Congratulations to our International Student leaders pictured: Hern Yeap, Manith Seng,
Ms Reinhardt, Chris Doan and Sern Yeap who took part in the
Global Learning International Voice Forum at the Angliss Centre this week. Well Done!
Phone: 9547 6822
Email: wellington.sc@education.vic.gov.au
Attendance: 9562 4762 or 0484 009 562
IT Helpdesk: helpdesk@wellingtonsc.vic.gov.au
Welcome to the last edition of the Journal for the winter term.
International Student Voice Forum Global Awards
I had the pleasure of attending the Global Learning International Student Voice Forum at the Angliss Centre in the city on Tuesday of this week. Our Assistant International Coordinator, Ms Reinhardt, and 5 International student leaders were part of the Wellington delegation that joined 8 other schools in conversations and reflections on what student voice meant for International Students in Victoria. I was incredibly proud of our group who presented an engaging and thorough report on the mighty Wellington Chess Tournament that captured our interest a couple of weeks ago – see further in the Journal for more information on this. Well done to all involved.
NASA Excursion
On behalf of the Wellington community, I wish Ms Stergiou and our 5 intrepid global learning students safe travels as they embark on the trip of a lifetime to the ‘Space-X-Plore’ program at NASA in the United States of America. The group leaves on Monday September 18 and returns on Thursday September 28 with the tour including visits to the Kennedy Space Centre and then further Space based tours in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It sounds fantastic. Take care and return safely!
3 Way Conferences
I trust that everyone had a productive and informative day at our 3 Way Conferences on Wednesday. I thank everyone for taking the time the making the effort to engage in these critical conversations about your child’s progress. There were some examples of teachers with small numbers of interviews throughout the day. Given that we have moved to a post pandemic on-line platform for these interviews I am still very much open to feedback as to the suitability of this format. Are on-line interviews efficient and convenient? Or should we think about returning to the onsite community gathering with teachers and interpreters all together in one venue. Feel free to share your thoughts on this at wellington.ec@edcuation.vic.gov.au.
New Bus Times – Term 4
This has been reported via a newsfeed on Compass, however I remind all charter bus travellers that from the first day of Term 4 the buses will leave 5 minutes earlier – at 3.10pm instead of 3.15pm.
Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey
The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is now closed – and I sincerely thank everyone who took the time to complete it. Along with Student and Staff Surveys, the feedback we receive is always considered as we continue our planning for next year.
Safe Holidays
In closing, I wish everyone a safe and restful break. Like all parents, I have been disturbed by the increased media coverage of ‘youth crime’ across Melbourne – so I urge all families, and particularly students, to take care behave sensibly, especially when out at night or in places like shopping centres where young people may be gathering. I am very confident our ‘Wellington Way’ will prevail, and everyone can have a safe and enjoyable break. Term 4 resumes at 8.30am on Monday October 2
Hugh Blaikie
Principal
Here are some amazing photos of the cast and crew from Frozen Jnr., which was performed nightly between August 30 – September 2.
A huge congratulations to all of the students and staff involved in this event, it was a great success!
On August 31, eight of our Year 9 students embarked on an enriching three-day journey at the Global Youth Forum. The other students who participated in this program alongside me were Julie Kok, Tanishka Srivatsan, Yashvi Mehta, Kanish Kapoor, Wesley Lam, Everest Lim and Una Crnogorcevic. This program beautifully brought together Year 9 Victorian students with peers from across the Asia-Pacific region. Through 13 designed modules, we delved deep into topics of identity, belonging, culture, globalisation, and what it means to be a global citizen.
Each day was filled with a diverse range of activities. We eagerly listened to distinguished experts, absorbing their valuable insights. Engaging breakout sessions provided a platform for discussions, opening up new perspectives. Together, we crafted stunning murals and dynamic padlets, sparking inspiration and generating fresh ideas for our final presentation.
In a remarkable ending, we collectively addressed the issue of ‘Unfair Funding for Public Schools’ before a panel of experts. Our presentation, a poignant narrative of two young girls taking divergent paths in high school, one in a public school and the other in a private one, highlighted the profound impact of unequal funding on students’ potential. Their eloquent presentation earned us well-deserved praise, making us the first group to stand before the experts.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. La for providing this golden opportunity to our students.
John Modouris
9A
On Wednesday September 6, Colac Secondary College’s students visited Wellington Secondary College. Together with 30 of our student leaders, we built upon the valuable skills, qualities and mindsets of true leadership. We began by welcoming the students of Colac and hearing a short message from Mr Blaikie, then moving on to a short presentation with the views of a few leaders at our college on what it means for them to be a leader at Wellington. After morning tea, we had the opportunity to give Colac’s students a tour around the school accompanied by the conversation on how the two schools differed from each other. We then came together and listened to a presentation by our guest speaker, Andy Jones on the significance of mental wellness and mindfulness in relation to leadership as well as hearing from another guest speaker Rodney Eade ( ex footy coach) on his leadership journey. The day was fantastic!
Students, including myself, were able to learn about both their positive and negative daily behaviours and thoughts and how they could manage them to become the best and optimist version of themselves. A key point I took away is the ‘beginner’s mind’ in which we look at things we have previously done but with a pair of fresh eyes. We tend to typically have low confidence when it comes to achieving certain goals, perhaps due to our previous experiences, however this mind helps to develop deeper gratitude and to free yourself from expectations about past experiences. A beginner sees countless possibilities, an expert sees a few possibilities left after accounting for all the limitations. We look forward to visiting Colac Secondary College in Term 4!
Arushi Tandon
11J, SRC Vice President
On the September 12, 2023, Our International Student Voice Students: Manith Seng, Sern Yeap, Hern Yeap, and our guest Nika Lay, and I were fortunate to participate in second forum of the International Student Voice Project. The main focus of this project is to ensure that our International Students are settling well and enhance the connection between the locals and our internationals. We had so much fun meeting other students from different schools and from different cultures. Some students came along wearing their tradition clothes to promote their cultural ethnicities, which were all lovely to see. We participated in multiple ice breaking activities and made connections with other schools.
Wellington proudly presented our International x SRC Multicultural Chess Tournament and WIELC (Wellington Intensive English Language Centre) sport activity to more than 100 participants, including 3 school principals. Moreover, it was our honour to have Mr. Huge Blaikie, our College Principal with us on the day to share some of his experience about multiculturalism and International student voice. Overall, the project was successful and got positive feedback from the forum. We hope that similar events will be running annually at Wellington.
Once again, on behalf of our team, I would like to express our gratitude to the SRC and Mr Driscoll for co-organising the chess tournament, and to other staff and students for their participation.
Chris Doan
10C, International Student Leader
On the September 4, the Year 9 Chinese classes went to the Chinese Museum for the Han Dynasty: Life Everlasting exhibition and learning program. The excursion to the Chinese Museum was very congenial. The event was segregated into three components; the museum tour, lectures and workshops, where the students were able to develop their understanding of Chinese culture and art.
Initially, they explored the tradition and story of pursuing everlasting after life in Qin and Han Dynasty. It was very interesting to learn about the meaning of the traditional events, and the use of the Chinese artefacts. There was also a museum tour where they were able to grasp an understanding of China’s society and their way of life, under the rule of several leaders/dynasty.
After lunch in China town to order their own Chinese food, the students had the art workshop which was very engaging as the students got to make their own Chinese knots. Ultimately, the three components of the excursion were cohesively entertaining and informative.
Ms Zhiyan Ren
Chinese Language Teacher
Wellington Junior Sport day was on Friday September 8 and had over 100 students competing in basketball, table tennis and hockey. The Year 8 Boys’ Basketball team and Year 8 Boys’ Hockey team both progressed through to regionals in Term 4. While the other Basketball and Table Tennis Teams did not progress through to regionals, their attitude and behaviour was consistently in line with the College’s values of Caring, Striving and Learning, and consistently followed ‘The Wellington Way’.
A huge thank you to the other coaches on the day: Mr Xin Wei, Miss Breanna Doyle, Mr Seijero Nishioka, Miss Jess Birrell, Mr Argus Stagg, and also to Mr Michael Locco and Ms Kym Osmand for convening the Table Tennis and Hockey tournaments respectively.
Year 8 Boys Hockey Team
Back Row: Adrian Ong, Patrick Phuong, Stephen Danga, Jai Lesson (assistant coach), Roland Chea, Justin Vo, Ayaan Shaik, Kalan Ratnayaka, Stuart Hay, Ashton Nguyen
Middle Row: Richner Sothear, Eldin Pekmezovic, Hemish Gupta
Front Row: Swa Im Swa Tmin, Jake Behl, Lachlan Huynh and Aidin Omerovic (goalie)
Not pictured: Head coach Mr Brendan McArdle with Assistand coaches Kon Varsamidis and Raynong Rada
Year 8 Boys Basketball Team
Zachary Boersch Quadara, Filip Miljanic, Peter Craigie, Jai Edwards, Rylan Edwards, Jai Hare, Leo Maragoulias and Jayden Weight. Assistant coaches Ashton Jack and Layton Koy. Head coach Mr Sam Wilsmore.
Thursday the 14th of September was R U OK? Day. The purpose of R U OK? Day is to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with their mental health.
As part of R U OK? Day on Thursday, staff and students participated in a number of different activities that brought the school together to emphasise the importance of checking in with one another. Some of these activities included playing giant versions of much-loved games such as Jenga and Connect4, alongside some calmer activities such as mindful colouring and board games.
We also hosted a cupcake decorating stall. Throughout the week staff were tasked with awarding cupcake vouchers to students who they observed acting in a particularly thoughtful or conscientious manner. These students were able to redeem their voucher for a free cupcake which they could decorate in an R U OK? theme – it was a pleasure to see their enthusiasm when tasked with this challenge!
Students also had the ability to flex their artistic skills through a visual art competition that was themed around inclusion and support. We had incredible entries that show the importance of reaching out to improve one’s mental health. Thank you to all students who participated.
It was a wonderful day that inspired the Wellington community to check in on one another and to support those around them.
Families are encouraged to continue these conversations with their loved ones at home. You may like to start a conversation with someone using these four steps:
The Wellbeing Department appreciates your support of this important initiative. Thank you.
Ms Jessica Birrell
Director of Student Services & Wellbeing
Last week, our Year 10 students verified Newtons’ Third Law of Motion using the Balloon Rockets experiment in their science lesson as a part of their learning and assessment. Students collaboratively participated in the classroom activity, noted their observations from the experiment, drew a graph from their observations and finally, analysed the graph successfully. Great team effort – well done Year 10’s!
Mr Radha Kollipara
Science Teacher
