Term 1 Newsletter 2019

Cecil Andrews College

Principal's Address

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world” is a quote from Malala Yousafzai, and apt for the celebration of some amazing teachers at the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards.

I am thrilled that STEM Coordinator Mr John Townley won a prestigious Commonwealth Bank and Schools Plus National Award for his outstanding leadership and teaching out of 3500 applicants! As I stood by his side I was proud to reflect that Cecil Andrews College is a school that positions students for the future and prepares them with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful.

Mr Townley's incredible accomplishment is supported by a highly collaborative school community and clearly demonstrates that we are well on our way to achieving our vision in the Business Plan. Our two focus areas are quality teaching which we are clearly providing and a thriving and inspiring culture through our partnerships with business and industry, TAFE and universities. Many jobs we have not even imagined yet but by engaging in Robotics, coding and programming our students connect with others working collaboratively and creatively.

Mr Townley will have a donation of $30 000 to Coordinate an exciting robotics project.

Our WOW day Career Expo Tuesday 9th April gives students opportunities to learn about our P-TECH partners many careers, university pathways, South Metro TAFE options and more.

Congratulations to Mr Squires for an excellent swimming carnival this term. It was a highly successful event led by the HPE team and with all staff supporting. The numbers of participants has increased dramatically which shows how much the engagement has improved.

Expressions of Interest for the College Board

We are currently looking for parent representatives to nominate for the Board for 2019. The Board has the responsibility of governance for Cecil Andrews College and is the decision making body. There are meetings every term.  We welcome parents to apply. Voting will be held shortly. Please send your Expressions of Interest to zita.Wolczyk@education.wa.edu.au by COB Thursday 11th April.

2019 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards

Too many students were dropping high-level STEM subjects at Western Australia’s Cecil Andrews College, and STEM Coordinator John Townley was determined that should change.

So he created a vibrant robotics program at his school, with remote-controlled racing cars just one of the fun focus projects. Co-taught by Aboriginal Elders, students learn about components, develop software skills, and build a racetrack that embodies the six seasons recognised by Noongar people.

John's efforts to engage students worked. By integrating Noongar culture and language with hands-on engineering, what began as a lunchtime activity is now timetabled and making such an impact that John is actively working with a network of a dozen schools to enhance their capacity in STEM teaching.

“I saw that culture was central to young Indigenous people's learning, and thought about how to harness that,” John says. 

John is one of the 12 new Teaching Fellows whose exceptional teaching and leadership skills were recognised and celebrated at our 2019 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards on Friday 29th March. To read more about John and our other inspiring Fellows visit the Teaching Awards website.

2019 Careers Expo

Cecil Andrews College is holding a Careers Expo day on the 9th of April 2019. This event has been extremely successful over the last couple of years, and is becoming bigger and bigger with some exciting new exhibitors coming on board this year including the University of Western Australia. The expo encourages student participation to meet with industry partners, and explore possible careers within a variety of industries.

The exhibitors include:

  • Austal
  • Datacomm
  • Deloitte
  • HP
  • CIVMEC
  • Thales
  • University of Western Australia
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Edith Cowan University
  • Murdoch University
  • Curtin University
  • South Metropolitan TAFE
  • The Defence Force
  • Rio Tinto
  • Engineers Australia
  • Subs In Schools
  • MPA skills
  • Apprenticeship Support Australia

The event is highly important as it allows students to engage with the exhibitors in a positive environment, and to explore a variety of career pathways available to them within the industries. It allows a marvellous opportunity for students to identify a career they may be interested, and discuss with both those in the industry, and tertiary providers such as TAFE and the Universities on the requirements to reach their desired career.  

For the year 10 students, with course counselling fast approaching, it will allow them to make the correct choices in choosing courses to get them on their way to their ideal career. Year 9 students will be introduced for the first time to the Careers expo, and it will be an amazing experience for them to witness what is currently happening in industry, and what will be happening in the near future. Again, this experience will motivate and provide the students with direction going forward with their education. 

As making first impressions is important, it is imperative that students wear the correct full school uniform and demonstrate the PBS values that are promoted within the school.

We highly encourage parents to attend the Careers expo, to support their child in developing a plan for the future, making correct choices in subject selections and future education pathways. Parents will need to register their interest in attending by emailing their expression of interest to steven.dimech@education.wa.edu.au. As you can already see, there are a multitude of stallholders, and providers in which an abundance on information can be taken to make more educated decisions on course subject selections and how to assist your child in reaching their ideal career. Parents will be able to attend during recess (10.48-11:08am).

We hope to see as many parents possible on the day!

Student Services

Keeping Our School Community Safe

It is a priority at Cecil Andrews College that every member of our community feels safe and empowered to engage in a positive, stable learning environment. To ensure that we keep our school community safe we have aligned the school’s policies and expectations with the Department of Education policies and expectations. As such, abuse, harassment and intimidation of staff and students will not be tolerated. The Department of Education has developed a plan to support staff and students to create a safe learning environment that explained in the Minister’s Statement on School Violence – ‘Let’s Take a Stand Together’. This document can be found on the Department of Education website. The actions in the plan include students to be suspended who attack other students or start fights, Principals to automatically move to exclude students who physically attack school staff and ‘good standing’ requirements to be added to school behaviour policies.

Currently Cecil Andrews College is reviewing the behaviour policies of the school to align it with the Department of Education’s plan. Furthermore, a good standing policy is being created and will be available for review when the draft is finalised. Our current Bullying Policy and Positive Behaviour Support policies can be found on the Skoolbag App, Facebook and School website. Can you please take the time to discuss these policies and the new Department of Education plan with your child to ensure all members of our community have an understanding of behaviour expectations at Cecil Andrews College. Together we can ensure that our school community members feel safe and empowered to engage in a positive, safe learning environment.

Uniforms

The uniform of a Cecil Andrews College student is a symbol of membership of the School community.  It promotes a sense of pride and identification with the School. It assists students to develop a sense of unity and belonging.  Wearing a uniform encourages a sense of pride in appearance. This Uniform and Dress Code applies at all times when students are required to wear their school uniform before, during and after school - no exceptions.

All students, parents and teachers have a role to play in uniform management.

  • STUDENTS—must be fully aware of the Uniform Code, Uniform Difficulties Procedure and sanctions which apply for a uniform digression.
  • PARENTS—must be fully aware of the Uniform Code, check students at home and respond to School communications.
  • STAFF—all School staff share co-responsibility to manage the Uniform and Dress Code.

 Thank you to all members of the school community who are assisting the school in upholding the dress code. As we head into Term Two it is a timely reminder that the cold weather is setting upon us. Please remember that there are no hoodies allowed at school. If a student has a jumper on it must be the school jumper of a blue jumper. Thank you once again for your support with the uniforms.

Nurses Corner

HEALTH  CARE  PLANS

We have mailed all our families with students who are on a Health Plan their annual update form.  Many thanks to those who have already returned them, if yours is still yet to come back please do so at your earliest convenience. Updated records mean we have the most current information should an unexpected emergency occur.  Please help us to help in an emergency.

IMMUNISATIONS

Year 7’s had in Term One the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Whooping Cough and HPV vaccines. Year 8’s will have the same vaccines in Term Two.  This is because the Health Department has changed the program from year 8 to year 7. For 2020 only Year 7’s will be offered the immunisations. Year 10’s will also have the opportunity to get for free the Meningococcal vaccine (for ACWY strains) during Term Two.  Please return consent forms to student services as soon as possible. A new consent form can be obtained from student services, or if you prefer, one can be emailed to you by the School Nurse. Please contact Vicky, the Community Nurse, for further information regarding immunisations or any questions about the Health Centre.

VICKY  Community Nurse  (Available Mon, Wed, Thurs  9234 3416)

Breakfast Club

The students continue to enjoy hot food, warm drink or fruit juice with fresh fruit for breakfast before beginning their class lessons every Monday to Friday 7.30-8.40am. They have the choice of ham and cheese toasties, baked bean or spaghetti jaffles, pancakes, sultana bread toasted, French toast or cereal if they prefer. The students not only come to eat and drink but socialise with their friends and chat to the Chaplain also. The number of students varies from 50 to over 80 each day. It is a privilege to serve and encourage the beautiful young people who come to Cecil Andrews College and I really enjoy this part of my role as Chaplain in the school.

 It is wonderful to see staff come into the Breakfast Club spending some of their precious time with the students. I believe this is very important as your presence helps students to see their teachers in a different light. The students love having you come to play table tennis with them. They really try to beat you, but some of you are very good players, and there is a great sense of competition. It seems a great time is had by all.

 I thank staff for your encouragement and support. Please know that I appreciate you and value each of you.  

 If anyone would be interested in donating food items, the following would be really appreciated:

 Long life milk, eggs, sliced cheese, ham, tins baked beans and/or spaghetti, fruit juice, self-raising flour, fresh fruit or sliced bread.

Gael Varian

Chaplain 

Absentees

Just a reminder to all parents and guardians of Cecil Andrews College students that if your child is absent for any reason, the College attendance officers need to be notified. The easiest ways to contact the College attendance officers is via phone at Student Services on 9234 3401 or on the 0408 099 112 MessageU and Skoolbag App.

Also a reminder that when collecting your child early for any reason, the process is made much easier if your child has a signed note from a parent or guardian explaining when and why your child needs to leave early. This means your child will not be questioned by their classroom teacher as to why they are leaving, and the College attendance officers will have a record of their explained absence.

 

Year 7 Camp

The first few weeks of high school can be a pretty daunting and stressful time so Cecil Andrews College hosted a ‘choose your own adventure’ camp for all the year 7 students. The camp was an astounding success where students forged friendships and explored the responsibility of choice in high school. On Friday the 22nd of February about 100 nervous year 7 students filled the gym in the early afternoon. The afternoon consisted of music, laughter, cuddling animals, lounging in the pool zone or battling it out on the inflatables. Others were busy finding clues for the golden gnomes hidden around the school, having a blast at the nerf shooting range or chilling in the games lounge with Mario and Bowser! Before dinner some guests came to the school to talk about the power of choice and what it means in high school and where your choices can take you. It was a lot of fun and a few teachers got a pie to the face. We finished the night under the stars watching incredible people make incredible choices (Incredibles 2) at the outdoor cinema. After attempting to get some sleep we woke up on Saturday a lot closer to the people around us and some priceless memories to look back on in the future.

Senior School Update

Welcome to the final year of formal schooling for all parents of Year 12 students. My name is Mrs Margaret Jones and I am the Year 12 Dean. I hope the start to the year has been productive, and all students are settling down to the standard of work expected in Senior School. We have had a busy start to 2019 already and, with the change to the Year 12 timeline, students have less than twenty weeks left of their school year. (Please see dates near the end).

Senior School Ball: We are near the end of the first term, and a great deal of activity has already commenced. The Senior School Ball planning is under way, the Committee made up of Year 12 students. The Ball will be held on the second last Friday of Term 2, 28th June, at the Esplanade Hotel, Cnr Marine Terrace & Essex St, Fremantle. All Year 11 and 12 students will be invited, provided they have their Good Standing. This means they must be up-to-date with all classwork, have attendance of 90% or more, all absences have been explained by a note from a parent or guardian and they consistently wear correct school uniform. Students who do not have their Good Standing are encouraged to go through the ‘Appeals’ process. This can include:

  • Medical certificates to explain absenteeism
  • Progress Reports to show academic progress
  • Letter of apology for behaviour
  • Outline of areas they will be improving – increase attendance, submit outstanding work, etc.

Please note: a non-negotiable criteria is that a student must not have been suspended for ten weeks prior to the week beginning 24th June 2019 (from Monday 1st April).

There is a strict Code of Conduct: The Cecil Andrews Senior School Ball is an alcohol and drug free event.  Any person suspected of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol will have their parents/guardians called and they will be asked to leave the premise immediately.

I am already very concerned about the attendance of some students – Education Department Policy stipulates that acceptable attendance is 90%. The chart below gives a breakdown of the amount of time missed in a year, and if maintained, how it impacts on future education.

Period of Absence

(Years 1-10)

Rate of AttendanceEquivalent School Missed
Average of 5 days per term90%1 Year
1 Day per week80%2 Years
1.5 Days per week70%3 Years
2 Days per week60%4 Years
3 Days per week40%6 Years
5 Weeks per term50%5 Years

Invitations will only be extended to those students who have achieved this standard by Week 6 Term 2. Official paperwork, including the invitation to outside guests and the Appeals, has already been available to the students for some time.

Fundraising: Ball tickets for students and guests will cost $95. In order to include some wonderful ideas, our Ball Committee has elected to hold a fundraiser. We have been given permission to hold a sausage sizzle at Bunnings, Armadale on Sunday 16th June. I am asking my Committee and the School Community at large to volunteer for a number of shifts during the day. These include:

10.00 – 12.00 – includes set up

12.00 –  2.00

2.00 –  4.00 – includes clean up

If anyone can only volunteer their time for a part-shift, that is also welcome. I always ask students to wear school uniform but they will be given aprons to avoid any mess. We would also appreciate any donations of cash or kind.

 Leavers Jackets 2019: Our jackets have arrived! Just a reminder, please, that full payment of $99.00 is to be made before students collect their order. Everyone is very excited!

Parking: All students wishing to drive themselves to school must apply for a Parking Permit. Students and parents will first be asked to read and understand the Car Parking Policy. Students will sit a short test, and once permission has been given, they must display their permit at all times whilst on the school premises. Permission to carry passengers can only be granted once the permission form has been signed by the Driver, the Driver’s Parent, the Dean of senior School and a Deputy Principal. All applications are made to me directly. There is to be no movement before 2.55pm. During school hours, students can only exit school grounds if they have formally signed out AND they have been given specific permission by the Principal, Associate Principal, or Deputy Principal. No student is exempt from the official school Parking Policy. Parking on the school premises without a permit may lead to penalties being put in place. This includes being banned from parking at school for a month for the first offence. The Policy has been adapted for the safety of all as we have seen an increasing number of student drivers this year.

OLNA: As you are aware, students must have Literacy and Numeracy in order to achieve WACE in Year 12 or even entry to TAFE. This is undertaken by either achieving Category 8 in NAPLAN in Year 9 or Band 3 in OLNA in years 10, 11 or 12. I am very proud of the effort students put into their tests over the past three weeks. Results won’t be available for some time but there will be another round in September.

Year 12 Externally Set Task: this will occur in weeks 2-4 only of Term 2 for all students studying General subjects. This is a compulsory part of the Year 12 course and has significant weighting. Students are being prepared for this in each subject. It is especially important that all students attend school during this period.

Semester I ATAR Exams: All students studying ATAR subjects will commence exams in Term 2 Week 5. Study and revision should already be underway!

Study Skills: In 2019, we have one period a week allocated to Study Skills. This is an opportunity for students to learn about how best to manage their time, stress or study. This is the time I will get in guest speakers from TAFE, universities and other organisations with the express intent of supporting our students. This is not an excuse for playing computer games, going to the basketball courts, ‘chilling’ or leaving school. I appreciate your support in encouraging your child in engaging well with this time and using the teacher support allocated to help them if they are encountering difficulties with their work. 

Important Dates for your Records:

1.    Year 12 Externally Set Task (EST): 6/5 – 24/5. Please note that the individual teachers will set the dates for their individual classes, usually in the first two weeks.

2.     Year 11 and 12 ATAR exams: 27/5 – 31/5

3.    Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser: Sunday 16/6

4.    Senior School Ball: Friday 28/6

5.    OLNA Round 2: 2/9 – 26/9

6.    Year 12 Mock ATAR exams: 19/9 – 25/9

7.    Anniversary Assembly: Thursday 26/9 – last day of classes for all Year 12 students

8.    Year 12 Breakfast: Friday 27/9

9.    Year 12 Presentation Night: Tuesday 15/10

I hope this gives you some idea of what has been happening so far this year, and what is ahead. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any questions or concerns you have regarding your child in Senior School. I hope I can solve some, or at least point you in the right direction.


Wishing you all well.


Mrs Margaret Jones

Year 12 Dean

Margaret.Jones3@det.wa.edu.au

Aquatics Carnival

Year 11 & 12 ATAR Geography Excursion

Both the Year 11 and 12 ATAR Geography students participated in fieldwork trips in Week 8 of Term One as part of the ATAR Geography course.

The Year 11 ATAR students are learning about natural hazards, and in particular, bushfires. Students learned about the causes of bushfires, how to mitigate and prevent bushfires, and how to recognise the level of risk of a bushfire in terms of their impact on people, infrastructure and the environment.

Students went to Perth Hills Discovery Centre in Mundaring, where they measured the amount of vegetation on the ground, the steepness of the hills area, and the height of the trees to identify the level of risk of high intensity bushfires in that particular area. They will now complete a geographical inquiry on bushfires. 

The Year 12 ATAR students are studying the impacts of climate change on people, places and the environment. The field trip took us to Bibra Lakes Wetlands and C.Y. O’Connor Beach, where they were shown the impacts of climate change on our environment, and were informed of the rehabilitation and restoration efforts of the City of Cockburn for the vegetation and animals. From the wetlands, we went to the beach where the impacts of climate change were further noticed in regards to beach erosion in terms of the rising sea levels. Students learned about the conservation efforts of the City of Cockburn to maintain the beach and its’ surrounding infrastructure.

Students are now completing short and extended answer responses to address what climate change is, how the climate has changed, and how climate change can be combatted and mitigated.

Student Parliament Excursion

Recently Year 9 students: Jason Cole, Shevon McCormack, Sebastian Havea and Angela Lewis: attended a Student Leadership Seminar organised by the United Nations Association of Australia (WA) at Parliament House, Perth for Years 9 to 12. The students were allocated specific seats in the Legislative Assembly chamber and much to their delight Jason and Shevon discovered they were seated in the Premier and Deputy Premier’s seats.

During their visit they were given a guided tour of both houses of Parliament and learnt the differences and function of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council in the government of Western Australia.

Later the students listened to presentations by three panellist who were involved with the Association about digital education, setting life goals and a story by an Afghani refugee’s achievements since arriving in Australia. 

After lunch students engaged in a planning session where they prepared their presentations for a mock parliamentary session where individual schools presented their plans to engage in projects, which support the United Nations’ Sustainable Goals objectives. Each school was permitted a maximum of three minutes to present their ideas to the assembly.

Cecil Andrews College’s presentation explained the school’s commitment to supporting Gauri School in Nepal after the devastating earthquake on Anzac Day 2015. Jason and Shevon explained that Cecil Andrews had already raised funds to assist with the rebuilding of the Nepalese school by contributing to plastering classrooms, developing Wi-fi and the purchase of a cow for an eco project being established at the school. To date students have raised funds through a car wash and several sausage sizzles held at both the Aquatic and athletics Carnivals. New fund raising initiatives will be presented to the Student Council and Administration to continue Cecil Andrews’ support of the Nepalese school.

A video of the Cecil Andrews’ presentation was taken and is available on YouTube for people to learn about the students’ ideas.

At the end of the day all the students stated that they had enjoyed the experience and had learnt a great deal about Parliament as well as having the opportunity to meet students from other schools and learn about their projects.

STEM

STEM programs and projects are already very busy in 2019.

Classes across the College Learning Areas are doing STEM related projects in classes which relate to the their curriculum context. The Year 9 STEAM Class is building an 1980’s Arcade Table operated by a single board Raspberry Pi Computer, creating their own games with a Plastics Recycling theme. The Year 10 STEAM Class are working on a Student Information and Feedback App to give students notifications and a safe an appropriate place to offer feedback to the College about their student experience. More will be shared this year on our STEM Website - 
cacollegestem.org

Robotics

The CA College Robotics Club is every Wednesday 3-5pm in the STEM Centre. All students involved learn coding, engineering, design and 21st Century work and personal skills as they compete in FIRST Robotics programs. Students in years 9-12 are the Wilder Wolves FRC team, year 9 students will be joining in Semester 2 in FIRST TEchnology Challenge and students from years 7-10 are applying now for FIRST Lego League which begins next Term and runs all year.

The Wilder Wolves have just returned from the 2019 Deep Space FIRST Robotics Competition - the South Pacific Regional at Olympic Park in Sydney. 16 students, 2 past students, a parent mentor and 2 staff travelled with the Armadale SHS team to compete with 63 teams from 8 countries. The Wilder Wolves learned a great deal and had many learning opportunities this season.

The Wilder Wolves FRC Team Community Outreach Program - Armadale Robotics Clubs (ARC) is a network of 12 schools including Hedland SHS and Tjuntjuntjara RCS. CA College supports surrounding Primary and High Schools in running their Robotics Clubs giving students the opportunity to learn future focused skills and face the challenge of International Robotics Competition. ARC provides teacher professional learning, funding support, a resource library and mentoring from experienced adult and student mentors.

2WaySTEAM

Two way STEAM is STEM with Arts and Aboriginal Cultural knowledge integrated. This year CA College STEM will be continuing work in this area which crosses into Arts and Humanities learning areas, encourages Aboriginal student participation and brings community and industry partners and mentors in to enrich and support STEAM projects. Students are involved in designing a Yarning Circle, Six Seasons Forest, Bush Tucker Garden and other Technology and small business projects. 2WaySTEAm will take shape this year and be in full swing in 2020.

2WaySTEAM includes our 3 year old STEM Partnership with Tjuntjuntjara RCS. This year with a Two Way Science focus with learning about Aboriginal cultural knowledge and Science together. Some students will travel 1400 kms to Tjuntjuntjara Aboriginal Community in the Great Victoria Desert in Week 10 of Term 3. One of our STEM Staff will travel to Tjuntjuntjara to help staff and students there learn 3D Printing, Computer Aided Design and Laser Engraving next term.

AR, VR and Mixed Reality

STEM has a new VR (Virtual Reality) System (HTC Vive) for students to experience VR. Students in Year 12 AIT are creating QR Codes and exploring Facial Recognition hardware and software. With our PTECH Partner Datacom we are exploring AR. Students will also be working with industry partners and Curtin University exploring VR and AR (Augmented Reality). In the the future students have the opportunity now to create VR and AR applications combined with our new TV Studio to create ‘Mixed Reality’ - Animated elements interacting with real people in Virtual Worlds.

E-Sports

Our E-Sports Arena will be running again this year giving students the opportunity to form teams and compete in Gaming Competitions. Students learn teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and Digital Technologies skills doing an activity they love whilst representing the College.

Drones

Some staff and students are undertaking Drone Pilot training at the moment to meet legal requirements for Drone use in College and STEM Projects. This will be an important opportunity for students in the future as Drone pilot and maintenance jobs are now available and are set to rapidly  increase.

The 4 Cs

CA College STEM will be encouraging staff and students to focus on the 4 Cs of 21st Century Skills in order to help our students develop future focused employment skills.

The Courtyard - Lunch Time Music Performances

The Courtyard has come alive this summer with a number of Specialist Performing Arts students performing new songs for their fellow students during Friday lunch times. Out of our group of outstanding Performing Arts students a few stepped up to the challenge of performing new repertoire in the first of many lunch time concerts. If you would like to relax in the Courtyard, listening to chilled out tunes, follow the music and cruise to the courtyard.

Girls Academy

Induction Day 2019

On the 1st of March Cecil Andrews College Girls Academy & Challis Primary School Girls Academy had their Induction Day for 2019. The day was full of excitement and fun, with a monster waterslide & and a dunk tank. Students took part in a scavenger hunt, designing their own water bottles, and painting a canvas. Challis students were ready for the water, but not for the weather. Our girls had a great day with their sister school. Thank you to our girls and Challis PS Girls Academy, as well as Liz & Rita.

Apology Anniversary Luncheon

On the 13th of February we had a BBQ Luncheon with the Girls Academy and special guests Flo and Lester, to commemorate the anniversary of Kevin Rudd’s Apology to the Stolen Generation.

Once Kevin had finished talking we sat and ate the food while listening to Archie Roach’s “Took the Children Away”.

Afterwards, the students wrote down how the Apology & Song and how things were done in the past had made them feel.

Harmony Day

On Harmony Day (Thursday 21st March 2019) brother and sister Teija and Taiawhio celebrated both Noongar and Maori culture by wearing traditional dress.

International Women's Day

The Girls Academy celebrated International Women’s Day with a Luncheon for students, staff & family members. Thank you to Tara for organising the International Women’s Day luncheon.

Kirby Bentley Cup

The Girls Academy did Tara and AFL teacher, Kim Bowey, proud at the Kirby Bentley Cup this year, they won 1 game out of the 4 they played. A big thank you to Kim for the training and Tara for the support leading up to the big game in Mandarah, and well done girls!

Our boys also took out the Nicky Winmar Cup. A big thank you to Joey and Mr Hayden for the coaching and support leading up to the game, and congrats to the boys!

Follow the Dream

Follow the Dream finished off 2018 with a presentation to celebrate the achievements of the students over the year. The event was well-attended by Follow the Dream students across all the sites (Armadale SHS, Byford SHS, Kelmscott SHS and Lesmurdie SHS), along with their family, staff and community members. The students achieved awards to recognise their academic achievements as well as their attendance. Shevon McCormack received the award for the highest achieving junior student, while Madeleine Smith and Alarra Brown jointly won the highest achieving secondary general student award. Jeliah Layla, Teija Morrison and Aiden Warner were also recognised for their high academic and attendance achievements. Brooke Blurton, from Bachelor fame, was the guest speaker and shared some wise words. She was also up for a few selfies! Brooke was a Follow the Dream student at Cecil Andrews.

We farewelled two long-standing Follow the Dream students at the end of 2018 when they graduated – Alarra Brown and Madeleine Smith. Both have very bright futures ahead of them. Alarra has secured a Traineeship position at the Commonwealth Bank in Armadale and Maddie has numerous jobs working with students, including working at Cecil Andrews with Follow the Dream and in the EASE class. Maddie is a wonderful addition to the Cecil staff!

Folllow the Dream has got off to a strong start this year, with a number of new students joining the program. The students have set goals for the semester and are diligently attending tutoring after school, to help them achieve their goals.

We are particularly proud of Shevon McCormack in Year 9 and Braydan Seelander in Year 8 who have been selected as Student Councillors.

We are grateful to all the staff who have worked with the Follow the dream students this term, both in the classroom and after school in the Follow the Dream room. 

Clontarf Academy

The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate meaningfully in society.

The year has started off at a cracking pace for all involved in the Clontarf Academy as we continually work to develop and build the capacity of all boys. From welcoming our newest year 7 inductees and their families, to welcoming back and settling in our previous Academy members, much of the early part of the Term has been focussed on communicating and reinforcing our key messages and expectations in an effort to create a solid foundation for Academy members to start or continue their Clontarf journey.

To be able to keep the boys engaged there needs to be a vibrant academy program that encourages boys to keep attending and doing the right thing in the classroom and around the school. Academy activities are planned within the focus areas of education, leadership, employment, healthy lifestyles, life skills and sport.

Some of the highlights of the Term 1 Academy program are listed below:

  •  Year 12 Leadership camp in Busselton
  • Four boys gaining employment at Optus Stadium
  • Winning Division 1 of the Nicky Winmar Cup
  • Braydan Seelander being elected on the Student Council
  • Hosting the staff morning tea in the Academy Room
  • Ethan Farrell & Damien Lopez travelling to Sydney with the school robotics team
  • Hosting the Clontarf Foundation’s Year 7-9 Junior Football Carnival at Gwynne Park
  • Clontarf Employment Expo & Partner Dinner
  • Year 10-12 Clontarf Cup at Trinity Playing Fields
  • Attending the Perth Glory vs Melbourne Victory match as guests of LeasePlan
  • Year 10 boys undertaking an ‘Introduction to Umpiring Accreditation Course’
  • Pot Black excursion

Brett Pilling, Joseph Kickett (Operations Officers) and I look forward to working with the College staff, Academy parents/guardians and the broader school community to help improve the educational outcomes of the boys and provide them with a range of development, training, employment, sporting and broader life opportunities.

We look forward to another great year.

Darren Davis

Director

Cecil Andrews Clontarf Academy

Come to School Every Day!

Why….…because school enables children to build on their knowledge and skills each day, each week and each year.

Why……because children can miss out on the basic skills and may experience difficulties later with their learning.

Why……because school helps children build confidence in areas such as communication, teamwork, organization and social skills.

Why……because going to school is a legal requirement and there are fines associated with this.

The law states all children from Pre Primary to Year 12 must attend school (or have an alternative educational or workplace arrangement).

Under the law, you are responsible for making sure your child goes to school on ALL school days.  You must not keep your child away from school for minor reasons.

Don’t be soft on school attendance… because we want all children to be their best.

 What the law says:

Under Western Australian law (School Education Act 1999), parents must send their children to school unless:

  • They are too unwell.
  • They have an infectious disease.
  • The principal is provided with a genuine and acceptable reason.

You must let the school know within three days why your child is not attending.

Under the law, schools must:

  • Monitor attendance of students.
  • Follow up with parents and caregivers on student absences.

What happens when your child misses school without a valid reason?

  • Your school will ask you for an explanation.
  • Your school will meet with you to discuss ongoing issues and plan a response.
  • A School Attendance Panel will be set up to review the steps taken and provide advice.
  • In some cases you might be fined.

Support and help for families

If your child is reluctant or refuses to go to school, or is missing school without you knowing, there is support and help available.  Contact your school or South Metropolitan Education Regional Office for information/assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q:  What should I do if my child is unwell?

A:  Inform the school and provide a medical certificate if requested.

Q:  What should I do if my child refuses to go to school?

A:  Contact your school as soon as possible and the school will arrange advice/support.

Q:  What should I do if we are going on holiday during school time?

A:  Holidays during school time are detrimental to your child’s learning.  The Principal of your school will not consider this an approved absence.  Arrange your holidays during vacation periods.

Q:  Can I take my child out of school for social occasions?

A:  No.  This is not considered reasonable. You should arrange social occasions such as personal shopping trips and birthday celebrations out of school hours.

Q:  Will my child be marked absent from school if he/she is doing a VET, Registered Training Organization program?

A: No as long as this is part of the school program.  Attendance at these programs is also monitored.

Further Information & Support:

Talk with our Student Services Team about your child’s attendance or any support you may need.

Contact number: 9234 3400

Absentee SMS: 0408 099 112

Skoolbag APP

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skoolbag.cashs&hl

http://cecil-andrews-senior-high-school-skoolbag.appstor.io

The Department of Education’s South Metropolitan Education Regional Office in Beaconsfield also has trained staff that will be able to provide relevant information and support.

Contact number: 9336 9563

A reminder that  Cecil Andrews College has a zero tolerance policy to bullying, violence, and drugs.