Issue 7 - 2024

A Turning of the Sod/ Blessing of the Site Ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to welcome The Right Reverend Hans Christiansen (Assistant Bishop of Perth), The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM (CEO ASC), and invited guests to share in the official launch of this long-awaited development. In a few years’ time, our campus will look very different, filled with many more inspirational teaching and learning spaces.

The focus for Friends of SVACS is “friend-raising”. We are very aware that many of our families are time-poor. Over a very long period of time, SVACS P&FA had great difficulty running community events, due to a lack of volunteers. This became more difficult every year.

As a result, it was decided that Friends of SVACS events would be largely run by the School. This means that all of our families are able to enjoy the events without having to be excessively involved in organisation.

Two major events were held in 2023, a Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea and a Father’s Day Breakfast. In 2024, the following events are being held by Friends of SVACS:

• Mother’s Day Breakfast, Friday 10 May
• Father’s Day Breakfast, Friday 30 August

This year, the School is also holding the following social events for Students:

• Kindy-Year 2 Disco
• Years 3-6 Disco
• Years 7-9 Disco
• Year 10 River Cruise
• Year 11 Spring Fling
• Year 12 Ball

Please note that Friends of SVACS is not a body for sharing parental concerns. The School is committed to open communication with Parents and Carers. If you have any concerns at all about your Children, please contact us directly. We are here to help you in whatever way we can. Effective communication amongst Students, Parents and Staff is essential. We aim to foster an environment of inclusivity in which Parent participation is encouraged. School communities thrive on open communication wherein Staff, Students, and Parents/Carers have opportunities to share good news, discuss issues and maintain an ongoing dialogue.

We are committed to ensuring open, respectful and honest communication with Parents. For major concerns, Parents are asked to make an appointment with the appropriate member of Staff. Where Parents are unsure about who this is, they are encouraged to seek clarification when making the appointment or contact the appropriate member of Executive or Deputy Principal for guidance.

The School encourages Parents to contact their Child’s Classroom or Subject Teacher as a first point of contact. In the Secondary School, issues of an academic nature may then be referred to the relevant Head of Department.

Secondary School Parents are also encouraged to contact their Child’s Pastoral Care Group (PCG) Teacher should the issue be of a pastoral nature (social, emotional, behavioural, psychological). Pastoral issues may then be referred to the relevant Head of Year.

We also encourage Parents to attend informal and formal events, such as Parent Information Afternoons/Evenings, Parent Teacher Afternoons/Evenings, Classroom Open Mornings and Coffee/Chat events, where questions can be answered and/or clarified.

For the first time, we participated in the School Sport WA (SSWA) Champion Schools Junior Volleyball tournament with fantastic results.

After a rigorous trial process, one Girls' and one Boys' team were selected to compete against several government and independent schools in the North-East Region at Warwick Stadium. Both teams performed exceptionally, with our Girls' team showing remarkable resilience by playing eight high-pressure games. The Boys' team reached the grand final and finished as runners-up, while the Girls' team won the A-Division, qualifying them for the Champion of Champions tournament to face top schools from across WA.

Our Year 10 Esports team recently competed in the Fuse Cup 2024 “Super Smash Bros” State Finals. Well done to Kaiden Breen and Jake Sadler who made it to the quarter-finals, and a special congratulations to Willem Rimon who qualified for the Grand Final and ended the competition as Runner-up Champion. The students demonstrated the School Value of Excellence in their teamwork and sportsmanship, both in their game play and interactions with the other competitors.

With over 3,000 students attending the event and over 300 competitors running the track at Alderbury Reserve in Perry Lakes at any one time, it was a massive event. Despite the wintery weather, students were excited and keen to compete.

It is also worth highlighting the efforts of some of our top performers. Oscar Evans (Year 9), Charlize Sibley (Year 7) and Leonardo Clampett (Year 8) all finished in the top 25% of competitors in their age group categories, while Zayne Bayiwa (Year 7) finished in the top 15% in the U/13 male category.

There was a great atmosphere at Southern Districts Netball Association, with 52 teams playing 5 games each across 22 courts. Our Year 5 and Year 6 Girls’ teams were outstanding, not losing a match and both winning the Championship Flags! Our Boys' team also had a great day, finishing 3rd overall in the carnival.

Thank you to all of our Staff who gave up their time and supported our students by organising these very popular events!

Performances from our Primary students included the Early Years Choir, Auditioned Choir, Primary Choir, String Quartet, Guitar Ensemble, and the Marimba Ensemble. Secondary performances included the Senior Choir, Cygnets, Guitar Ensemble, Lapwing Collective and several student bands (Glockenspiel, The Indecisives and Jaybirds).

Members of this performance program will learn, rehearse, and perform dance works across genres at Assemblies, Competitions, and Concerts throughout the year. The audition process required students to demonstrate essential dance technique, skills and perform a dance taught to them.

It was a great learning experience for the students, with most of them playing rugby league for the very first time. By all reports, it was a successful Carnival, and the boys had a fantastic day.

Students spent time kayaking and fishing on the Collie River and had fun completing team building challenges. They also tried a new activity, Laserscape, where students worked collaboratively as teams to win different challenges as they crept through the surrounding scrub of the campground. At night, they played Sardines and Stalk the Lantern.

The goal is for participants to complete 3249 push-ups from the 5 – 28 June. This number is representative of the Australian lives lost to suicide in 2022. This is an important fitness and health event focused on pushing for better mental health. We have encouraged everyone to be involved and we are fundraising for Lifeline – an essential mental health service available 24/7 to all Australians. If you would like to support the team, please access the following link: https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/SwanValleyACS

Carpe diem! Seize the day!

Melissa Powell
Principal

Christianity is primarily a spiritual religion. At its best it is much more interested in matters of the heart, in hidden and intangible things that direct and shape our lives from the inside. Christians follow the teaching of Jesus, who taught and modelled the priority of inner truth over outward appearance. All religions have structures and institutional elements but the everyday, lived experience of Christianity is of a relationship with a relatable God who chose to live our human life in Jesus.

Christians believe in a spiritual life and in the Anglican and Catholic traditions we celebrate each year the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles at the first Pentecost. 50 days after Easter, this festival remembers and renews us in the spiritual life, and commissions us to take the good news of Jesus into all the world. Red is the seasonal colour, and our new red Pentecost banners were displayed in the Chapel.

Soon after Pentecost we changed to green, the colour of growth and life in nature. During the ‘green’ season we focus on the stories of Jesus, his parables, miracles and ministry of healing, so that they can help us grow in faith and understanding. The weeks between Pentecost and Advent are known as Ordinary Time, not because they are ‘boring’ or less than interesting, but because they are ordered: we follow a sequence in one of the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke over a three year cycle.

Recently we have read Jesus’s teaching that ‘everyone who does the will of my father is my brother, my sister, my mother. He encourages us to see family not simply as an exclusive, blood-relation community, but an inclusive, diverse and accepting Church where all work together to follow God’s will. Christians are called to see all followers as family, Jesus as their brother and God as heavenly Father.

We also reflected on the parable of the Growing Seed, whereby we see God’s power not in controlling and forcing us into righteousness, but in faith and hope, growing and patiently listening to God. In this way we may not get instant answers to our questions, but God’s questions revealed to us over time, which challenge and take us forward to be closer to God and to life in his Kingdom.

I welcome contact from parents and carers in the school community on any spiritual or religious matter.

Fr Toby
School Chaplain

A Prayer for Growth in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus, I know that all human relations take time if they are to grow and deepen. This is also true of my relations with You, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which must grow over the course of my life. However, this growth is not automatic; time alone means nothing unless I add earnest efforts to it.

You have inspired Your Church to set aside special times when this growth can develop more intensely — the special seasons of the Church Year. If I fail to move toward You during these times, I waste precious opportunities and endanger my spiritual life. Help me to take them seriously and make a real attempt to use them well, so that I may grow into the person You want me to be.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Father Toby recently talked about ‘doing the right thing’ in the Junior Years Chapel. He highlighted that knowing what to do collectively, as a united community, can make a real difference. I am often delighted to notice our students ‘doing the right thing’ and pleased to witness Our Values being enacted in the classrooms, sports, playground, events, incursions and excursions. Our Values show who we are as a community.

EXCELLENCE

I congratulate these students for showing excellence and commitment by achieving Credit and High Distinction for the Bebras Challenge designed to stretch minds in a computational thinking challenge.

YEAR 5 PRESENTATION

As children progress through the Junior Years they learn to navigate increasingly complex social and personal situations, particularly regarding relationships. Courtney and David, our school psychologists, recently gave a presentation to the Year 5 students about Healthy Boundaries and Friendships. Thank you, David and Courtney! Year 5 students learned about:

• Boundaries and personal space
• Consent and permission
• Perspectives - Two people can look at the same thing but see it in two very different ways
• If you want to talk to someone about something, be firm and clear, and plan what to say.
• Seek help from a trusted adult.

Pre-Kindergarten students have been exploring different Australian animals. They read ‘Aussie Animals’ by Rod Campbell and discussed what animals they saw in the story. The students then used paint stamps to create an Aussie Animal poster and identified their chosen Australian animals.

Kindergarten – The children have been learning about community workers and have had visitors tell the Kindergarten children all about their various jobs. They were very excited to learn what the role of a nurse is, particularly one who works in the emergency department. They enjoyed learning how to bandage up a snake bite, how to take someone’s pulse, and where to go for a medical emergency. They also engaged in a science incursion. They thoroughly enjoyed exploring their senses and how to make bubbles using a pipe cleaner and some soap. They were very excited to see unicorn toothpaste come out of a volcano and conduct their very own experiment using an apple.

Pre-Primary students have been exploring the works of Vincent Van Gogh. The students have been investigating colour choices and their own feelings for different artworks. They have observed sunflowers and Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting. From this, the Pre-Primary’s have created their own amazing Sunflower artworks that they are rightfully very proud of!

Year 1 – In HASS, we have been learning about timelines and the changes that occur as we grow older. The students visited Cockman House to learn about the history of the families who have lived in the 160-year-old house. They even experienced role playing some olden day chores.

Year 2 students have been exploring the importance of healthy eating and have used their knowledge of process and production skills to design, construct, and evaluate a delicious, scrumptious, and nutritious healthy sandwich using a variety of ingredients. They needed to select healthy ingredients, draw and label a detailed diagram of their sandwich, and then work diligently to follow their design to make the best looking sandwiches ever! The students enjoyed creating a delightful sandwich just like Paddington Bear, cutting it into fractions, and being able to eat it all up!

Year 3 – In Mathematics, the Year 3 students have been measuring the volume and capacity of a range of models. The students enjoyed using centimetre cubes to build their own models and then calculate the volume.

Year 4 students had a wonderful time visiting Scitech in Week 8. Students were able to watch an interactive film in the planetarium, participate in a STEM challenge, and enjoy the Mystery Hunters show.

Year 5 students have been learning about invasive species and how their adaptations help them survive in Australia. Sam Giles from the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development spoke to the students about her work with preventing and managing invasive species in Western Australia and the impact on our agricultural industry.

Year 6 – It has been an exciting time in Year 6. They have their Celebration shirts! The students have also been working hard in English preparing and presenting their debates. The students learnt to work collaboratively in teams and should be congratulated on using clarity and poise as they presented their debates.

Digital Technologies – The Year 1 students have started their new Design and Technology project, creating a poster in Publisher. The students have been introduced to the internet and were explicitly taught how to search for images. These images were saved in a specific location and will later be used to create the Year 1 posters!

In Digital Technologies the Year 2 students have started creating their promotional movie for our school using the Photo Legacy app. The students have created their 5 title slides and will continue to add the photos they captured previously (using a digital camera on a school tour) into their movies.

Physical Education – The Primary Health and Physical Education Program was extremely busy in Term 2! We competed in the Northern Legends NRL Carnival, WACSSA AFL Carnival, WACSSA Soccer Carnival, and WACSSA Netball Carnival, and won 3 championship flags along the way (Year 6 Boys AFL, Year 5 Girls Netball and Year 6 Netball), a tremendous effort by our athletes! We have also been preparing for the Interhouse Cross Country Carnival on Friday, Week 10, by challenging ourselves to complete a sustained run. The Cross Country Carnival is also Silly Sock Day, where we will be expressing ourselves by wearing the craziest socks we can find, while also donating food items to those less fortunate for the Anglicare Winter Appeal.

Music – The Year 3 students have been learning to play the recorder. They are doing so well that most students can play a simple tune, accompanied by their peers on xylophones and boomwhackers. This ensemble playing takes great concentration and students are working very hard to make sure they all play in time with each other, which is not as easy as you might think!

Italian – There was plenty of excitement and laughter for our Primary School students, thanks to the “Libro della giungla” puppet show, performed by the Carrousel Theatre Company in Week 9. The children really enjoyed watching and interacting with the puppets on stage using their Italian language skills.

The final events of Term 2 are coming up for you to mark in your calendars, as follows:

KEY DATES

• Last Day of Term 2 and ‘Comfy for a Cause’ Casual Dress Day: Friday 28 June
• Students Commence Term 3: Wednesday 15 July. We have several new students commencing next term, so please join me in making them feel very welcome.

Thank you to everyone for supporting our Primary School. Enjoy the last days of Term 2.

Mrs Shirley Steel
Head of Primary School

COMFY FOR A CAUSE

Additionally, all students can support our Anglicare Winter Appeal by wearing comfy clothes on Friday 28 June, the last day of Term 3. Secondary School students are asked to bring a gold coin donation, which will be collected during Period 1.

PAUL LITHERLAND AND INTERNET AWARENESS

On Thursday 13 June Paul Litherland spent a day with our students, from Years 5 to 10, speaking about the important topic of internet awareness. Paul is an engaging and entertaining presenter; using real stories that resonate with the students. During the day he emphasised the importance of slowing down, assessing situations, and thinking critically before taking action online. Furthermore, he encouraged the Secondary School students to guide their younger siblings in practicing safe online behaviour.

Some Key Messages:

1. Think carefully before posting and sharing online.
2. It’s not about banning social media but about our children understanding the risks involved.
3. Social networking sites are deliberately targeting children.
4. If you ask AI a data-based question but you will get a data-based response. Don’t trust AI to give you the right answer.
5. All social media companies are collecting data. They are not protecting our children.

If any parents want any more information, they can access Paul’s resources on SEQTA Engage.

Debbie Davies
Head of Secondary (Pastoral Care)

MIDDLE YEARS DISCO

On Friday 7 June, the Multi-Purpose Hall came alive with music, balloons, and lights as we hosted our annual Middle Years Disco. What a night it was! This year the theme was the ‘2000s’, with the fashion game strong, everyone partied the night away.

Not only did our students show off their best dance moves thanks to the fabulous DJ, they were also kept on their toes with games such as the Limbo and Four Corners.

A real treat was the photobooth which was an absolute hit with parents, teachers as well as students! With funky props, a glittery backdrop, and a touch of glamour, everyone posed for snapshots. It really captured the spirit of the night.

A huge thank you to all our students who brought their energy and enthusiasm, and their behaviour was flawless. Let's keep the disco spirit alive until next year!

Jenn Finnon
Head of Year 7

ACC INTERSCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to our team of Secondary students who competed impressively at the 2024 ACC Interschool Cross Country Carnival. With over 3,000 students attending the event and over 300 competitors running the track at Alderbury Reserve in Perry Lakes at any one time, it was a massive event. Despite the wintery weather, students were excited and keen to compete.

Aside from commending all students for their efforts, it is also worth highlighting the efforts of some of our top performers. Oscar Evans (Year 9), Charlize Sibley (Year 7) and Leonardo Clampett (Year 8) all finished in the top 25% of competitors in their age group categories, while Zayne Bayiwa (Year 7) finished in the top 15% in the U/13 male category. 

Andrew Storer
Coordinator: Secondary Sports

RECONCILIATION WEEK BAKING WORKSHOP

This year’s theme for National Reconciliation Week is “Now More Than Ever”. Secondary students had the opportunity to attend a Food Science workshop where they baked lemon myrtle biscuits. Lemon myrtle is a native Australian herb which has been used by Indigenous Australians for 40,000 years. It added a subtle citrus flavour to the delicious biscuits!

Rachela Messina
Acting Head of Technologies

HISTORICAL DIORAMAS

Year 8 students recently embarked on an enriching project to research and create medieval museum displays. This hands-on learning experience allowed students to investigate the Middle Ages, exploring aspects such as knights, castles, daily life, and significant historical events. Working in groups, they conducted in-depth research and transformed their findings into creative displays, featuring artifacts like miniature armour, detailed castle models, and replicas of crime and punishment. The students' enthusiasm and dedication were evident in the meticulous detail and historical accuracy of their exhibits. Each group presented their displays to the class, fostering a deeper appreciation for history and developing skills in research, teamwork, and presentation.

Elizabeth McDonald
Teacher: Humanities & Social Sciences

STUDENT AND CLASS PHOTOS

Please note that orders for student and class photos are still open on the Kapture Photography website. https://www.kapture.com.au/Order-Online

School code: GWYAD8