School Newsletter 21 September 2022

Welcome to the latest edition of the School Newsletter! After another busy term, students and staff are no doubt looking forward to the period of rest and refreshment that the holidays provide. As you are already aware, the holidays have been extended by one day with the announcement of a National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen on Thursday 22 September. This will provide us all with a chance to pause and reflect on the life of Queen Elizabeth, a life of unparalleled grace and service. At the recent Honours Assembly for Secondary Students, I spoke to the audience about Her Majesty’s life of service and how she embodied our School motto ‘Act justly, honour God’. In particular, I asked our students to think about how they could live a life of service, where self-interest is put aside to focus on the needs of others, particularly those who are less fortunate.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP
We had a very strong field of candidates to determine the 2023 Student Leadership Team. After an extensive process including three speeches, peer voting and executive interview, I am pleased to announce the 2023 Student Leadership Team as follows:
 
Head Girl – Anya Dalglish
Head Boy – Brady Reynolds
Deputy Head Girl – Bronte Scaife
Deputy Head Boy – Reece Martin
Chapel Prefect – Tonia George

These students are congratulated, and I also acknowledge all students who nominated for a position as this truly was a very hotly contested process. The next stage of leadership recruitment is the appointment of House Captains and Student Representatives, with further announcements to be shared in due course.

NAPLAN
Results for the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) have recently been sent to parents with students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Parents with any questions or concerns about their child’s results should contact the classroom teacher in the first instance. The School has since received preliminary analysis of each cohort’s results, indicating average results are above state and national means. While this is pleasing, the School will undertake more thorough analysis in the coming weeks to identify any areas for improvement and will share the results with families in due course. Parents should be aware that there are some significant changes for NAPLAN and OLNA (Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment) moving forward. From 2023, NAPLAN will be conducted in Term 1. The reason for this is to enable results to be collated earlier in the School year and subsequent interventions put in place. This decision has a flow on effect for OLNA, with a test window being added to Term 4. This will mean that Year 9 students who do not achieve Band 8 in NAPLAN will be able to undertake OLNA assessments in Term 4 of their NAPLAN year. This information has been recently communicated to relevant families, with further reminders to be sent before the next assessments.

R U OK DAY
A key event during Term 3 Calendar was R U OK Day. This day is a very special and important event on our annual calendar. As you may already know, RUOK is a suicide prevention charity in Australia, reminding people that having meaningful conversations with mates and loved ones could save lives. This year the event was celebrated on Thursday 8 September with a picnic on the North Oval. I remind all parents at students to look out for each other and if in doubt, please speak to our team at PMACS; we are here to help!

EXAMS AND HOLIDAYS
At the time of writing, Year 12’s mock exams are about to commence. I encourage all Year 12’s to maintain their focus as the finishing line is fast approaching and I want you to achieve to your potential during your last weeks at our school. Now is not the time to rest on your laurels; I promise you that the extra effort you apply now will pay handsome dividends later. So stay focussed and make sure you seek the support of teachers, family and friends as needed.

In concluding, I would like to wish all families a restful school holiday break and I look forward to an enjoyable Term 4 as we celebrate our Year 12 Valedictory and the outstanding achievements of our students at various end of year events.

Every Blessing.

Benjamin Lomas
PRINCIPAL

Parents have often asked how best to support their child. With the end of year examinations fast approaching, you would think that some of the best support has already happened prior to the ‘pointy end of the year’! Please read the following points with an open-mind and grace because as a parent your job is one of the most important occupations we have as humans.  

No matter when during the year, parents should maintain high expectations of their child. Research in this area suggests that the most important thing that parents can do to help  boost their child’s academic achievement is to keep them accountable to achieving the best they can do, at all times. 

At an early age, reading to your child is important. It sets up a love of learning, sets up familiarity with the patterns of spelling grammar and broadens vocabulary. By utilising these key language patterns when they are in secondary school, students can more easily bring in the sophisticated written language required in all their assessments.

 
All students are met with the occasional failures and mistakes. Parents should take time to discuss how these are really learning moments. Your child will be more likely to develop a growth mindset when they know that a mistake is an opportunity to learn, and that a failure does not mean a catastrophic academic end. The School’s focus on visible learning views using mistakes as a form of progress when feedback is acted on – it is a key mindset of growth.

 
As teachers, we know that there are different forms of praise. Feedback should tackle the process, the learning and the task in order to improve for next time. This is true also for parents – by over-praising your child’s outcome or their natural abilities, low expectations can be conveyed. If praise is part of comparing other children, it can lead to your child developing a narcissistic outlook which does not help with their academic progress.  Instead, parents are encouraged to praise their child’s process and behaviours.

It is even more important as your child becomes an adolescent to regularly eat dinner together to maintain the habit of communication. This simple act offers invaluable time together to discuss how school is going and how they are going as well.
Clear communication around the structure and rules about how your child divides their homework, social and leisure time is also another important part of family life. Taking the time to explain your thought process behind the rules you put in place as a family also helps aids your child to meet your expectations.

 
Parental involvement is positively associated with their child’s academic achievement, the self-perception of your child and teacher-student relations.  PMACS uses the SEQTA portal to share all aspects of your child’s academic journey. It should be the first place to begin your conversations with your child and their teachers.

 
Finally, know how much they sleep! Getting enough sleep is just so important for developing adolescent minds. Setting boundaries regarding ‘screen time’  is key to the attitude your child brings to their academic day.

 
The hit list above provides a strong foundation to support your child’s learning and development. However, it is important to be kind to yourself, as we know that parenting is one of the hardest jobs that we will do in our lives. As parents, we need to maintain a growth mindset and know that mistakes are part of our continued learning, too.

Natalie Shaw
Associate Principal Teaching and Learning

Year 11 students and their parents will be aware that their End of Year Examinations will be scheduled during Weeks 3 and 4.

During this time, all Year 11 students do not need to come to school unless they are:

An ATAR Pathway student who:

- has an examination scheduled – students are required to be at the examination venue 15 minutes prior to the commencement of      the examination
- is meeting with their teacher and/or class for specified revision – this would be during the timetabled class Period or at another    time specified by their teacher
- is revising quietly in the Library

A General Pathway student who:

- is required to complete their assessment schedule in order to gain WACE Graduation – this may be for Certificate II or WACE courses.  Whatever their location on the School grounds, all students are required to meet the usual expectations of presentation in their Summer School Uniform when they are at School.

At the conclusion of the examinations, all Year 11 students return to their timetabled classes. During Week 5 students will receive their examinations and be acting on feedback from them.

An ATAR Pathway student who wishes to reduce their course load from 6 to 5 courses should speak to Mrs Shaw in the first instance to discuss their Year 12 workload and to collect, and then to complete, the form “Request to discontinue a course”.

Any student who is at risk of not graduating, as indicated by their End of Year 11 results, will be required to refine their course load to ensure Year 12 Graduation is achieved. This may result in either a switch of pathway or commencement of a new WACE or Certificate II course provided by the School. Decisions of this nature will require a three-way discussion with the student, their parent and Mrs Shaw. 

At the start of Week 6, all Year 11 students will begin their Year 12 course studies. It is expected that by 8th December, each student should have completed at least one assessment in each of their courses.

Students following a General Pathway will have received from their teachers information about the Externally Set Task (EST) which they will complete in Year 12. This is an unseen task set by School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) for each General Pathway course, marked in accordance with the rubric set by SCSA and for a randomly generated number of students in each course, have their test marked by an outside body. The EST is an important part of the Assessment Outlines for General Pathway students as it makes up a mandatory 15% of their Course Marks.

Students who have selected the UniPrep in Schools course will begin the first assessment of the first unit, Academic Integrity. If by the end of the year, it becomes clear to either the student, the School or their parent that continuing UniPrep into Year 12 is not a suitable option for the student, then that student must select and commence a replacement course for the Year 12 academic year. University enrolment  into the course will occur at the start of 2023.

Students who gain a place for 2023 in TAFE or one-day Work Placement Learning (WPL) will need to complete the form “Request to discontinue a course”. This means that they will attend school four days a week and have Study Group sessions during those days in order to complete missed classwork and assessments of their remaining 5 courses. Please note that teachers are available to those students during this time for students to meet during the Study Group, if that is required. The process has been in place for many years at the School and as senior students, those Year 12 students have managed their time in a mature and responsible fashion to ensure their secondary Graduation.

Natalie Shaw
Associate Principal Teaching and Learning

Year 11 and 12 Executive Function Intervention and Coaching

A number of Year 11 students have been invited to participate in our Executive Function Skills Intervention and Coaching Programme this term. They attended a session to introduce executive function skills and talk about potential impacts of developing these skills with a targeted academic focus. This programme assists teachers, parents and students in developing an understanding of the challenges faced in managing executive functions at school.
 
Students have completed self-assessments to determine challenges or strengths in the areas of Planning, Organisation, Task Initiation, Sustained Attention, Time Management, Working Memory, Metacognition, Goal-Directed Persistence, Flexibility and Response Inhibition. The results of the self-assessments have then used to set targets with the aim of developing executive function skills in areas of challenge and to guide explicit coaching sessions with the students to build student capacity and achievement.

Year 9 Workshops

Gap Analysis

As part of the Peter Moyes ACS Executive Function Skills Programme, we delivered sessions on a process called Gap Analysis with Year 9 students recently. Gap Analysis is a systematic approach to preparing for assessments. With an end of semester assessment planned for Term Four, laying the foundations as we work through Term Three is vital to achieve results that reflect a student’s full potential. The gap analysis process was introduced in our initial session with students tasked with targets to work towards over Week Three and Four. Students were invited to further sessions in Week Four, Five and Six to reinforce and assist with implementing the process. From this, students have been working to develop an individualised and personalised resource to draw upon for targeted revision in each subject.

Term Four
Exam Technique

With Year 9 students entering the realm of ‘multiple topic assessments’ (end of semester assessment, exam, etc), in Term Four we will introduce a variety of techniques and strategies that can be implemented on exam day to ensure students remain calm, confident and focused; and prepared to achieve their best result.

Learning @ Home in Year 7

Year 7 teaching teams continue to reinforce the Learning @ Home process for Maths, English, Science and HaSS. The focus to date in Semester Two has been to increase the quality of the RECALL and RELECT stages of the process.
 
The RECALL stage is based on a technique called retrieval practice and involves a student actively testing themselves, in test conditions, on content that they have been introduced to in each Maths, Science, HaSS and English (MESH) lesson. This technique is highly effective in reinforcing new learning when implemented properly. Following this, students critique how they did in the RECALL stage by marking their work from class notes. This leads to the identification of gaps in content knowledge in the REFLECT stage. Encouraging students to be aware of individual gaps in content knowledge and to deal with same by reviewing notes or asking the teacher for help empowers students to be more proactive in their learning. When applied properly, these techniques can be highly effective in assisting a student to reach their full potential in assessments.

Completing structured independent RECALL and REFLECTION on new learning in Maths, English, Science and HaSS (MESH) subjects assists in combatting “The Forgetting Curve” (Ebbinghaus, 1885). Please see below for greater detail.

Grainne Barber
Executive Function Coordinator

Friday 16 September was the Annual Senior School Art Exhibition for our Year 12 Visual Arts students.

This year Year 12 students Ishita Chopra, Madeleine Redhead, Jessica Hope, Lauren Schokker, Amber Kelly, Georgie Cullen and Lilly Tuffen displayed their final pieces for a small group of parents, teachers and friends. Some high calibre Year 11 and 10 work was also selected to be exhibited.

The ATAR work from this exhibition will be taken for WACE marking on the 20th September, however, there will be a second opportunity to see these artworks next term at the Annual K-12 Art Exhibition in Week 5. We look forward to seeing you there!

Visual Arts Department

On Wednesday 7 September our Year 12 ATAR English students participated enthusiastically in a specialist 90-minute English Masterclass Workshop, delivered by curriculum expert, Ms. Allysha Sprunt from Rossmoyne Senior High School.

Our students were provided with expert guidance, advice, writing exemplars and examination strategies from Ms. Sprunt, who is a highly regarded contributor to SCSA English Teaching and Learning Resources and commercial ATAR English Examinations.
Isabella Henkel, Year 12 Cuthbert House commented, ‘I found the English masterclass very beneficial as it consolidated my prior knowledge of syllabus concepts. It was also very interesting to see different techniques and strategies that I can apply to my English ATAR revision and final examinations. I highly recommended this class for all future Year 12s!’

On behalf of the English Department, I wish to acknowledge the dedication of our ATAR teachers – Ms. Liz Bozich and Ms. Lynn Gray, in thoroughly preparing our students for the remaining challenges they face, in the final stages of their English learning journey at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School. 

Mr. Mark Shotter (Acting Head of English) 

On the 9 of September 2022, Peter Moyes held the TRIPLE R DAY ‘Redesign, Repair, Recycle’, as part of Anya’s Future Female Leader Program awareness day. As much as it was amazing to indulge in bake sale food and wear free dress, the whole day was centred around promoting the importance of transitioning into a circular economy. 

This event was held during recess and lunch by the new head girl and head boy, Anya and Brady, along with a few Year 11 volunteers including Tom, Mieke and Tonia. The Bakesale was a success, with all the money fundraised on the day donated to Upparel – an Australian awarded textile recycling company.  Year 11 students Ava, Kathleen and Tivia made a delicious and highly appreciated contribution to the bake sale  with their amazing cakes and beautiful cupcakes! 

This year was the sixth year that Year 9 students from PMACS attended Forest Edge Recreational Camp. This camp is one of the last before we move on to other hilarious and exciting events as we approach our final years at Peter Moyes. The ‘party bus’ speakers were blasting music and laughter for the whole two hour ride to camp, which quickly changed from the busy, bustling city to the tranquil, picturesque environment of Waroona. After arriving at Forest Edge, everyone quickly made themselves at home and those who were fortunate enough to sleep in tents immediately began constructing them before the first activity started.

Forest Edge takes pride in encouraging everyone who attends the camp to ‘go beyond your paradigm’, which is another way of saying that we should push our boundaries and try new things. This enabled everyone to continue to operate inside their comfort zones while still trying new things. As we all danced along with the teachers to the song ‘5, 6, 7, 8’ by Steps before each set of activities, the amazing staff at Forest Edge assisted us in broadening our paradigm. This song served as a signal for everyone to get together, and we were only allowed to stop dancing once everyone had joined in and the song had finished playing. This was a great icebreaker because everyone was laughing with their friends as they danced.

We all enjoyed the variety of unique activities provided by the Forest Edge team. Some of these activities included the 250 metre Flying Fox as well as the usual Rock Climbing and Leap of Faith. However, there were some amazing activities that many of us had never done before such as the Ski Biscuit, Abseiling and Target Shooting. The Forest Edge team taught us how to load and fire air compressed guns at targets and cans – watch out for the teachers… their sleep deprivation might catch up to you! The Ski Biscuit was probably the most memorable activity – we had to hold on to an inflatable donut connected to a boat and be dragged along the water, and we did our best to hold on for as long as possible. For many this was not only a fun challenge but an incentive as we did NOT want to end up in the cold water.

Many students participated in a basketball game on the courts in the middle of the dorms against the teachers and staff members of the Forest Edge team during our free time between events after lunch and dinner. By the end of camp, we had a challenge of remembering all of the Forest Edge team members' names and all of them remembering ours, so this not only provided a time-filling activity to keep us out of trouble but also allowed for the students and team members to bond and get to know each other.

As soon as the activities for the day were through, everyone ran to the showers to use their entire two minutes of water time. After everyone had showered, those who were serving meals had some free time to put on their hair nets and begin serving. It wasn't long before it was time to begin the evening events. On the first night we had Mrs Lawrence's annual camp quiz, where the teacher team shockingly used Google to cheat and end up with the most points overall. Team ‘HATS’, which included members of the winners from Year 8 Camp, were able to win thanks to the teachers being caught in the act and being disqualified. The second night activity this year was brand new… it was the Amazing Race! There were eight teams competing in a race to travel the globe and finish tasks to earn points. Among the countries visited were Japan (Table Tennis), Jamaica (Bobsledding), and Egypt (Mummification). This one-of-a-kind event left everyone completely exhausted, which made night two so memorable and helped everyone get a good night’s sleep.

After two long days and nights, plus the exhausting (but fun) activity, everyone was enjoying their comfortable beds. When Mr Cackett played loud music via his speaker to wake the campers on our last morning (5:15am for those in tents and 5:30am for those in dorms), not all of the campers were initially amused. When the campers came out of their rooms, Miss Di Lallo and Miss La Macchia were dancing to a variety of music, including Baby Shark and Dancing Queen. Despite the fact that not everyone danced, those who did enjoyed themselves.

The Year 9 students would like to express their gratitude to Mrs Lawrence, Miss Di Lallo, Mr Fogliani, Mr Davies, Ms Bozich, Mrs Underwood, Miss La Macchia, Mr Carstens, Mr Cackett, Mr Acott, Mrs Grey and Mr Alchin who put in countless hours to make these activities memorable so that we could cherish them forever and enjoy our time on Year 9 Camp.

Written by Sam Williamson, Gemma Vine, Grace Cameron, Carli Basson, Sophie Ashurst, Eddie Brown, Ryan Chhun, Charlotte Burrows, Danielle Graham and Abigail Daniels (Year 9 2022 House Representatives)
 

Help us create a brilliant future for young women in STEM. 

Curious Minds is a six months hands-on extension and mentoring program that provides highly capable girls in year 9 and 10 with the opportunity to develop their skills in STEM.

The program targets under-represented girls from regional, rural, low-socioeconomic, and/or Indigenous backgrounds, and creates real and tangible opportunities to help unlock their full potential.

We are currently seeking applications from students who identify as girls, interested in being involved in the program and STEM professionals who would like to volunteer as STEM Coaches. 

“Curious Minds had a tremendously huge impact on my future in the marine science field that I didn't realise until years later. My amazing coach contacted with people she knew, and I was able to get my work experience on Heron Island! I met and worked with organisations during the work experience that I now have a job with.”

Sienna Thomason, 2020 Alumni

Throughout the month of September, we will be sharing stories from Alumni and STEM coaches about the impact of Curious Minds. You can find these on our Instagram and website.

Apply to Curious Minds!

Applications for students and STEM Coaches open 1 September and close 30 September 2022. 

As a part of the program, students and STEM Coaches can expect to: 

- Attend 4 or 5 day long camps in the winter and summer school holidays; either virtually or face-to-face. 
- Develop friendships and connections with other women in STEM.
- Take part in high-quality training and development. 
- Be part of a fun and supportive environment to build new skills. 
- Students interested in applying should: 

- Live in a regional, rural or low socioeconomic area.
- Identify as a female.
- Be in Year 9 or 10.
- Have an interest in science they'd like to explore further.
- Be willing to commit to a six-month program. 
- Students should express their interest in the first instance. If a student meets the criteria, staff will be in touch to continue the    application.

STEM Professionals interested in applying should:

- Have at least one year experience in their current field.
- Identify as a female
- Be willing to commit to a six-month program. 
- STEM professionals interested in becoming a STEM Coach can submit their application by 30 September. 

Know someone who would be perfect for this program? Please share this invitation with others. 
For questions and queries, please get in touch at curiousminds@asi.edu.au

Kind regards,
The Curious Minds Team

"Curious Minds has such a special place in my heart, and I am so grateful to be involved! I’ve been a part of it for 5 years now and it’s such an enjoyable experience that I think both the student and coach get a lot out of. It’s something that I wish I could have had when I was in high school, and it is amazing to watch the girls grow and see what they produce."

Alexandra Summerall, STEM Coach

On Thursday 15 September the graduating students of the current ‘Class of 2022’ opened the 2016 Time Capsule that was buried 6 years ago marking the end of the students’ Primary schooling. Forty-two of the original students who have remained at Peter Moyes for their secondary schooling from Year 6 were invited to capture the moment to open the capsule and retrieve the open letters the students had penned to their younger Year 6 self. Copies of letters also included those scribed by the Year 6 teachers, Mrs Hocking, Mrs Shimming, and Mrs Starcevich, who were in awe to see the students fully grown and on the cusp of completing Year 12. The letters posed questions directed to their 18-year-old selves based on lasting friendships, the achievement of academic goals, and fulfilment of personal aspirations. Safe to say it was an emotional shared moment for all the students as they read their letters. The students in turn marvelled at the legibility and neatness of their writing so many years prior, while left pondering the mature contents and sentimental reflections, which in some cases, also provided sound advice about not stressing too much in the final year of school! Congratulations to each of the students in attendance to mark this special occasion.

Year 12 student, Erynn Morrissey

On Thursday 8 September we acknowledged R U OK? Day as our Term 3 Mental Health & Wellbeing Awareness Day. The message behind the day is about checking in on others to make sure they are doing ok. To encourage us all to spend some time together and connect Secondary School held our annual picnic on the oval. Students and staff were encouraged to bring picnic food to share. Friends enjoyed food together on picnic rugs and some played picnic games.

The day was promoted in House Connect. Students learnt about checking in on those we care about, what the signs are that someone might be struggling and some conversation tips on how to start a conversation and what you can say if some tells you they are not ok. Students were reminded that they don’t have to have all the answers and that it is important to recommend that people talk to a trusted adult or a professional.

This year some of our Year 12 Art students are working on a legacy project for the graduating year of 2022 in connection with ‘R U OK?’ Day. Students are decorating one of the benches in Jacaranda Court with a mosaic design with themes connected to mental health and wellbeing. The intention is to develop a ‘conversation corner’, a place where staff and students can sit and take time to talk. This bench will be the first of its kind at our school. Year 12 Art students will continue to decorate benches and contribute to creating this wellbeing space in the years to come.

For more please look on the R U OK? Website https://www.ruok.org.au/

On August24 2022, the Year 12 ATAR, Year 12 General and Year 11 General Health Studies students attended Royal Perth Hospital’s ‘Prevent Alcohol and Risk- related Trauma in Youth’ (P.A.R.T.Y) program. The program is an initiative that provides useful and relevant information to 14- to 18-year-olds of how to recognise situations that could potentially cause injury and how to make informed decisions surrounding these situations. The group of students listened to interactive lectures, listened to guest speakers and attended a tour of the Intensive Care Unit (UCI) and Trauma Ward. The guest speakers gave students an insight to the consequences of risky behaviour by sharing their individual experiences with risk taking and how it has impacted not only them, but the people around them. Whilst visiting the ICU we were also able to talk to a patient who was involved in a motor cross accident in Kalgoorlie. Students were also given the opportunity to talk to a few of the hospitals physiotherapists and they helped us role-play with wheelchairs and back braces to understand the struggles of spinal cord injuries and how drastically a life can change from one decision. By attending this program, every student had their eyes opened to the dangers and profound consequences of risk-taking behaviours (specifically surrounding drugs, alcohol and driving) and now feel more confident in making informed decisions that could potentially save their life or free them from significant injury.  

Jess Grey

On Wednesday 24  August, the Year 7 cohort were introduced to Sasha from World of Maths.  He issued them a challenge: solve as many puzzles and problems as possible in 90 minutes.

Students were shown 17 problems to solve, ranging from the famous Towers of Hanoi to interesting illusions.  Some puzzles were seemingly simple, such as putting blocks into a crate.
Students were split into teams, and worked together to solve these problems, giving themselves a great opportunity to extend their problem solving and teamwork skills. It was wonderful to see them working together and sharing ideas on how to think mathematically and logically.

After completing as many activities as they could, students shared their ideas and discoveries, and realised how useful Maths can be in real life, as well as how many different ways they can use their Maths prowess to solve problems. After all, Mathematics isn’t just about individual topics like Trigonometry or Algebra, but instead it’s about how to think logically and ‘outside the box’, to solve many of the world’s problems and challenges. 

The newly established “Maths Honours Board” celebrates the outstanding effort and achievements of Years 7 – 12 students in all Mathematics courses.  Each term, the top performing students will have their names displayed and celebrated in the Maths Department. Criteria include, highest growth rates, best result, highest NAPLAN and PAT test result, as well as honouring our Distinction and High Distinction achievements in the Australian Mathematics Competition.  Congratulations to following outstanding mathematicians who are our Term Three Mathematics Honours recipients:

Year 7: Jasroop Mander, Layla Russell, Ryan Nicholson and Emily Lysenko.

Year 8: Sylvia Pekic, Sophie Wood, Mahalia Adma Weda, Jessica Purtill and Brooke Sayers.

Year 9: Juliette Hodgson, Oscar Gray, Danielle Graham, Riley Truran, Evie Sullivan, Megan Brierly, Owen Withey and Dermott Arthy.

Year 10: Yeldho Shibu, Jack Slade, Dion Gilling, Eliana Trenerry, Grace Mitchell, Elliott Lee  and Troy Button.

Year 11: Ryan Macdonald, Jai Pitkethley, Sophia Tarman, Rory Coplin and Molly Hilditch.

Year 12: Jason Jakovcevic, Isabell Henkel, Nikita Botha, Lilly Cooper, Ryan Gilling and Bobby Yang.

Who will make the Maths Honours Board in Term 4?

Zero2Hero is a local WA organisation that envisions a society in which every child and young person is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with mental health challenges, and in which mental illness is discussed freely and accepted as a normal aspect of daily life. Zero2Hero runs several programmes, such as Camp Hero, school initiatives, and a mental health forum called ‘In Your Head’. Through these initiatives they hope to increase young people's understanding and awareness around mental health.

This was the fifth year that the school took a small group of year nine students and the year eleven student leaders to the conference. All year nine students were given the opportunity to write to Ms. Kerins, the school counsellor, prior to the conference, outlining why they would like to attend the conference with the school. With sixteen other students, I had the opportunity to be chosen to attend the conference in Perth Concert Hall on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

The students met Ms. Kerins and Ms. Grey at Clarkson railway station at 7:30 am to kick off the morning. From there, everyone boarded a train bound for the city and made their way to the conference. After everyone arrived at the conference, we were all called to a booth where we could pick up a gift bag that had a variety of things like information packets, stress balls, stickers, hats, and more. Then we had some free time to roam around and look at some of the stalls representing various metal health organisation. Some stalls offered extra freebies and competitions with prizes. The stalls featured camps for older students as well as programmes for LGBTQIA+, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander people. After looking around the stalls all the participating schools gathered in the theatre for a welcome from the MC and a local group of Aboriginal boys who played the didgeridoo and performed some welcome dances for everyone. After that, we heard from a few keynote speakers, including Dr. Jodi Richardson, a writer, speaker, and educator, plus the Greene sisters Eliza and Mikaela, businesswomen and professional surfers. 

Following a brief morning tea break, the first breakout session began. For the initial breakout sessions, we had a wide variety of things to pick from.  Yoga, 90s dance, Nutrition, LGBTQIA+ allies and many others. Each breakout session lasted 40 minutes. Three breakout sessions were held throughout the day, one after the other. After the breakout sessions, everyone rapidly developed an appetite. We were all eagerly anticipating lunch so we could unwind in the lobby with friends from each of our individual schools. 

There were just two keynote speakers left after lunch. Everyone assembled in the theatre to hear the author and educator Maggie Dent, and Craig Hollywood, the creator of short backs and sidewalks. As the day came to an end everyone was in good spirits. We all got back onto the train and rode back to Clarkson train station, where our parents or other family members would pick us up.

I believe that everyone gained a great deal of knowledge regarding mental health, including how to assist others, deal with one's own mental health, and the understanding that having a mental illness does not make anyone strange or different, rather just human. I encourage anyone in year nine who is interested to apply because you never know; your application might get you a place, and you could learn a lot of new things that could help you, or someone you care about.

Gemma Vine Year 9 Student 2022

On Friday 2 September our PMACS students Eliza, Tonia, Josh, Will and Perryn attended a CRU west event, at St Barnabus Anglican Church in West Leederville. They enjoyed afternoon tea, group games and investigating the Bible. Eliza, our chapel prefect for 2022 commented, “It was great meeting up with other students, from different schools but with the same interests.” Tonia, our chapel prefect for 2023 also enjoyed the opportunity to represent PMACS.

CRU west is a group that meets every Thursday lunchtime for secondary students, in the chapel lounge.
Any enquires welcome. Contact Rev JP or Mrs Killow for details.

What a term! So wonderful to see our students learn from the huge plethora of activities that have made our Term 3 so busy! We have had experiences that extend the students learning and understanding and fundamentally build resilience. Critical to these experiences are the units of inquiry each class creates that develop our children to be culturally and socially strong in our effort to create a harmonious and better world.

Engineers of the Future

The Year 6 Academic Extension students were recently challenged to use LEGO to manufacture an automatic drawing machine which would create amazing patterns. The tricky part of the challenge was that they had some instructions, but, slight problem, they did not have the correct matching LEGO set. They did, however, have LEGO motors and an endless supply of gears and axles to drive the mechanism’s movements.  

So, they had to problem solve, including manufacturing components and improvising the design to get their machines to work. There were many failures and modifications required, but they persisted until their machines performed beautifully.

Learning Journey Parent Visits

It was wonderful to welcome parents to share in the Learning Journey Parent visits that each class has hosted toward the latter part of this term. This is part of the strategic direction of the Primary School to see learning as being visible. It is important that we can support our community in seeing how our students thrive in their learning and in what they do in their learning process.

Music Making

It was a pleasure to be a part of the audience at last week’s Primary School Instrumental Concert on the 8th September. A low-key event, the concert is designed for budding musicians. Performances included violin, piano, cello, drums, ukuleles, guitars, electric guitars, rock bands and voice with solo performances and choirs. A little shy and nervous, these concerts are a wonderful starting point for beginners to gain confidence to perform in front of a very encouraging audience. Thank you for being there. It is amazing to see the progression of growth in our students too.

Read Write, Inc. part of our Literacy Programme Pre Primary to Year 2

This year we have introduced the Read Write Inc. phonics programme into Pre Primary and Year 1, with the intention to include Year 2 in the programme from 2023 onwards.
Even with the Covid related challenges we have faced this year with student and staff absences, we are already seeing the positive results of this program in the skill levels of our early readers in PP and Year 1.

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a robust, research based programme aligned to the Science of Reading that highlights phonics whilst integrating comprehension, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and handwriting into a comprehensive daily lesson.
The school has resourced the program fully and every teacher has been and continues to be trained with ongoing support and coaching to ensure they are confident to teach every child. Students are assessed approximately every 8 weeks and are grouped according to their phonic level, allowing the teaching to be targeted to the students’ point of need. These homogenous groups are fluid and intuitive to the students’ needs and allow for additional support as well as extension where needed. The ‘Inc’ of Read Write Inc stands for inclusion, and it is this inclusivity for all learners that was a key reason for us choosing this program for the Primary School.

Learning By Doing

I recently had the privilege of spending a night away with the Year 6 students at Point Walter Camp School. The students were set challenges, tasks and collaborative games to push themselves out of their comfort zone and really explore ways to support and encourage one another. I really enjoyed my time ‘hanging out’ and seeing our students enjoy the amazing weather we were so fortunate to have over the three days. Importantly, I was able to witness seeing the best in all our students on camp really shine in each and every activity and also learn to live in our Year 6 community with staff and parent volunteers. It was a privilege to be part of this.

Term 3 has been a busy time for being out and about.

I wish to thank all staff for their enthusiasm and commitment to the many activities they have led this term. While on camps, all staff pull together, encouraging our children to engage in the many experiences that are so important to the development of their skills and understandings. It has been a joy to be able to involve the children and staff in field trips, excursions, swimming lessons, and camps once again. You realise how much they have missed by the expression of their excitement seen in all the children in the lead up to these experiences. Also, this term we have seen the Book Week Activities, Athletics carnivals, State Cross Country, PS Instrumental Music Concert, Junior Dance Troupe and Junior Snapshot Theatre Company Drama group at The Act Belong Commit YOH Fest event, all these we have squeezed into one term. Each team to make these events happen, have worked tirelessly to ensure the experience enriched the lives of all our students. It has been an amazing contribution by all staff and parent helpers who enable these experiences to flourish and indeed our students to thrive. 

Thank you so much to a fantastic PMACS Primary team!

Roderick Wood
Associate Principal – Primary School

Camp Life

Camp was amazing. The dorms were really big and clean and they had a bathroom. The downside was that 4 people were only allowed in one dorm so that caused some problems but it was all good. The food at camp was DELICOUS. We got breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. We got a lot of free time to explore the areas and hang out with friends. The activities were entertaining  and our instructors were hilarious and everyone was getting along with each other at camp.

What I Enjoyed

I enjoyed the flying fox the most because it gave you a rush of adrenalin and it was so fun. I was a bit scared at first because you are high up in the air and you have to jump off the platform which was so scary but after that it was so much fun. I went upside down on my first go, on my second go I went upside down again but I put my hands out like Spiderman, on my third go I tried to go on my stomach and do a super man pose but didn't work so I went upside down again. I absolutely loved watching everyone else do the flying fox because they did a bunch of fun, cool poses.

Memories

One of my most favourite memories is when me and Jasmine decided to become butterflies and we had a competition on who was the best butterfly. We ended up fighting and Jas won because she full on sumo wrestled me and threw me to the ground. It was absolutely hilarious and I couldn't feel the pain because I was too busy laughing. Another one of my favourite memories is when me, Jasmine, Charis and Charlie-Rose did a dance to Watch Me Whip. It was so fun because we all wore caps, sunglasses and colourful necklaces. 

Advice

Advise: Don't let drama ruin your time at camp.

• Make the most of camp and make a bunch of memories because its going to be your last time at camp in Primary School.
• Talk to people you wouldn't normally talk to because they might actually be real fun.
• Don't be scared to do things like the flying fox because you will end up regretting it and you probably don't want to feel sorry for yourself for the rest of your life. 

Written by a Year 6 student.

On an annual pilgrimage to test ingenuity and creativity, Primary Academic Extension students from Years 5 and 6 take part in the inter school academic contest the Tournament of Minds, which was held at Edith Cowan University, Joondalup on Saturday 27 August.

This year one team chose the Language Literature challenge, involving selecting three antagonists from different texts who questioned their portrayal in the original texts, explaining why their motives were misunderstood. In their play the students had to provide evidence from the texts to support this injustice and then present alternative endings, which they did through clever poems and excellent characterisation. 

The Arts challenge selected by our other team was equally complicated, requiring research into the significance of body art, jewellery and fabric to a particular culture. Our team focussed on Māori culture, creating outstanding tribal costumes and jewellery and body art drawings.

Their performance was enlivened by mime, song and a rendition of the Haka to communicate a hidden message from a mysterious person. 

Congratulations are due to both of our teams for representing the school with such lively presentations and in particular, to the Arts team who went on to compete at the State Final at ECU on 17 September. 

This is a hugely challenging, intense day when the students complete a completely new challenge. They have 3 hours to write their presentation explaining the solution, as well as creating props and costumes. Our team’s play was a credit to their teamwork and ingenuity, with a complex metaphorical concept of internal dialogue being the antagonist and protagonist characters. Whilst they did not go on to the National final, they competed with smiles on their faces and a well-deserved sense of accomplishment.

On Thursday 8 September, 160 Primary Students showcased their talents in the annual Instrumental Music Concert in the Allan Shaw Centre. It was a spectacular night, including performances from the Primary choirs, Ukelele/guitarists, Rockbands, pianists, violinists/cello, drums and voice students.

A huge congratulations and thank you to all the performing students, parents and Instrumental tutors for all their hard work in preparing for this concert.  

Tess Loewdin – Primary Music Teacher

The carnival took place in beautiful sunshine on the morning of the 9th of September. The students were super excited to show off all the training from their sport lessons. It is a wonderful occasion as parents get involved alongside the students. The ‘parent’s race’ is always one of the many highlights of the day. Thank you to the classroom teachers for their efforts on the day. Thank you also to the Primary House and Student captains for running the rotations. A great morning enjoyed by all …

The Library is continually updating displays to promote different genres and forms of literature. This term an interactive display was created enabling students to attach a coloured ribbon to a frame. Such actions done in a deliberate fashion have long been considered a form of prayer.

Students chose the ribbon colour based on what they wanted to pray for- the world, friends, family, the school, for strength and protection and for peace. The maturity with which students took to the creation of the display was heartening.

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, black was added to the choice of ribbon. Often as students respectfully tied on their ribbons, they discussed their grief at her passing. 

Year 11 and 12 Performance

On the September 5, our Year 12 ATAR Drama students and Year 11 General Drama students performed pieces for an audience of family and friends. The Year 12s performed their pieces in preparation for their upcoming Practical Performance Examinations, which are taking place in the first week of the school holidays. We wish Leon Zahos and Bobby Arnold the best of luck.

Act Belong Commit YOH Fest

The Junior and Senior Dance Troupes as well as the Snapshot Youth Theatre Company Primary Drama cast, recently performed at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre against 359 other entries. This year’s theme was ‘Wellness’ and all three groups performed their pieces beautifully, receiving the following Certificates of Merit:

Junior Dance Troupe: A Disciplines and Polished Dance Troupe

Senior Dance Troupe: Creative Choreography

SYTC- A Solid and Effective Delivery of the Health Theme “Wellness”

In addition to these wonderful accolades, the Junior Dance Troupe has been asked to perform their piece at the Final on October 28, where one Junior performance is showcased amongst the secondary finalists. This is wonderful news!

All students, coaches and staff involved should be so proud of their achievements and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

‘To have another language is to possess a second soul’  Charlemagne

On Thursday 1 September 2022, we were honoured that the new Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia, Ibu Listiana Operananta attended our ‘A day in Indonesia’ event at PMACS’ event on Thursday 1st of September. PMACS students and teachers showed their support on that day by wearing Indonesian colours ‘merah dan putih’ (red and white).

All Year 7 and Year 8 students, along with students in Year 10 and Year 11 studying Indonesian participated in various Indonesian cultural workshops in Periods 3 and 5. An Indonesian themed assembly was then held in Period 5. 

Year 7 students embarked on their cultural journey with various Indonesian music, dance and martial arts workshops. Students from the ‘Angklung’ and ‘Tor-Tor’ Dance workshops performed at the Assembly in Period 5. 

Students from Year 8 participated in cooking special Indonesian foods such as lumpia goreng (spring rolls) and nasi goreng (fried rice). In addition, the Year 8’s showed their creativity by making ‘Wayang’ shadow puppets and designed their own Calico Bags with the theme of animal conservation. Some classes participated in traditional games and races.

Year 10 and Year 11 students enjoyed the two periods with some Indonesian themed painting and competitive quizzes hosted by our guests from UWA.  

The Indonesian themed Assembly in Period 5 was quite amazing. The assembly started with the singing of the Australian National Anthem and the Indonesian National Anthem, as it was Indonesia’s 77th Independence Day on the 17th of August. The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth, Ibu Listiana gave an inspiring address to our students highlighting the benefits and options urging students to consider the many and worthwhile opportunities that are available for students studying Indonesian.

The Assembly had a variety of extremely entertaining and engaging performances both from our presenters as well as our students. Students enjoyed a demonstration by the Pencak Silat (Indonesian martial arts) workshop presenters and also a Papua and Kalimantan dance performance.

The class of 7.4 performed the Tor-Tor dance. which originates from North Sumatra, Indonesia. These students attended a workshop in Period 4 and they are applauded for learning this dance at a short time. 

The 7.3 class then performed the Angklung – which is a traditional Indonesian musical instrument.  These students attended a workshop during Period 3 and learnt to perform three songs, Bengawan Solo, Burung Kakak Tua and Waltzing Matilda. It was incredible!

This was followed by an informative session by our guest presenter, Matthew Satchwell, who talked about his journey how he came to learn and immerse himself in the Indonesian language and culture. Matthew (Pak Matt) is the Student Administration Coordinator at ACICIS for short, a consortium of 20 universities that delivers high quality study abroad programs in Indonesia for Australian university students. Pak Matt left students with the challenge to consider the benefits and rewards of learning a second language; that it can result in many exciting possibilities and prove beneficial in the future.

The Languages Department was thrilled with the support and enthusiasm received from teachers and students for this event. We take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for an overwhelmingly successful "2022 - A Day in Indonesia at PMACS" and look forward to more success in the future. 

Terima kasih,

Maya Swailes
Head of Languages

After a couple of date changes due to inclement weather, we were finally blessed with some sunny days to the hold the Secondary School Athletics Carnivals at the end of week 3. The Carnivals were held in a great spirit and the competition on both days was fantastic.

As ever, the standard of individual athletes was exceptionally high in some cases, demonstrating why we do so well in the ACC ‘A’ Division Athletics Championship which is held in Week 8.  

Individually, several records were broken. Some of these records have been standing for several years and I congratulate these students on displaying such talent and determination.

Year 7-9
Johannes Viljoen (Year 7 Florey) Javelin 32.17 m
Alana Clarke (Year 9 Florey) Javelin 33.34 m and High Jump 1.42 m

Year 10-12
Tommy Yang (Year 10 Florey) High Jump 1.73 m

I would like to extend my thanks to the Physical Education Department and to all staff, Year 9 Helpers, Certificate II Sports Coaching, Certificate II Sports Recreation students and parents who have contributed to the smooth running of the Inter-House Athletics Carnivals this year. I would also like to acknowledge the House Co-ordinators for their support with student’s participation. I believe this encouragement inspired athletes to achieve some excellent results, especially in the Year 7-9 Carnival. Finally, I would like to congratulate all the students who participated in numerous events.  

OVERALL SUB-SCHOOL FINAL RESULTS

5th- Cuthbert (1707 points)
4th - Lingiari (2339 points                       
3rd – Durack (2430 points)
2nd – Florey (2455 points)
1st – Hollows (2515 points) 

Congratulations to Hollows House who won the Overall Inter-House Athletics Championship Cup in 2022.
 
Ms. Kristina Oxley
Acting Head of Health and Physical Education

Term 4 is nearly upon us, please be reminded that all students change into our Summer Uniform from Monday 10th October 2022, most items are now available at the Uniform Shop.

School Hat
During terms 1 and 4 all students in years Pre Kindy  to Year 12 are required to wear the School hat when outside, new stock has arrived and is available for purchase.

Uniform Shop Opening Times
 
Normal Term Time Opening Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays                               7.45am – 12pm
 
Holiday Opening Hours October 2022
Friday 7th October 2022                               12pm – 6pm

If you require any further information, please contact the Uniform Shop on 9304 5544 or email sasmith@petermoyes.wa.edu.au

 

Grace competed in the WAKO Kickboxing Perth Open in early September. She competed in two divisions and won a bronze and a silver – this is even more impressive when you take into consideration that Grace was on Year 9 Camp for the three days prior to the competition! Well done, Grace!

St Gregory's Anglican Parish of Quinns-Butler are running a kids holiday fun and activity day on Thursday 6 October 2022 from 8:30am - 3pm. See the link below for more information.

St Gregorys School Holiday Fun And Activity Day

To register your child or children please complete the form in the link below.

St Gregorys School Holiday Registration Form

Aim Therapy have a range of school holiday availability for groups, 1:1 intensives and functional capacity assessments. 

There are only 3 more weeks until the school holidays begin! To view our September school holiday program, please click below on the location. Please note, we now have some groups that are 2 hours in duration.

Joondalup*, Wembley and Canning Vale

*Please remember our Joondalup groups will be running at our new location 10 Clarke Crescent, Joondalup.

Booking conditions
If needed, the groups will be changed to Zoom.
If you have not attended AIM in the past, your child will need an assessment before attending groups. 

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!

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 in order to result in faster therapy progress for your child's therapy goals.

During each school holidays, some of our therapists have capacity to complete functional capacity assessments.

Calling all teeball, baseball and softball players. Register now the 22/23 season.

To register visit - www.northcoastballclub.asn.au/... or email registrar@northcoastballclub.asn.au

To view or enrol in any of the School Holiday Programs at the Kingsway Indoor Stadium please see the link below:

Kingsway September October School Holidays

Kingsway Indoor Stadium's Junior Futsal Spring/Summer. Tuesday afternoons 11 October - 28 March 2023

for more information please CLICK HERE

Alkimos Ball Club

We are a local Tee Ball /Baseball club situated at Halesworth Park in Butler. Our Registrations are now open for season 2022/2023
We are on the lookout for new fresh faces to keep healthy fit and strong and of course be active we are a family friendly oriented club that cater Tee Ball from 5 years old + and Baseball from

Little League 7 Years +
Junior League 13 Years +
Senior League 15 Years +
Big League (Senior’s)

My name is Tyler Hill and I am the newly appointed Baseball Director for North Coast Breakers baseball club based in Quinns Rocks. We are a growing club with newly renovated facilities and we want to invite our local community & families to come join and have some fun. The club is all about individual and team skill building and helping our players to recognise the value of encouragement within the sporting context. 

Time to play ball with the North Coast Breakers!

Calling all teeball, softball and baseball players! Registrations for the upcoming 22/23 Season are now open, and teams are filling FAST!
 
Teeball - aged 5 to 12 years old Baseball - aged 8 and above
Softball - aged 8 and above
 
New players are very welcome, come play with the best! 

Training for all teams is at Gumblossom Reserve, Quinns Rocks with games held Saturday morning commencing Term 4. Baseball game locations vary each week. 

For all young budding superstars - Mini Breakers is a modified version of teeball suitable for 3 and 4 year olds. It runs Monday afternoons for an hour. Come join the fun!

Parents keen to play? Adult league is available - enquire now.  

To register, visit - www.northcoastballclub.asn.au/registration/
Or email registrar@northcoastballclub.asn.au

See you down at the diamonds!
Kind Regards,
Tyler Hill 
Baseball Director | North Coast Breakers 
Email:  baseball@northcoastballclub.asn.au