WELLINGTON JOURNAL – EDITION 5

International Student Awards – Victorian Global Learning Awards

Congratulations to Chris Doan for receiving the Year 11 Student Leadership Award as part of the Victorian Global Learning Awards.

Chris has been recognised for his strong leadership throughout his time in Australia, excelling in his role as International Student Leader and Student Representative Council (SRC) President. His efforts have increased inclusivity, strengthened community ties and enhanced the student experience.

Acknowledgement of Service

On behalf of School Council and Wellington Secondary College I would like to acknowledge former School Council members for their service.

• Jol Alexander (former Vice President) – 7 years of service as a school councillor
• Cindy Pilepich (former President) – 12 years of service as a school councillor

Both Jol and Cindy have received a certificate of appreciation from the Department of Education congratulating and thanking them for their service.

Winter Concert

The Winter Concert was held on Wednesday June 25. It was a great opportunity for our music students to showcase their talent on a live stage. It was a great night and I’m looking forward to the Spring Concert. Thank you to the Performing Arts team for their wonderful support of our students and the Community Voice Team for running the canteen and raffle.

NAPLAN Results

NAPLAN results for Year 7 and 9 students have been mailed home recently. If you have not received your child’s report, please contact the school. I am delighted that our results continue to be outstanding when compared to the State, the Network and our Similar School’s grouping.

• 83% of students in Year 7 achieved a proficiency of Strong or Exceeding in reading, compared to 63% of students achieving the same proficiencies from similar schools.
• 85% of students in Year 7 achieved a proficiency of Strong or Exceeding in numeracy, compared to 62% of students achieving the same proficiencies from similar schools.
• 79% of students in Year 9 achieved a proficiency of Strong or Exceeding in reading, compared to 58% of students achieving the same proficiencies from similar schools.
• 78% of students in Year 9 achieved a proficiency of Strong or Exceeding in numeracy, compared to 56% of students achieving the same proficiencies from similar schools.

Another pleasing result was the number of students that had medium or high relative growth; which is a comparison on how the Year 9 students performed against students at the same level when they were in Year 7. eg: how much better they have performed against similar students.

• 83% of Year 9 students achieved medium/high growth in reading, compared to 74% of students at similar schools.
• 77% of Year 9 students achieved medium/high growth in numeracy, compared to 72% of students at similar schools.

Year 12 Formal

The Year 12 Formal was held at Leonda on Friday August 1. I am pleased to report that it was a fantastic night filled with fun, glamour and collegiality amongst staff and students alike. Thanks to Mr Coles, Mrs Glentis and Mr Wilsmore, the Senior School Team, the formal committee and all staff who attended for organising and making this Wellington’s night of nights!

Rotary Peace Poles

On Wednesday 6 August we officially unveiled the Rotary Peace Poles.

The Peace Pole movement started in Japan by visionary Masahisa Goi who was deeply distressed by the WW2 atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed thousands of Japanese people. In 1955 he began to spread his simple message of May Peace Prevail on Earth.

The message is referred to as an affirmation of peace and its placement furthers Rotary’s goal of building a culture of peace throughout the world. Peace poles are intended to inspire unity among people of all cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. The peace message is written in multiple languages – one on each side of the pole. At Wellington the languages chosen English, Vietnamese, Khmer, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic and ‘French’ reflect the most popular languages spoken at home by our families.

We thank and acknowledge the contributions of the Rotary Club of Monash Glen Waverley for their continued support of our community.

College Production

Rehearsals for our annual production are certainly ramping up and I know cast and crew are really looking forward to opening night on Wednesday August 27 and the remaining shows in that week. This year’s show is The Wizard of Oz. Our students would love to see you there. Tickets are selling fast and can be purchased online by clicking here.

Our Community Voice Team have been working behind the scenes to organise the now-famous nightly raffle. The prizes will not disappoint!! If you would like to donate to the raffle, there is still time, and donations can be left at the General office. Should you wish to join the Community Voice Team to support school events, please email us at wellington.sc@education.vic.gov.au and one of our committee members will be in touch.

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey
The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. All families are welcome to participate in this survey, which will open on Monday August 18 and close on Friday September 19. Ms Stergiou will send out a newsfeed on Monday with all the details. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Marsh at the General Office.

3-Way Conferences – Tuesday 16 September

Planning for 3 Way Conferences on Tuesday 16 September is well underway. Based on feedback and issues we had with Microsoft Teams during last semester’s conferences we will be looking to use Webex as the conference platform this time around to conduct the conferences. When meeting with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to acknowledge what is going well, as well as identify strategies for focussed improvement. Booking will open on Compass from 9am on Monday, September 8.

Mr Chris Knight
Principal

Upcoming Dates – Term 3

• Thursday August 21 – Junior Sport – selected students
• Wednesday August 27 – College Production – The Wizard of OZ – 7:30 pm
• Thursday August 28 – College Production – The Wizard of OZ – 7:30 pm
• Friday August 29 – College Production – The Wizard of OZ – 7:30 pm
• Saturday August 30 – College Production – The Wizard of OZ – 7:30 pm
• Monday September 1 – Friday September 5 – Languages Week
• Monday September 8 – Year 10 Immunisation
• Tuesday September 16 – 3 Way Conferences – no classes
• Friday September 19 – Last day of Term 3 – 2:30 pm finish

Reminder

Please ensure you are checking Compass regularly for notifications and updates to events that are specific to your child, to avoid them missing out. It is how you are able to see, consent and pay for all events that effect your student. If you miss consent and payment deadlines, your child will not be able to participate in the event.

Golden Valleys Adventure Camp

Once we arrived at the Golden Valley’s Camp, we first walked to this area and they gave us some brownies and fruit. We then went to our first activity. My group did archery first and everyone did great. We then did the giant swing after, it was very high but I enjoyed it. After that, we had our lunch which was chicken burgers then got to our last activity after that. We had low ropes and the obstacle courses were very challenging and fun. We went back to the benches and they gave us cookies and fruit, then we went back to the buses and arrived back at the school.
Golden Valleys Adventure Camp

Jayden

Golden Valley is an incredibly vast place high up in the mountains. The staff are nice and optimistic people who await the students. Golden Valley offers various activities for the students to enjoy and gives opportunity to try out each new activities, encouraging them to feel the thrill. In conclusion, Golden Valley is a FANTASTIC place to spend time at with your entire school year level.

Patrick 

Golden Valley adventure camp was an enjoyable experience. I loved every single part of it. From the  giant swing, to the zip line, to the delicious chicken burgers we ate. Everything was amazing, and I’ll be remembering this experience forever. Doing these things with my friends made it even better. I hope I get to do this again someday.

Minh

I deeply enjoyed my time at the Golden Valley Adventure camp, it was filled with so many fun times with my friends. I particularly enjoyed the giant swing along with the zipline. The adrenaline that came from it was great! However, what I really enjoyed were the chicken sandwiches.

Johnny

The Golden Valley’s Camp was a fun place that held many different activities. We participated in the flying fox, giant swing, archery and I overcame my fear even though I didn’t want to participate.

Tierra

The giant swing was an exceptionally thrilling experience which I would gladly partake in again.  The zipline was an experience I would never forget, especially when people fell at the end and got slightly wet. Archery was another fun event where we all got to shoot arrows at targets. This was elevated by the fact that we not only got to watch our friends do it, but also coach them. I enjoyed this excursion when looking back on it.

Khiem

It was so much fun, would definitely go again.

Sarah

Had a great day at the Golden Valleys excursion. Happy I got to spend it with my friends.

Maya 

The excursion was very fun and exciting. My favourite activity was the leap of faith.  This excursion was one of the most exciting experiences of year 8.

Eyan

Ms Bree Doyle
Year 8 Coordinator

Year 10 Snow Day – August 8

Unit 2 Food Studies

Healthy Lunch

Year 10 Food by Design

Waffles

Rotary Club of Monash Glen Waverley Peace Pole Ceremony

Peace Poles bear the Universal Peace Message ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’. The pole and the message symbolise our common wish for a World at Peace. They stand as a silent vigil for peace. reminding us to think and act in the spirit of peace. The peace message is written in four languages based on language usage in each school. We chose English, Vietnamese, Khmer. Vietnamese, Mandarin. Hindi. Arabic and French.

The Peace Pole movement started in Japan by visionary Masahisa Goi. He was deeply distressed by the World War II atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed thousands of Japanese people. In 1955 he began to spread his simple message of ‘May Peace prevail on Earth’. This pole joins over 250,000 Peace Poles around the world.

Mrs Connie Tzelepis
Director | International Programs

Global Learning Awards

Congratulations to Chris Doan for receiving the Year 11 Student Leadership Award as part of the Victorian Global Learning Awards.

Chris has been recognised for his strong leadership throughout his time in Australia, excelling in his role as International Student Leader and Student Representative Council (SRC) President. His efforts have increased inclusivity, strengthened community ties and enhanced the student experience.

Congratulations!

Winter Concert – June 25

The Winter Concert was held on Wednesday June 25 in the MJP Theatre. It was one of the most well attended concerts by students and parents in recent years and in my time at the College. It was a great night of performances by our Instrumental Music students in our ensembles as well as some standout solo and small group performances. Thank you to the leadership and staff who came along, particularly around the reporting period and end of a long and ‘Wintery’ Term. At these concerts, you will see hidden talents, skills or interests from your students that you may not be aware of.

I wish to thank and acknowledge in particular, the following people who helped make the event a success:

Instrumental Music Staff: Navin Gulavita: Strings, Travis Easton: Drums/Percussion, Adam Watson: Woodwind, Caroline Hawke: Voice, Ben Blaikie (Jnr band)

Tech and Support Staff: Aben Alexander, Peter Jarvis, Duncan Lake,Michael Shadur, Rick Merrin, Leanne Diez

Student Tech Crew: in particular, Stefan Battista

Community Voice: Melinda Towers, Charni Pilkington, Jade Li                     

Mr John Oien
Instrumental Music Coordinator

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

On Thursday August 7 production cast and crew members from years 8 and 9 attended a performance of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood at the Australian Institute of Music on King Street in the city. The musical performance is based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel of the same title. Students were enthralled by the captivating performers complimented with extravagant costumes and sets. During the second act the audience is called upon to make choices and help finish the story. There was much discussion and laughter as the students made their choices that were then skilfully woven into the performance by the actors. The performance also inspired our production students to think of ways that they could enhance their performance and technical skills in the upcoming college production of The Wizard of Oz.

Mr Aben Alexander
Performing Arts Learning Area Leader

Year 9 Forensic Science

On Tuesday July 29th, Leading Senior Constable Matt Tippett from the Victoria Police Monash Crime Desk attended the College to demonstrate and discuss the duties of a Crime Scene Officer to the Year 9 Forensic Science elective students.  Students had many interesting questions answered in relation to forensic science and policing in general. This presentation and demonstration has become an integral part of the forensic science curriculum and their ongoing support of the school and the subject is greatly appreciated.

Mr Peter Jarvis
Forensic Science Teacher

Volleyball Cup Success! 🏐

Thursday, 31 July marked the finals of the 3-day Volleyball Cup, and our Year 11 teams did Wellington proud!

Year 11 Boys
After a nail-biting semi-final loss to Ringwood, the boys bounced back in their bronze medal match against Monbulk. Despite dropping the first set, they rallied to win the next two and secure third place!
Team: Ian Chow, Justin Cai, Tim Doan, Ryan Taing, Zaky Qalil, Leo Maragoulias, Branden Lay, Justin Vo, Stuart Hay, Jayden Dao-Nguyen.
👉 Congratulations!

Year 11 Girls
Facing powerhouse teams with national and state-level players, our girls showed incredible grit. They pushed Maribyrnong Sports Academy to a thrilling five-set bronze match, narrowly losing 17–15. With six younger players (Years 8 and 9) competing in the top division, their performance was nothing short of inspiring.
Team: Sophea Sroh, Boramey Khieu, Tam-Nhu Le, Tammy Chan, Jacinta Ung, Leah Cheung, Leanna Hoang, Julie Kaing, Ivy Doan, Alycia La.
👉 Outstanding effort and sportsmanship!

A huge thank you to staff members Breanna Doyle, Julide Yildrim, and Bec Orifici for their support, and to Principal Chris Knight for making it all possible.💪

Tree planting

Why are people that live in mountainy suburbs better comedians?

Because they’re hill-areas.

This tree planting event was such a great opportunity to learn more about our school’s wonderful gardens, and a further insight of what Wellington has to offer for their students. For the day, we worked together in planting over 200 plants (trees/shrubs/grasses), which would be highly appreciated in the near future by students and teachers of our college, and these trees could be a symbol of happiness, life and memorable moments, for these forthcoming generations. Finally, I overall enjoyed the day, as it included the hardworking and determined aspects that any striving student should have at our school, yet I had such an enjoyable and exuberant day out in the sunlight, bonding closer with old friends and making new ones. So, it was pretty much a well-balanced and worthwhile experience that any pupil should participate in, if you just love that golden and shining glisten from above, or if you just love to discover new and intriguing critters out in the yard, this is definitely the activity for you.

Knight

The Sustainability Champions, the Yr 12 VM (with Ms Jacobs) and Yr 9H (with Mr Serin) came together to add indigenous flora to our school grounds on a sunny Friday morning. Monash City Council provided us with the free plants and tools, as well as with valuable advice on the day. During lunchtime, our hardworking team savoured different types of pizza in J2, which were especially prepared by Khadija Ahmed, Jenny Tran, Muwahib Moge and Jovanna Lee under the supervision of Ms Rachael Andrews. In period 5, we needed to water the plants and used the long hose donated by Bunnings and ended the day with litter picking around the oval. Let’s hope we have a larger survival rate for these plants during the next summer.

Save Energy

Lily Vi and Lithuni Weerasekara are on the photos attaching the Save energy posters to the classrooms, but the team helping out included Lyna, Anastasia, Seraphina, Sumea and Dahami from 7D. Hopefully, those posters will remind everyone that we should turn off all electrical equipment when leaving the classrooms, as we need to save energy. It is estimated that fossil fuels continue to represent 81% of the total energy supply globally, and Australia relies heavily on the fossil fuel industry to produce electricity. Therefore, it is imperative that we all contribute to saving energy in our school so that we can continue to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Free Plastic July

Saanvi Shaker and Leah Cheung (Yr 9J) presented facts about Plastic Free July and Nude Food during Junior Assembly. # What is Plastic Free July? A global movement that helps millions of people reduce single-use plastic. It runs every July to encourage better habits since single-use plastics harm wildlife and pollute oceans and land. # What is Nude Food? It is food that is not wrapped in foil, plastic or commercial packaging. # Why should we go Nude with Food? 1. It will reduce the waste and litter around our school. 2. It will help our planet by reducing the amount of plastic packaging needed to wrap around our food. 3. It is better for our health, since scientists are warning us about the health risks around the build up of micro and nano plastics inside our body.

Sustainability Committee Meeting at Brentwood

On the 23rd July, we returned to Brentwood Secondary College for the second Sustainability Committee meeting. This time, we focussed our discussions on reducing waste. A representative from Monash City Council taught us how to run a waste audit and reduce waste effectively. They showed us how to sort waste properly and highlighted common mistakes in recycling. As a sustainability focussed team, we discussed the main waste issues at Wellington, such as canteen packaging and soft plastics. We also came up with ideas to reduce waste, like clearer bin signs and awareness campaigns. The session helped us understand how we can make a real difference at our school.

Ashley
Sustainability Champions Captain

The Sustainability Committee meeting gave me the opportunity to practice my public speaking skills, since I had to pitch my idea to reduce waste in our school to the Brentwood Green Team Panel. My idea was centred in using PET bottles instead of the PLA filaments currently purchased and used for 3D printers in our school.

Jordan

Sustainable Fashion Sale and Repair

On the 25th July, some of the Sustainability Champions sorted the kind donations from our school community to offer pre-loved clothes to those students who came to shop. Jonita Chea (Yr 12 – Fashion specialist) came to repair a jacket that was brought in by a Yr 8 student. We will miss Jonita when leaves the school this year but we are grateful that she will continue to promote ‘Slow Fashion’ in our society! Slow Fashion, is the opposite of Fast Fashion, and it takes an ethical and sustainable approach to producing clothes.

The Sustainability and Recycling Educator from Monash City Council employee, Celina Samarakoon, came in for the event bringing recycled fabric from the Council banners for students to make their own Tote bags. We plan to run one more event next term.

Ms Bruna Amaral
Science Teacher | Sustainability Coordinator

Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting – NGV International Excursion Report

On Wednesday 24 July, the Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting students visited the National Gallery of Victoria International to attend the French Impressionism exhibition. The day began with an information session led by an NGV educator, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition.

Students engaged in a discussion about the curatorial process, learning how the exhibition was planned and how artworks were transported, cared for, and conserved for public display. Highlights of the visit included viewing original works by celebrated artists Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas, offering students a rare opportunity to experience in person the artworks they had studied in class.

The excursion was highly valued by students, who were fully engaged throughout the day and used the experience to deepen their understanding of both artmaking and exhibition practices.

Mr Seijiro Nishioka
Curriculum Area Leader (Arts)

Visual Communication Design Excursion in Melbourne CBD

Students examined the relationships between design, place and time and learnt about the influence of the context when designing environments in which to live, work and play. Students analyse how design examples from architecture reflect and respond to their surrounding context, while considering how designer draw inspiration from other times and places.

Ms Mel Fry
Class Teacher