied up with a PMACS student from their year group. It was phenomenal to see the level of engagement and enthusiasm between students of both the schools.

This school visit represents one of the first reciprocal exchanges since the pandemic and needless to say, the cross-cultural friendships developed during the course of last week have helped to extend our students’ language learning, cultural knowledge and intercultural understanding. It is also wonderful to note that PMACS students continue to communicate online with their peers in Indonesia. Well done to our PMACS students for being such great hosts and for generally displaying a very positive attitude. Bagus sekali!

We appreciate everyone who contributed to the Christmas hampers this year. As you can see in the pictures, there were 15 gorgeous and loaded Christmas hampers that will be given to local families this holiday season that might need a little extra support. Nothing went to waste because all the surplus of food donations that weren't included in the Christmas hampers were given to Parish Pantry. I would also want to thank Tia, Reverend JP, and all of the Year 9 House Representatives for organising the hampers. I wish you all a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year. I look forwards to seeing you all in the new year. 

Gemma Vine (Year 9 House Representative)

The P&F Association would like to thank all of our PMACS families who purchased tickets in our inaugural School Fees Raffle. 

All proceeds from the sale of these Raffle tickets will go to PMACS P&F Association to support the continuous enhancement and development of the School. For example: development and upgrading of playground equipment, music equipment, sporting equipment and much more.  

We are thrilled to announce we have  5 lucky winners:

1st Prize - Lizzy Harris - $5000 School Fees Credit  

2nd Prize  - Mark Hunt - $2500 School Fees Credit

3rd Prize - Luke Sims - $1000 School Fees Credit 

4th Prize  - Carla Poppleton - $250  School Uniform Shop Voucher

5th Prize - Kate Young - $250 School Uniform Shop Voucher 

We look forward to bringing you the 2024 School Fees Raffle later in 2023.

On Friday 18 November, the whole school participated in Odd Socks Day. Odd Socks Day is a mental health and wellbeing day that is designed to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and reduce stigma over mental health issues. Additionally, the aim of wearing odd socks demonstrates that it’s okay to have an “odd” day. Staff and students wore odd socks, displaying all sorts of impressive colours, patterns and designs. In Primary School, the students created messages of kindness and designed odd socks. In Secondary School, there were a range of activities run during the day such as ‘pin the sock on the donkey’, ‘guess how many socks in the box’. Socks were also hidden around the school, with a special message and card inside that could be exchanged for chocolates.

Students in Year 6 and the Secondary School have the opportunity to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge. This program helps students track their reading over the summer holidays, through the colouring of spots every day they read and encouraging them to read different genres and text types.

Educators and researchers have identified a loss of learning in students over an extended period of time when thinking skills are not practiced. They refer to this loss of up to three months learning as a ‘brain drain’ or ‘summer slide’. Reading has been identified as a way to slow the loss of learning, improve vocabulary and writing skills and can be done anywhere and anytime. 

Students can sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge and collect their forms from the Secondary Library. A reward event will be help during first term next year. 

We would like to congratulate Year 9 student Alana Clarke, who has been selected for the Rugby WA Girls Academy Under 16 team. This is a great achievement Alana, we hope this is a great step towards a fantastic career in rugby!

Cohen Jackson, who is in Year 9 recently competed in the Sport Climbing Western Australia Boulder State Titles 2022 in the age 14/15 category. This was a 2 day event with a Qualification round on day 1 where the top 6 climbers are selected from the whole field to compete in the finals on the second day. Cohen qualified in 1st place on the first day moving into the finals . The degree of difficulty is significantly increased in the finals, and Cohen was successful in climbing all the final boulders. He was the only finalist to top (complete) all the climbs set throughout the competition meaning he won the gold medal and is now the 2022 Boulder State Title Champion.

As this is a National Qualification Event, and Cohen is now again ranked No 1 in WA he is automatically selected to compete at the Sport Climbing Australia Youth Nationals in 2023. Congratulations Cohen this is an absolutely amazing achievement we wish you well in 2023!

We would like to congratulate Lewis Wagstaff in Year 6. Lewis has successfully auditioned for 'A Christmas Carol' which is being held at Harbour Theatre in Mosman Park through to Sunday 11 December 2022 . Lewis is playing the part of Tiny Tim. 

As well as this production, Lewis recently performed in 'An Enchanted Evening with Rogers and Hammerstein' which was held at the Quarry Amphitheatre.

Keep up the great work Lewis, a star in the making!

In early December several of our PMACS students competed at the WA State Basketball Championships which were held at Bendat Basketball Stadium. Our students performed really well winning every game, they narrowly missed out on the finals.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following students:

Thomas Ashurst, Emerson Wheeler and Blake Allcott-Alalid

Congratulations again to Brady, who was selected to play in the Hockey Australia Gryphon Cup U16 tournament, held the first weekend in December. This was an U16 international invitational tournament at Perth Hockey Stadium, held over 3 days. Well done Brady on your goal keeping, only letting one slip by! Such amazing talent at this tournament.

We are pleased to announce that the School has entered into an agreement with Matrix Uniforms to operate our Uniform shop on our behalf form the start of 2023. This brings with it the introduction of online shopping options to assist you in purchasing uniforms at your own convenience. Details of this and how to access online sales will be communicated to you in due course.

Triple P - Positive Parenting Program is a FREE program that teaches practical and effective ways to enhance family relationships and manage common child behaviour issues.

For more information please Click here

January School Holiday Group Program! 

 
January 2023 GROUP PROGRAMS
Please click below on the location to view the flyer, and note that we have some groups that are now 2 hours in duration:
Joondalup*, Wembley and Canning Vale
*Please remember our Joondalup groups will be running at our new location U1/10 Clarke Crescent, Joondalup.
Booking conditions

If needed, the groups will be changed to Zoom. If you have not attended AIM before, your child will need to attend a meet & greet with one of our therapists prior to the group (the cost of this is $45). 

Would your child benefit from help with the following skills these school holidays?

- Social Skills: making and keeping friends, conversational skills
- Resilience/coping skills
- Attention and Concentration
- Handwriting: pencil control, legibility, speed, endurance
- Following Instructions
- Listening Skills
- Telling Stories
- Writing Stories

NDIS covered and Private Health rebates are available!
Click HERE  for more information about our
School Holiday Group Programs. 

Not sure which program is suited to your child? Feel free to reply with your child's 
*Name
*DOB
*Preferred Office Location
*School year
*Area of focus
*Diagnosis (if applicable)
...and we will reply with a recommended group.

You can book any of our groups by email or phone:

Wembley - hello@aimtherapy.com.au - 08 6150 8339
Joondalup - joondalup@aimtherapy.com.au - 08 9300 3544
Canning Vale - canningvale@aimtherapy.com.au - 08 6244 4397

We are also offering our individual intensive programs throughout the full school holiday period. These programs involve higher frequency sessions aimed at achieving accelerated progress towards your child's therapy goals.

Click HERE for more information about our School Holidays 1:1 Intensive Programs.

During each school holidays, a number of our therapists are available to complete functional capacity assessments.

Please click here to see more details.
Thank you,
Jenni Pekkanen
Practice Manager, AIM Therapy for Children

January Head Start Courses 

Starting High School Next Year?

For students going into Year 6 or 7 in 2023

Get a head start to the school year with short transition courses in NAPLAN Preparation, High School English and Maths, Learning Skills, Essay Writing and GATE and Scholarship Exam Preparation.

•  Learn from WA’s top teachers
•  Small group classes for individual attention
•  Targeted help to ensure you develop your skills
•  Build confidence

Venues: Rossmoyne SHS and Churchlands SHS, during the January Holidays: 13th Jan – 24th Jan 2023 

Enrol online at www.academicgroup.com.au or call: 9314 9500 or email: learn@academicgroup.com.au

For more information please Click here

The January Preparation Program aims to prepare students for Term 1 (2023) before the academic year begins. The classes will revise those important components from the 2022 syllabus that are vital for success in the new year. The program will also preview what students can expect in their courses in 2023. 

For more information please Click here

In Semester 1, 2023 North Metropolitan TAFE will be running a course to prepare students for work in schools and elsewhere.  Since 2017, these courses have been a big success. We have had students employed as gardeners, cleaners, school officers, education assistants, librarians and in private industry.

We have now increased our focus to offer SIS and Integris training and this course is available to Perth students on campus.

Want to return to work, or change careers?
Want to work in a school?

There has never been a better time with WA unemployment at 3%.

Schools and other organisations are desperately hiring people for the following roles:

• Gardener, cleaner, administration, management, canteen, education assistants and many other roles.

Starting in January 2023, North Metropolitan TAFE are running a one-semester course on the skills required to be a successful candidate for employment in a school or elsewhere.  The course gives you an employment advantage that you can’t achieve elsewhere. If you have tried and failed, we will get you to where you want to go.

We have had huge success supporting people to find work, and the chances of gaining employment are strong.  This course is suitable for people new to the workforce, people looking to change career or looking for a return to work.

The course includes:

•Training in skills specific to the role you are interested in e.g. IT skills, Office 365
•Work experience in a school or other organisation
•Help and support to find work
•Help accessing further training as required e.g. Certificate III in Education Support
•Development of your job application cover letter, resume and help with selection criteria

Entry requirements:

•18+
•Strong work ethic
•Good oral and written communication
•Must be able to read procedures, safety sheets and chemical bottles etc.
•Must be able to send and receive emails
•Successful completion of an entry interview
•Working With Children Check and a Department of Education Clearance

Course details:

- Dates - Starts week 1 of term 1 and runs for up to 20 weeks
- Many students finish the course early because they find work
- Days - 3 days per week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday during school hours
- Cost - Approximately $170 (subject to change) total course fee for full 20 weeks
- Location - North Metro TAFE Leederville and on work experience
- Qualification - GATE (Gaining Access to Training and Employment) Certificate I

To apply for this course, use the following website and select “GATE I Leederville”:

  https://tasonline.tafe.wa.edu.au

To ask questions please contact:
Chris Hodson

chris.hodson@nmtafe.wa.edu.au

Disclaimer: North Metropolitan TAFE does not guarantee work after completing this course.  This course supports you to find work.  The course is run by North Metropolitan TAFE (RTO code: 52786) and is not endorsed by any authority or government department other than North Metropolitan TAFE.

 

The City of Wanneroo have a complete timetable for the upcoming School holiday period, along with an Open Day at Kingsway Indoor Stadium on Saturday 17 December for the whole family.

Please click here to view the timetable.

NPL is the highest level available in youth football and at Quinns FC we are dedicated to revamping the development practices of our 4 squads going into 2023.

I myself have been fortunate in the past to work with players other clubs have not factored but have then gone onto top tier football like Josh Anasmo who is currently part of the Perth Glory A league side.

For more information please contact myself Antony Benetti 0401 422 159 at Quinns FC.
 

Clarkson Library is hosting a variety of free festive events delivered by local residents and community groups aimed to connect and celebrate the joy of togetherness this festive season.  

Free tickets can be obtained either through Eventbrite, City of Wanneroo Libraries website Adult event or Children and Youth Event, via the QR code below and in the poster attached or by contacting Clarkson Library on 9407 1600.

For the full schedule of events please Click Here