Year 12 Ball 2018
On Friday 9 February 2018, the Year 12 students of Swan Valley Anglican Community School took the day to prepare for the celebration of the Year 12 Ball, which was held at Joondalup Resort.
They arrived in all their finery; dressed in sparkly sequins, voluptuous velvet and all colours of suits and dresses from navy to grey, red to turquoise. Here they joined with staff who wished to share in the festivities: Mr Lowndes, Miss Eggleston, Miss Ashby, Miss Casella, Miss Pope, Mr Racey, Reverend Thom Bull, Ms Powell and Mrs Sutterby, as well as their PCG Tutors: Miss Geoghegan, Ms Kingston-Gregory, Miss Alberts and Miss Vonk.
The appearance of some of the students was almost unrecognisable because of the time and effort they applied to their hair and makeup; the boys looked well-groomed too. Furthermore, students who left our school from years gone by made the effort to attend the event as guests; providing a valuable reunion for staff and students to enjoy.
On consuming a delicious food selection, the cohort took to the dancefloor and to the photographer to enjoy the rest of their evening. Certificates were awarded to the Most Elegant Girl; Jade Geddes, the Most Chivalrous Boy; Sumit Arvind, the Cutest Couple; Matthew Jones and Phoebe Weaver as well as the Best Dancers; Molly Doolan and Edward Barrett.
All students, past and present, represented the school with poise and respect. I thank the Ball Committee: Caitlin Whittle, Sonal Pindoria, Madison Taylor, Fareen Patel, Megan Ledward, Tahlia Dunnett and Isabella Cornelli, for their passion and enthusiasm throughout the organising of this exciting event and for shaping an evening their peers and the staff will remember for years to come.
Miss Abigail Field
English Teacher / Year 12 Coordinator
Year 11 and 12 Parent Information Evening
A message to Senior School students
On the evening of Wednesday 14 February, the students and parents of the Year 11 and 12 cohorts were invited to a Year 11 and 12 Parent Information Session. Here they gathered knowledge regarding graduation requirements and expectations of Year 12, as well as key Upper School events to look forward to in 2018.
The Year 12 PCG Tutors Ms Kingston Gregory, Miss Geoghegan, Miss Vonk, Miss Alberts and I were thankful for the support of this evening and enjoyed sharing a cup of tea with parents and students following this event.
Riya Patel, the school’s 2017 highest achieving ATAR student with a score of 99.35, offered her words of advice for the Year 12 students of 2018:
Year 12 is one of those years that is there to prepare you for the big bad world. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is a struggle. But it's supposed to be. It is meant to toughen you up for that to happen. It is a good struggle. The stress and anxiety from trying to achieve the highest possible marks was unbearable at times. I must admit. But it was worth it, because it made me strong and mature, ready to take on the world.
My friends and I all had our equal share of breakdowns and at times, we seemed to burn out during the school day after studying until late every night. But we were always there to pick each other up, and so were the wonderful teachers whom I am so grateful to. We seemed to get every reward for every struggle we went through, including the Year 12 Common Room, the Leavers Jackets, the Valedictory Dinner and many benefits. These rewards kept me going, because it reminded me that hard work always pays off.
Year 12 was like a work in progress. I felt so overwhelmed at the start of the year but I ended up learning so much more - like maintaining a balance between study and life, and more importantly, having faith in myself. It is so easy to get caught in the trap of comparing your marks to others, but all it really does is make you doubt your own abilities. This was one of the biggest problems I had last year as it led me to suffer so many sleepless nights. I would actually cover work that I had already studied almost 6 or 7 times on the night before an assessment. Rather that increasing my results, it really brought me down.
My biggest advice to you all, particularly the study freaks, is to get some sleep! Take a break when you can because it does so much more than you realise. Avoid comparing yourself to others as we all have different strengths and abilities. Finally, while studying may seem like the last thing we want to do, it can be fun. We are constantly learning new things every lesson so why not enjoy and cherish them rather than see them as a burden. At the end of the day, we are studying to learn, to become knowledgeable; we are not studying only to get a 99 ATAR. We achieve true success and happiness only in what we enjoy.
To all the current Year 11s and 12s - I wish you all the best for the future. Never give up on yourselves and always help each other out because it can make all the difference in the world.