7 September 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal’s Desk

I write this column off the back of a hectic week full of excellence displayed by our school community and want to share that with you.

High Achievers’ Dinner

Firstly, on Monday 28 August I had the pleasure of attending a dinner at the Bentley Pines Restaurant with a team of senior schooling students who are shining examples of the benefits of commitment to their studies. Together with their families and friends, we enjoyed a fabulous meal and toasted their excellent mid-year results. This annual event is also a night to formally recognise those students from the previous year’s leaving class who gained entry into the 95+ Club as a result of their achieving an outstanding ATAR. Shivangi Sharma and Riley Croxford were not able to join us but we had the pleasure of providing a medallion to Jarrad Keron and hearing about his studies in physiotherapy. Jarrad was a Kalgoorlie boy who moved to Perth in 2015, resided at the Rotary Residential College and is now thriving at university.

Traditionally, we organise a keynote speaker for this evening, seeking someone to inspire our students to continue to achieve to an excellent standard. This year, we were very fortunate to have secured Troy Burgess, a Kent Street graduate of the Class of 2013. Troy regaled the audience with an impressive tale of his time at Curtin University, sharing some impressive milestones which include him featuring on the Vice Chancellor’s list for achieving in the top 1% of his class; journeying to China and meeting Australian and international ambassadors; tutoring first year Engineering students; and giving back to others through his mentoring. Troy had agreed to speak on the clear understanding that Mr Boutrus attends, noting that he credits Mr Boutrus for inspiring him to achieve. Troy is embarking on his penultimate year at university in 2018 and I am certain that we will continue to see great things from him.

Dowerin Field Days

You may be aware that, as Principal of the school, I serve on the Board at the Rotary Residential College. Together with the leadership at Como Secondary College, we attend the regional field days in Mingenew, Newdegate and Dowerin to promote the value of a quality government education in partnership with the residential accommodation offered by Rotary and located on our site. What I enjoyed most about attending the Field Days in Dowerin was the fact that so many past students from Kent Street sought me out to share that they are part of our extensive alumni and proud to be able to say that they attended our fine school. It is also a great opportunity to spruik our school to potential new families and it reminds me of how much I value the excellent education that our staff provide.

Variety Show

I journeyed back from Dowerin just in time to attend the final night of the 2017 Variety Show – As The Page Turns – held in our school gymnasium. Not only were the performances excellent, but our new technology with the lighting and sound boards were impressive sights to behold. The Variety Show is an annual event at Kent Street and it show cases the diverse talents of our school community.

I was very impressed by the emcees for the evening – Jack Henare-Atkins and Malachi Humphries - and had no idea that Malachi could sing and play the guitar, let alone do the splits! I congratulate all of the students and staff who gave so much time and effort to make the show such a great success.

Kath Ward
Principal

Principal Kath Ward

From the Manager of Corporate Services

Payment of Contributions and Charges

Thank you to those families who have paid their 2017 Voluntary Contributions and Charges.

Senior School Charges (Year 11 and 12), Specialist Program Charges (Year 7 to 12) and Elective Charges (Year 9 and 10) are compulsory as per Department of Education Policy.

Please be advised that the school uses a debt collection agency for collection of unpaid compulsory charges at the end of each year.

Reminders for outstanding billing items were sent out recently. Please note that receipts will not be printed for amounts less than $50.00. However, if you do require a receipt, please inform us at the time of payment.

The school offers a variety of payment options:

• Cash, cheque, EFTPOS including credit card facilities (credit card payments are also able to be phoned through).
• Direct deposit to our bank account: BSB: 066128 A/C No: 00900195
• (Please ensure that the following format is adhered to, this will ensure the correct account is credited: (EG: If you are paying contributions & charges please enter Joe Smith Yr 8 CC)
• BPay: Code and reference are listed on account statements
• Arrange a payment plan

If you have any queries or would like to set up a payment plan, please contact the Finance Officer – Julianne Vaitekenas on 9262 0500.

Phone App for Payment of Excursions and Camps

A reminder that parents can pay for excursions using the QKr mobile phone app (payment by credit card) and sign the consent note online.

Simply download the Qkr app from App Store or Play Store. There is a functioning demo school that you can play with, without fear of accidentally making a payment. Search for Kent Street Senior High School. All excursions and camps are loaded into Qkr.

QKr has now been updated. We can now send notifications when a new item has been added to QKr. Parents/ Guardians need to have enabled push notifications in the QKr app settings.

The People’s Pick

Do you have a favourite teacher or support staff member?

Now is your chance to shine a spotlight on our incredible teachers and school staff members and tell the world what makes them shine.

As part of the WA Education Awards, The People’s Pick is an opportunity for parents, students and our community to get involved and recognise the dedicated and talented staff in our school.

Simply pick who you want to recognise; create a video, photo or testimonial showing what makes them incredible; and upload your message at education.wa.edu.au/awards or on Facebook.com/PublicEducationWA .

Then share the message on your Facebook page and tell your family and friends to vote for it. If a message for one of our staff receives the highest number of votes, our school will win a $1000 Modern Teaching Aids voucher.

Share your message before 5.00pm on Friday 13 October 2017 and stay tuned. The People’s Pick will be announced on Friday 27 October on World Teachers’ Day and all staff recognised will be acknowledged at education.wa.edu.au/awards .

Lachlan Mason

Congratulations to Year 10 student Lachlan Mason who recently won the silver medal in the Board Cross at the Victorian Snowboarding Championships. As a result, Lachlan has been selected to attend the up-coming National Junior Snowboarding Championships - the first ever student to represent WA. A hearty congratulations from all at Kent Street on your achievement. Lachlan's family would like to thank the Kentian Society for their financial support in his endeavours. Good luck at the Nationals Lachlan!

Pedal Prix at Busselton - CoRE

Weekend Wrap of Pedal Prix

Kent Street teams left Busselton earlier this year after a very exciting few days at the Pedal Prix event. This was the first year that Kent Street has entered the event. The wet weather on Saturday morning did not dampen the enthusiasm shown by the students at the scrutineering, where we picked up a second bike, which our year 9 team raced on the Sunday.

Getting up early on Sunday we packed up our camp and made our way to pit lane, located on the Busselton foreshore. The sun was shining as the bikes rolled into position on the grid. Then began the gruelling 6 hours of pedal powered pandemonium.

With bananas, mandarins and lollies as our fuel for the day, the Y12 team powered their way into the top 10 in their division with an overall 28th finish. The mighty Y9s who did not even have a bike 24hrs earlier, did themselves proud only finishing 4 spots below the Y12s in the overall rankings. This bodes well for the future, as this experience will stand them good stead for the coming years as they hone their skills.

It was not all plain sailing throughout the day. The Year 12s had 2 tyre blowouts, a chain break and the loss of a rear wheel at one point, but they struggled through. The Year 9s had a lot less mechanical issues but what they lacked in mechanical incidents they replaced with drama on the track. They flipped their bike on several occasions pushing themselves right to the limits.

I extend our thanks to all the parents and helpers on the day. Without their help, our job would have been made much more difficult. So please pass those thanks on.

We got to see the ‘Pedal Prix family’ in full flight. The team work displayed amongst teams across the day made for a great and enjoyable experience for our first trip to Pedal Prix. It’s a truly unique aspect to the event and is one which encourages great collaboration.

A big thanks to Amy Chinnery and Suzy Urbaniak for helping with the students and to Franco Cardenia for his help throughout the processes.

Oisin McFadden
Science Teacher

From the Organisers Moving Forward

You’ve earned a well-deserved break from Pedal Prix, however whilst it’s fresh, I’d encourage you all to reflect on this year and build a high level plan for 2018. We are planning a new event at Elizabeth Quay in April / May and have a number of keen new schools looking for Legeneering Trikes. If you have one and feel you won’t use it in 2018, please let me know. Let’s share the love and enable new schools to get involved. I’d rather have them on the track than in the sheds given the investment made in 2017.

Kent Street Cricket – European Cricket Tour 2017

The Kent Street Cricket students were once again spoilt with amazing cricket, once in a lifetime experiences and bathed in sunshine on the recent biennual European Tour. The tour started in sunny Scotland for the first time in Kent Street history, with the boys getting to experience the ye-olde` streets of Edinburgh, as well as the impressive Castle. George Watsons College were our first hosts, with the First XI getting off on a winning note after Trent Nielson battered the hapless attack to all parts, however, the Second XI succumbed to the fearsome bowling of Hamish McHaggis. The tour then headed south to Durham, where the boys took in the 11th century Cathedral and walked the streets of the famous University, dreaming and aspiring to one day study at the campus. The awe of the town got to the boys, with the Durham School boys getting the better of our side in a one sided affair.

The cricket remained tough in Sedbergh as the boys took on a school that were later in the year crowned T-20 Champions of England. They were thankfully kind enough to leave out their best player as he was playing at Lords for Yorkshire, facing the likes of Steve Finn. The boys then headed further south to Stowe school, the former home of the Duke of Buckinghamshire and Sir Richard Branston during his school years. A formidable opponent with amazing facilities, the Stowe School teams were humbled by sterling displays from both Kent Street outfits. Ryan Wade off-breaks were the unexpected key to victory for the First Team, whilst Liam Bastin’s first half century since Year 8 led the Second XI to what would be their first and only victory for the tour.

The renewed confidence flowed into what should have been a tight contest against Repton College for the 2’s, be it not for a Mr Hugo over that leaked almost 20 runs. The First XI had more joy against gracious hosts at Macclesfield Cricket Club, with Hayden Vogels the star of the show.

Our first day off after playing the equivalent of a Test match with 5 long bus trips between days saw us tour the magnificent Old Trafford stadium, home of Manchester United. After admiring some silverware and seeing some first class facilities, we headed for the rugged mountains of Snowdonia in West Wales. After seeing some of the longest street signs in the world in a language that even the most bespoke of tongue would struggle with, we came to our home for the night. It was a converted barn, complete with roaming sheep and no phone signal, a world away from the life our boys know.

After being rejuvenated by the mountain air, the boys got comfortable for the long ride to Cardiff, where we were greeted by a familiar face in the form of one time Kent Street umpire David Gower. His influence was not required, however, as a magnificent Jarrad Fisk innings got the First XI home chasing a competitive total. Despite some tight bowling from Connor Kilgallon the 2nd XI was unable to add to their win tally.

The next day saw the boys visit Cardiff Castle on the way to the T-20 contest between England and South Africa at Sophia Gardens. It was a great opportunity for the boys to see elite cricket up close and personal, whilst sneaking their faces onto the Fox Sports broadcast back home.

The Cotswalds was our next location, with Burford School reciprocating billeting of students after we hosted their soccer and netball students in 2016. A unique cricket wicket greeted our 2nd XI with Dylan Clements and Jayden Mackley wearing as many cricket balls as they hit. The local knowledge of how to play the conditions was too much for our boys, as Burford ran out comfortable victors. The First XI found conditions much more to their liking at Shipton-Under-Wynchwood as they proceeded to batter the attack to all parts, including the back garden of the nursing home next door. Needless to say the 200+ runs and 7 lost balls was a far too imposing target for the young side to chase, with Kent Street running out comprehensive winners.

From the Cotswalds we had a whirlwind visit to London to visit the home of cricket, Lords. With such demand for tours of the venue we were forced to tour in 3 groups, which allowed the boys to see the Abbey Road music studios and 221B Baker Street, the home of Sherlock Holmes. It was an amazing day that left the boys with aspirations of one day playing on the hallowed turf.

The tour rolled onto Streatley-Upon-Avon, and back to Bristol for a Women’s World Cup fixture between Australia and Sri Lanka which turned on two of the best batting masterclasses anyone would see anywhere. The sightseeing continued with historic Stonehenge and a bus top tour of London. Hampton School hosted us for cricket in the capitol, and despite some lusty Rhys Cousins striking, the Cockneys proved too good. The boys were then treated to day 1 at Wimbledon, seeing the best tennis players in the world, at one of the most iconic venues. The final stop on UK soil saw Kent Street go 1-1 in Essex against Belhus CC and Loughton CC, before the boys boarded the ferry for the next leg.

Holland treated us to more sunny weather, with the boys visiting the Rijksmuseum and seeing the sights of Amsterdam via the canals. The final game of the tour ended up being against the Dutch national U/15’s and U/17’s. A developing senior cricket nation they may be, but their junior cricket is progressing in an impressive manner, comfortably accounting for our First and Second XI’s. The lone highlight was Drew Shephard’s first half century, international cricket clearly bringing out the best in him.

The penultimate stops on the tour were through the amazingly moving towns of Dunkirk, Ypres, Pozieres and Villers Bretonneux, where thousands of troops gave their lives during WW1 and WW2. To see so many gravesites and hear the stories of immense courage and bravery is an experience that will live with everyone forever. The boys finished with the sights of Paris, lapping up the Champs-Elysees, Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Arc de Triomphe before flying home ready for the remainder of the holidays.

Design and Technology - Using Digital Technologies to bring Design to life!

Last Semester saw the introduction of new Design course for student year 7-10. Within the course, instead of using traditional methods of woodwork and metalwork, students utilised new technologies emerging in the workforce to realise their designs.

Last semester the year 7’s created several projects using 3D drawing software, 3D printing and the Design and Technology Department’s new laser cutter. Students began by sketching concept ideas and then progressed to drawing their final designs on Solidworks. After completing their final designs on the computer they printed and laser cut their designs, transforming them from the digital to the real world.

2017 WA Schools Mountain Bike Championships

On Friday, 1st September, Year 7 student Aden Ramsden represented Kent Street Senior High in the Schools Mountain Bike Championships at the Goat Farm Mountain Bike Park in Midland. Aden was one of 36 competitors in the Year 7/8 category, racing across tight single track, rocky downhill and steep uphill sections of the 8km course. The competition was tough, with some of the state’s best mountain bikers in the field coming from as far away as Albany, Busselton and Mandurah to race. The weather contributed to the challenge of the event, having soaked the track during the night as well as raining during the actual race itself. It was clear that all of the competitors where enjoying themselves and relishing the tough but fun event. In what was his first mountain bike race ever, Aden acquitted himself well taking out 14th, which he was very happy with. He tells us he will definitely back next year looking to improve on his overall placing! Well done Aden!

Year 10 Design - STEAM

Last semester our Year 10 Design class combined their design skills with their understanding of forces, producing bridges of their own design. The project demonstrated the importance of cross-curricular learning, incorporating aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering Art and Mathematics). To complete their projects each student was required to follow the design process. A competition was also implemented and the team who designed the bridge to hold the most weight won cinema vouchers for each group member.

Students began by writing and deconstructing design briefs and then based their research on bridges around this. They then moved on to producing their ideas in the form of concept drawings using the knowledge they had obtained from their research to improve their designs. After analysing their ideas, each student chose the concept they thought would hold the most weight and produced final drawings of the design. The class then went to the workshop to build their designs, test them by applying weights until they broke and then evaluated the results.

The bridges were constructed using 4x4mm pine. Pieces were not allowed to be glued together to make them thicker. The amazing results can be seen in the photos below!

Year 7 Design - Blast Off!

The year 7 Design and Technology classes adopted a space theme this year in their wood work classes to meet the new Design requirements of the Western Australian curriculum. Each student was required to design and construct a spaceship in approximately 5 weeks. Their hard work and creativity can be seen below. Well done year 7!

NAIDOC – Girls in Sport

During NAIDOC Week 2017, Kent St SHS hosted staff and students from Clontarf School to participate in a ‘Girls in Sport’ day. Students began the day participating in a ‘Qualities of Successful People’ workshop where they considered how being successful in sport can also lead to being successful in life. Students then competed in an inter school Basketball and Netball match, and were able to demonstrate their athletic ability along with their team working, cooperation and leadership skills. After working up an appetite on the court, the students bonded over a BBQ lunch and worked together to create a traditional and lasting mural painted on the outside of the girls changing room wall. We loved hosting the girls and staff from Clontarf and hope to continue our new formed friendship.

Netball NAIDOC Cup

During the school holidays, the Indigenous Netball students then competed in the NAIDOC Cup at the State Netball Centre. Playing in less than perfect conditions, the girls pushed through and did themselves proud. They competed at a high standard, playing with determination and demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship throughout. One of our students, Branai Ugle, was selected for the Netball WA ‘All Stars’ team and we are extremely proud of her.

Netball Multicultural Cup

During week 3 of Term 3, 70 students competed in the Multicultural Cup at the State Netball Centre. Kent St SHS, had the largest number of students competing on the day. All teams played with an exceptional level of effort and the students were a credit to themselves, the school and their families. The year 8 team, won every game they played and came first in their pool, winning an impressive gold trophy for the school.

We had two students who were ‘student coaches’, Bianca Harben coaching year 7, and Kieran Letchford coaching year 9. Both Bianca and Kieran demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and thoroughly enjoyed the role of coach.

Fashion Design – Year 8 and 9

The year 8 and 9 Fashion Camp was held at Ern Halliday earlier this year. The students spent 3 days exploring and extending their creative ideas through body painting, recycling denim and manipulating fabrics to create individual designs.

The work will be on display at this years Design Expo on Tuesday 17th October.

Upper School Fashion Camp

The Upper School fashion Camp was help on the 9th of May to the 12th May, the camp was held at the Point Walter Recreation camp site. The activities we did on the camp included the flying fox, archery and many fashion activities. One of the fashion activities included bridesmaid dresses and wedding dresses donated by an ex-student who attended Kent Street. The wedding dresses were ripped up and reformed, the bridesmaid dresses were painted on without any alterations to the shape of the dress. The experience at the camp was amazing. Staying up late on the first night and regretting it all through the camp because we were so tired will be a lasting memory. It was so beautiful sitting by the river which was a great inspiration for some of the pieces made on the camp.

Alisha Zagubien
Year 12 student

Environmental Science - Edna May Gold Mine Field Trip, Westonia, W.A.

June 29, 2017 dawned crisp, clear and cold, as eight General Earth and Environmental Science students, two teachers, and one member of the school community, embarked upon an overnight site visit to the Edna May gold mine, at Westonia, Western Australia.

During Term 2 these students learned about exploration, mining, processing and environmental rehabilitation activities associated with Western Australia’s resources hard rock mining industry. This field trip was their opportunity to view these activities in action.

The first stop at Bakers Hill refuelled us all with pies, sausage rolls and coffee. Next stop – the only preserved section of the 32 km long Meckering fault line. 20 minutes at the Meckering memorial rose garden enabled students to glean more information about the Meckering earthquake.

The next stop of significance was Edna May gold mine, currently operated by Evolution Mining Pty Ltd. We enjoyed a brief safety induction that advised us of how to stay safe while visiting the mine, and a mandatory breathalyser test made sure we were all fit to be there. After being issued with our safety gear we got on the mini bus and were driven to the open pit lookout. Here we listened to a geologist telling us about the history of the Edna May gold mine, viewed all the heavy mining equipment working at the base of the mine, and learned the terminology to describe the various structures observed in the pit. A perfect group photo opportunity!

Back on the bus, and we swapped our geologist for a metallurgist who then led an extremely informative session on how the processed tailings are stored in the integrated waste landform. Swapping our metallurgist for an environmental officer, we then visited an area that has been revegetated with native plant species with the purpose of establishing a native vegetation corridor that links two native animal habitats. Evolution Mining personnel have planted 70,000 native seedlings and broadcast locally sourced native plant seeds and seeds from Kings Park to revegetated land that has been previously cleared for farming purposes. Back at the mine we disembarked from the bus and made our way to the mill for a brief presentation about how the ore is processed to remove the gold. A walking tour around the mill and analytical laboratory gave us a great opportunity to examine the equipment that is used to crush the ore to smaller particles before being pumped into tanks for leaching, and learn how the amount of gold being extracted from the ore is measured.

After a busy day, we all enjoyed arriving at our accommodation in Westonia to unpack the cars, and then walked down to the mess where Evolution Mining personnel eat their breakfast and dinner. We all heartily tucked into a fantastic self-serve buffet then returned to our accommodation for a debrief of the day’s activities.

Breakfast at the mess the next morning fortified us for a vigorous walk up Kokerbin Rock, one of Australia’s largest monoliths. We learned how the surrounding landscape was eroded over millions of years to expose the monolith, how ecosystems have been established on the granite through weathering of minerals and growth of lichen and small bushes, and how local indigenous people and other people, lured to the goldfields with the promise of gold and riches, relied on the gnamma holes formed in the granite to provide essential water supplies.

Then, back to Perth, arriving just in time for students to catch the bus home. A fantastic time was had by all – students, staff and the community helper. Thank you to Evolution Mining for providing the students with this valuable learning experience, and for generously accommodating and catering for us.

New Life Skills with ASDAN

This year the Special Needs Education team officially embarked on a new life skills program called ASDAN. This is an endorsed course recognised through WACE.

ASDAN is a pioneering curriculum development organisation and awarding body, offering programmes and qualifications that explicitly grow skills for learning, skills for work and skills for life.

ASDAN programs and qualifications blend activity-based curriculum enrichment with a framework for the development, assessment and accreditation of key skills and other personal and social skills, with emphasis on negotiation, co-operation and rewarding achievement.

Rachael is our first student to go through this program. Over the past year she has built up many life skills such as cooking, maths, shopping, on-line purchases, communication, cultural awareness & community to name a few. These skills will be able to assist her when she leaves school and to help her get work ready.

Congratulations Rachael & the EA team on achieving a high standard at our moderation.

Variety Show 2017 – As the Page Turns

This year we told stories including classic tales with a few interesting twists and some new ones created by students. As the Page Turns showcased our talented performers who had rehearsed for months in preparation. Behind the scenes, media students operated new equipment and managed the technical side of the show, acquiring new skills along the way. Thank you to all who supported us.

Science - Young Australians present their Plan for the Planet (YAPP) in Canberra

The national launch of Young Australian’s Plan for the Planet (YAPP) took place in August in Canberra. 27 students and 12 teacher representatives attended this inaugural event - part of It’s our Future Earth conference.

Our dynamic geoscientist Suzy Urbaniak, accompanied Year 12 students Jessica Bowman and Lee - An Lu delivered an inspiring speech that encouraged the adoption of hands-on, interdisciplinary, project-based programmes like the Young Australians’ Plan in the education system.

The students had travelled from all states and territories to participate, many supported by sponsorship grants from the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Programme.

Young Australian’s Plan for the Planet, Canberra.

News from Home Economics

The Certificate II in Hospitality students have had a busy term catering for a range of functions. These have included personalised, prepared and delivered lunches to staff at the Kent Street athletics carnival and some delicious snacks sold to students.

Café 4-teen has been popular with staff on Friday mornings. The café is run by Year 12 Hospitality students. They plan, prepare and serve a range of food and coffee to staff at recess time.

On the current menu, staff are enjoying Chicken Jambalaya, Chilli Con Carne stuffed jacket potatoes, Sausage Rolls, toasted sandwiches, Florentines, Carrot Cake, Lemon Butter and Pumpkin Chutney.

Japanese Excursion

Last term the Year 9’s went to Jaws Japanese sushi restaurant to experience some Japanese food. The students tried various types of sushi, karage (fried chicken) and udon noodles. I was very impressed how the students used their Japanese skill to communicate with the staff.

Mrs Tateishi
Japanese Teacher

Japanese Taiko Workshop – Year 7

Last week the students had a Japanese drumming workshop. The students learned teamwork and studied the various Japanese drumming techniques.

Thank you to Kyomi for teaching our students this amazing cultural experience.

Mrs Tateishi
Japanese Teacher

Sports News - Golden Mile

The Golden Mile was held on Wednesday of week 4. 234 students from Years 7-12 completed the distance race in wet, windy conditions. The champion boy was Gashaw Teka from Year 12 and the champion girl was Bella Edmiston from year 7. Also, congratulations to Morgan Ramsden who set a new record for the Year 11 girls.

2017 Athletics Carnival

The Inter-house Athletics Carnival was on the Friday. The weather held up for us and there was a fantastic turnout of students dressed in their house colours for the day. The competition started with the 800m events where Amelia Diepeveen dominated the year 7 girls race and broke the school record by a massive 19 seconds. The high jump events saw records broken by Cameron Fawcett of Year 9 and Faith McNab of Year 10. James Warwick from Year 11 broke 4 school records in the track events, including the 100m record with a lightning quick time of 11.57 seconds. Gryphon dominated the 4x100m relay races, but could not overtake Centaur in the final standings, with Centaur winning the carnival with a total of 1200 points. Congratulations to all competitors for their outstanding efforts on the day, especially all Year 12 competitors and helpers in their last Athletics Carnival ever!

Champions

Year 7 Boys: Jordan Roads
Year 7 Girls: Bella Edmiston
Year 8 Boys: John Salvador Amil
Year 8 Girls: Ana Cana Machado
Year 9 Boys: Ali Azgor
Year 9 Girls: Courtney Woods
Year 10 Boys: Chinda Hazele
Year 10 Girls: Nikia Rockley
Upper School Boys: James Warwick & Lachlan Fraser
Upper School Girls: Sapphire Bengiler

Final standings

1st: Centaur Green 1200pts
2nd: Gryphon Red 1100pts
3rd: Pegasus Blue 974pts
4th: Phoenix Gold 897pts

News from the Library

What a fabulous year so far!

This year we have participated in Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week 2017 (CBCA) with great enthusiasm! Students are encouraged to come and borrow books either from library displays or from anywhere else in the library that they like. Our graphic novel collection continues to grow and it is being appreciated by students across all year levels.

The next opportunities for students to vote for their favourite books will be to nominate their recommended titles for next year’s West Australian Young Readers Book Awards and/or to vote for the short listed INKY Award books on display in the library.

Harry Potter turned 20 years old this year and we celebrated with a display which was enjoyed by students and staff alike.

Fantasy reading allows readers to experiment with different ways of seeing the world. ‘What would happen if…’ Many readers use fantasy worlds and characters to expand their own social experiences in a safe environment. It encourages creative thinking and problem solving and is a simple escape and relaxation.

Our library holdings reflect the popularity of this form of writing, from Harry Potter’s wizards to the world and the potential of science fiction.

Fake news

With the overload of questionable ‘news’ and information we are all subjected to an essential life and research skill is the ability to choose reliable sources for our decisions. We combine tips to do that with information on cyber security.

CoRE Resources Challenge 2017

Well done to our Year 9 CoRE students on delivering an extraordinary experience to the 220 Primary School students who participated in the 2017 Kent Street CoRE Resources Challenge! The wet and windy conditions made the event especially challenging this year, particularly during the site survey and build of the mining tunnels. Our High School mentors not only persevered, but drew upon their problem solving skills to ensure that each of the 10 teams participating from Carlisle, Collier, East Victoria Park, Millen, South Perth and Victoria Park were able to complete each stage within the event, and most importantly, had fun in doing so!

Congratulations to South Perth Team 2, on taking out 1st place in the event’s fifth year. The scores have never been so close, with both Carlisle teams scoring just points behind in 2nd and 3rd place. The Kent Street CoRE and Science department are proud to have presented the winning team with a brand new Lego Mindstorm programmable robot and iPad mini for their efforts on the day. We were also able to recognise the fantastic efforts of Carlisle Primary School with a unique learning experience at the ROC Education Centre placed above the Roy Hill Remote command hub, courtesy of Debra Shaw and her team.

Rotary Driver Education Program

On Thursday 10th August the Year 10 cohort participated in the ROTARY Drivers Education Program. Students listened to presentations on driving laws, consequences for breaking these law, distractions whilst driving and making good choices while behind the wheel. They were also given a hands on lesson about the car engine and a demonstration on how speed affects stopping distances.

Finally students were fortunate enough to be able to listen to Danny’s story. Danny survived a crash when he was 19 and has overcome significant injuries to be able to deliver his message to young people. Listening to Danny’s story really put in perspective the consequences of making bad choices behind the wheel.

Some feedback from Year 10 students afterwards

“Danny was very inspiring and will make me think about the choices I make when I drive” - Maddison

“I am very excited about getting my learner’s and getting onto the road now I have the skills and knowledge to keep me and my fellow passengers safe” - Zoe

The ROTARY (WA) Victoria Park chapter has kindly sponsored the Drivers Education Program and as a school we are very appreciative of this. We believe it is a powerful program for our young people who will be out on the roads in the very near future.

Tropical Far North Queensland Camp – Follow the Dream

At the end of Semester , 2 Kent Street SHS's top Follow The Dream students spent a week in Cairns. The following collage of photographs and recollections suggest a most enjoyable and worthwhile trip. Many thanks to the Polly Farmer Foundation and BHP for sponsoring this adventure.

Our Trip to Cairns

On the 17th of July 2017, three students including myself from Kent Street Senior High School’s Follow the Dream Program, were chosen to go on a reward trip to Cairns. We were chosen because we had completed the most hours at the Follow the Dream after school program. This Program is an aspirational academic support program for Indigenous students. There were two other schools that also attended the trip, namely Como Secondary College and Belmont City College.

My camp highlights were going to Hartley’s Crocodile farm, going on the bush walk and visiting the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. I really enjoyed seeing these places because I learnt a lot about the Aboriginal people and the land. They were also very fun and exciting.

This experience has added to my personal development by making me feel more confident and brave in making new friends and communicating with new people.

I learnt that Tropical Far North Queensland has a lot of rainforests, waterfalls, lakes, trees and lots more. Before going to Cairns, I didn’t expect so many rainforests and beaches. They were all so pretty and I sincerely hope to go again.

Tayla Orr
Year 9 student

Parkerville Cyber Bullying Workshop

This term, students in lower school, engaged in a Cyber Bullying workshop, presented by the Parkerville Reconnect Program. Cyber bullying is the use of technology to bully a person or group with the intent to hurt them socially, psychologically or even physically. Basically, it’s an extension of bullying but the people doing the bullying use technology such as websites, text messages, social networking sites and emails to embarrass, demean, harass, intimidate or threaten other people. Many young people are being cyber bullied. By reporting it, talking about it and supporting each other, we can find a solution and stop it. The sessions also looked at Cyber Safety, the legal consequences of cyber bullying and where to access help and support if you are being cyber bullied. It was a very worthwhile session, which engaged students in a very topical issue.

Clare Clayton
SAER Coordinator

YEAR 7 CRICKET CAMP

Year 7 cricket students enjoyed a successful cricket camp held at Bouncer Indoor Sports and Ern Halliday Recreation Camp during week 6 of this term. The 3 teams of 6 players played some outstanding indoor cricket and each student was able to demonstrate the best of their abilities throughout the 11 game tournament.

Our 19 cricket students were split up into 3 teams and played against 3 teams from Belridge Secondary College. We finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in what was a strong showing by the boys. They demonstrated outstanding skills both individually and as a team and put into practice the indoor cricket skills we have been working on throughout this term.

At the camp itself the boys found out what it was like to be part of a team, through team building games as well as experiencing what it is like to stay with your team mates 24 hours a day. The experiences had on camp will hold the boys in good stead when it comes to camps and tours in the years to come, the boys learnt about time management, getting enough sleep and nutrition. The boys represented the school proudly and demonstrated the school’s ethos throughout the entire camp.

R U Legal? Legal Aid WA Community Legal Education

In Term 3, we were joined by four very experienced and knowledgeable criminal lawyers from Legal Aid WA, who presented a series of community legal workshops to our Year 9 and 10 students. They focused on some key areas which affect many young people, such cyber bullying, consent and sexting from a legal perspective. Real life stories were shared with students as they listened to the legal consequences faced by many young people as a result of choices made and situations they found themselves in. It was extremely engaging, very informative and offered the students practical support and advice with lawyers on hand to answer many pressing questions from our young people.

Following these workshops, our insightful Year 12 students in Ms Lee’s class participated in a focus group which saw them act as the driving force behind Legal Aid’s Year 12 Leavers workshops and publications across the state. They showed true leadership in offering relevant and well thought through concerns, suggestions and feedback, which was very much appreciated by the Legal Aid WA team and will go a long way in ensuring their work with WA Leavers is youth friendly and targeted to issues of concern.

Clare Clayton
SAER Coordinator

Jade Lewis presentation to Year 10 students

This term the Year 10 cohort had the privilege of listening to a presentation from motivational speaker, Jade Lewis, who shares her true life story of freedom from drug addiction.

“At 15 Jade had the world at her feet. She was a medal-winning, aspiring young athlete with Olympic dreams. She had ambition, a loving family and countless friends. At 16 Jade decided to go to a rave party not knowing this would change her life and take her down the destructive path of the drug scene. At 18, Jade was hopelessly addicted to heroin and on a downward spiral. By the Grace of God, Jade found freedom from drug addiction at 22. Jade's story has all people interested. Follow her journey of how she found freedom and success again.”

Students were thankful for this insight into her life and for highlighting to them the impact that drugs had on herself, her family and the wider community. At the conclusion of the presentation Jade shared copies of her book “Golden Haze” with the students to take away.

Upcoming Events

Perth Goju Karate

Perth Goju Karate teaches karate classes in your local area.

A special offer for the school’s students - 4 WEEKS FREE beginners karate lessons!

Classes are held after school and are a great way for children of all ages to learn self-defense in a fun and safe environment.

We also teach classes for teens and adults in the local area at night and they are fantastic for fitness, wellbeing and of course, self-defense.

Karate has many benefits which include confidence, respect, discipline and fitness.

Call now to take advantage of this 4 week trial.

Sensei Johnny Moran - 0402 830 402