Ms Connie Tzelepis, Terence Pham, Mrs Anna Yalda, Kim Pham,
Manith Seng and Ms Catherine Reinhardt attended the
12th Victorian Global Learning Awards where they received
awards for Global Citizenship and Homestay Family of the Year.
Phone: 9547 6822
Email: wellington.sc@education.vic.gov.au
Attendance: 9562 4762 or 0484 009 562
IT Helpdesk: helpdesk@wellingtonsc.vic.gov.au
Acknowledgement of Service – Heather Bowles
Wellington Secondary College would like to congratulate, recognise, and celebrate Ms Heather Bowles for her dedication, loyalty, and longevity of service to the Department of Education. Heather has achieved a Recognition Award for 40 years of service. Heather worked at a number of previous schools before joining Wellington in 2016. Over the last couple of weeks Heather has indicated that she will be retiring. The Wellington Secondary College community wish Heather all the best in retirement.
District Cross Country
Congratulations to the Wellington students who competed with spirit in ‘The Wellington Way’. We had our largest number of students participating this year and the most competitors out of the competing school. We have 12 students progressing to the Regional Finals on June 13. Best of luck to those students.
International Student Awards – Victorian Global Learning Awards
Congratulations to Panha Manith Seng and Ms Anna Yalda for receiving awards as part of the Victorian Global Learning Awards.
Manith was awarded the Year 11 Global Citizenship Award. Manith has been recognised for his great work in bridging the communication gaps between local and international students. He initiates impactful solutions to address the challenge faced by international students, elevating social interaction through school community events.
Anna was awarded the Homestay Family of the Year Award. Anna is an experienced and nurturing homestay host who has been welcoming international students into her home for six years. Anna has played a vital role in shaping students’ wellbeing where students have developed their independence, self-confidence, maturity, and their English language skills.
Semester 1 Reports
Please be informed that Friday June 14 will be a student free day with staff working on finalising the student assessments for Semester 1. These Semester 1 Reports will be available on Compass at the end of Term 2. More details to follow.
The end of Semester is always a time to reflect on what has been, what could have been and what will be. I encourage all parents/carers to discuss the feedback provided by teacher with your child. I also encourage families to contact the Sub Schools if they wish to follow up any concerns with the learning of their children.
Advancements in generative AI
A big talking point among our student population this week is that OpenAI have just made their most powerful model, GPT-4, available to all users, and not just those with paid subscriptions. As the latest iteration from OpenAI, GPT-4 offers enhanced capabilities in understanding and generating human-like text, making it a powerful tool for a wide range of applications. For parents and educators, the implications of GPT-4 are profound, as it can assist in creating more personalised and engaging learning experiences for students.
With its ability to process and analyse large volumes of information, GPT-4 can support educational software that helps students with writing, research, and even complex problem-solving tasks. As we integrate such technologies into educational settings, it’s essential to maintain an open dialogue about the ethical use of AI and ensure that it serves as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, the irreplaceable human touch in education.
End of term
This is early notice; however, Term 2 will finish at 2.30pm on Friday June 28 and Term 3 will begin on Monday July 15. The Charter Bus schedule will be adjusted for the last day of term to cater for the early finish.
Mr Chris Knight
Principal
On Friday May 17, Ms Reinhardt and I accompanied some students to attend the 12th anniversary of the Victorian Global Learning Awards. We are proud to report that we were Award winners of two major awards – Year 11 Global Citizenship Award and Homestay Family of the Year Award. Congratulations to Manith Seng (12H) and Mrs Anna Yalda who were the award recipients.
Last year, working with other students, Manith endeavoured to bridge gaps between local and international students through chess competitions and coaching badminton. He was a student ambassador for the International Student Voice Forum.
Anna has been hosting international students for over 6 years always providing a nurturing homestay, creating an environment of care and support. Her kindness, encouragement and genuine interest in their wellbeing makes her students feel like a part of the family.
Ms Connie Tzelepis
Director – International Programs
From May 15-17, 109 students and the Performing Arts staff, ventured away from home to Rutherford Park Country Retreat, in Blampied for the annual Performing Arts Camp. Over the three days, Instrumental Music students worked intensively with their teachers to enhance their performance skills and develop a collaboration mindset. The Production Cast, Technical Crew and Makeup Crew were also busy at work – being directed, learning new choreography, developing the skills to use new technologies and designing and applying the makeup tracks for this year’s Production of ‘The Spongebob Musical’.
On Thursday evening, the Technical Crew helped to host a concert and dance soiree where the camp attendees were able to showcase their newly developed skills from all areas, such as Junior and Senior band pieces, string and guitar ensembles, percussion and woodwind performances and choir songs. Production dancers took to the stage, gracefully performing their newly choreographed pieces.
After the showcasing of newly developed and refined talents, students were offered the opportunity to perform pieces of their own choice that they wished to share with the camp. We were treated to some incredibly talented spectacles such as piano and violin solos, karaoke and acapella singing and even a special performance by the Staff Band.
Overall the camp was a huge success and we look forward to sharing with the Wellington community at the upcoming Winter Concert and again later in the year at ‘The Spongebob Musical’.
Mr Aben Alexander
Learning Area Leader – Performing Arts
Our Year 8 students were invited to participate in a Japanese Taiko drumming experience as part of their studies in music. Students were directed by Sensei Kiyomi, who taught the ways of playing the Taiko (drums), the Bachi (sticks) and how to hold the correct stance while performing.
Students rotated around various different drums, and by the end were able to work together as a group to perform a complex piece. Sensei Kiyomi ended the session with a performance of her own.
This experience is part of our Year 8 Music curriculum, which involves exploring music across different cultures and parts of the world. The Year 8’s investigate different instruments and music styles, as well as the history and importance of music across various countries.
Mr. Tray Driscoll
Music Teacher, Student Voice & Agency Coordinator
Year 12 students had their Theme Day for Term 2 on Thursday May 16. By popular demand, the theme was chosen to be a Pyjama Day – Because who wouldn’t want to spend the day in their PJs? Students loved working in comfort for the day.
Mr Chris Feenane
Year 12 Coordinator
Ms Jaclyn Jacobs
Learning Specialist: Vocational Education and Pathways
On May 10th, Brainstorm Productions presented their live theatre show ‘Sticks and Stones’ to all year 7 students.
Developed by Education and Mental Health professionals, this student wellbeing performance explores different forms of bullying and aggression, and encourages respect, assertiveness and conflict resolution at school, both at home and online. Students are challenged to consider the impact of their behaviour and develop strategies for managing emotions, seeking help and building respectful relationships.
The show uses humour, soundscapes and physical theatre to capture students’ attention and inspire them to make positive changes. Our Year 7 students were highly engaged throughout, and participated in the post-performance discussions.
Mrs Rita Stabile
Acting Head of Junior School
On Tuesday 21st May, 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. The students also had the art workshop which was very engaging as the students got to make their own Chinese knots.
After lunch in Chinatown to order their own Chinese food, 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. Ultimately, the three components of the excursion were cohesively entertaining and informative.
Ms Zhiyan Ren
Chinese Language Teacher
‘I learnt a lot about the Chinese migrants who came to Australia for the Gold Rush and found it interesting how they rebuilt their culture in Australia. I enjoyed the free lunch and it was fun using our Chinese knowledge to speak with workers.’
‘I learnt the similarities of Egypt and China, the elixir of life, terracotta warriors, ate lunch in a dumplings famous restaurant dumpling were very good.’
‘We had a tour of the museum, i was enlightened to see the various artifacts and kinds of technology Ancient Chinese people used back in the days. Making bracelets was also really fun and relaxing and the lunch was definitely the best part.’
To raise awareness about the big issue we are facing with an increase loss of biodiversity, Sustainability Champions facilitated games around the school.
Cece Medina (9D) was the designer of a board game used to educate the students about endangered species. Aaqilah Nabeel (10H), an environmental science student, helped to formulate the questions for both the board game and Kahoot quiz. John Modouris (10G) prepared the Kahoot quiz that was played during the assemblies for middle and senior schools.
After hearing the feedback from those who played, it seems that students prefer more hands on games so we shall be looking at using more board games for educational purposes.
In Victoria, there are a total of 23 species of insectivorous (insect-eating) bats. They are also called microbats due to their very small size, ranging from 7-28g depending on the species. They hunt and devour mosquitoes and other small insects on warm nights. They prefer to roost in dark locations, such as tree hollows, buildings, caves, or mines.
The removal of prime habitat leading to the loss of foraging habitat and roost locations for microbats coupled with climate change has resulted on the decline in populations of numerous microbats. Some of the microbat species are plummeting towards extinction, which will have a knock-on effect on the food web of several ecosystems.
With that in mind, the Sustainability Champions welcomed the ten microbat houses donated by Monash City Council. Mr David Whyte helped these champions to assemble the wooden houses and we shall be installing these high up on the trees around the school.
Ms Bruna Amaral
Science Teacher / Sustainability Coordinator
Allan and I finished our microbat wooden house within the hour because we paid attention to the instructions given by Mr Whyte and really enjoyed doing the woodwork. We were surprised as to how small the hole for the bat to enter the house was. We hope that these wooden houses are used by the microbats in the area.
Danny Tran
8E
Ms Rachael Andrews & Ms Amanda Hill (CRT) harvested silverbeet from the Wellington Secondary College Community Garden. They organised the Food Technology lesson so that students could produce a recipe for pasta sauce using that leafy green vegetable, which is free of pesticides and rich in micronutrients that bring a variety of health benefits.
It is great to see the Food Technology classes using the organic produce from the Community Garden.
Ms Bruna Amaral
Science Teacher / Sustainability Officer
Year 9 students are learning Chemistry this term. As a part of their learning, students completed Flame Tests to detect and analyze the presence of certain elements in the given salt or other compound.
The test detects the presence of metal ions in a compound, and as ions of each element have a specific characteristic based in their emission spectrum, the flame test for every element is different and distinctive. This distinction is shown by the color of flames given out when the salt containing certain metal ions is burnt. The students have enjoyed their learning through the practical activities.
Mr Radha Kollipara
Science Teacher
