A warm welcome to Term 3 for all students and families. This term we warmly welcomed our students through the House Meetings and Middle and Senior Assemblies where we celebrated Semester 1 academic achievements and recognised growth and application in learning, sporting achievements, perseverance and service to community. As we embark on the second half of the academic year, I encourage all students to set goals for personal and academic growth and to put strategies in place to achieve them, knowing that they have the full support of our community.
The first 16 days of Term 3 have been incredibly busy and filled with excitement as we have welcomed our international visitors from Kyoto Japan, celebrated Arts Week and Dance/Drama Week, led the My Tree Project Collaboration, participated in sporting competitions, engagement with the Bike Active program, our Art Sala Exhibition, attended the Youth Summit organised by Australia Day Council, held the SACE Information Evening and Career Expo, facilitated SATAC Information Sessions and launched the Music Video and Arndale Youth Mosaic.
The subject selection process is well underway, and we were very pleased with the number of parents, students, external providers, and our staff who joined us last Wednesday 7 August for our SACE and Careers Expo evening. I am confident parents and staff will work closely with our students, as they navigate this important period of subject selection and post school pathways.
For our Year 12s, we enter a critical phase of the school year. With mid-year examinations now complete it is important to consolidate knowledge while continuing to work hard on final school-based and external assessments to give ourselves every opportunity for success. Communication and time management is imperative, and I encourage all students, not only our Year 12s, to ask questions, strive for excellence, work hard, and seek support to maximise their potential throughout this semester.
As you will witness in this August newsletter, we continue in Semester 2 to strive to instil the love and joy of learning in our students. It is this passion that drives our innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence.
The Power of Presence: Why Every Day Counts
Regular attendance is crucial. It is the foundation upon which educational success is built. Being present at school not only allows students to grasp the full breadth of the curriculum but also fosters a sense of community and belonging. Every lesson missed is a missed opportunity to learn and grow.
Research consistently shows that students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve academic success. Each day of instruction is an opportunity for students to absorb new knowledge, engage in classroom discussions, and develop critical thinking skills. Regular attendance establishes a strong foundation for academic growth and paves the way for future achievements and enhancing life opportunities.
School is a place for students to develop social connections, build friendships, and cultivate important life skills. Regular attendance enables children to participate fully in co-curricular activities, collaborate with peers on group projects, and engage in classroom discussions, all contribute to their sense of belonging and overall wellbeing.
Every Day Matters for your child’s learning
A day away from school here or there doesn’t seem like much, but absences do add up. Attending school every day gives your child the best opportunity and access to a wide range of learning, wellbeing and social connections. Each day of school builds on what was learned the day before.
We’re here to support you in getting your child ready and motivated for school every day.
When your child is absent it is important you let us know, including the reason why, on the day or the day before. This helps make sure we know where our students are and offer support for you and your family if needed.
2025 Year 7 Students
The formal transition process for our 2025 Year 7 cohort is now underway. Enrolment packs have been distributed to our families via the SSED, with additional hard copy packs being sent out. Our key transition staff will be visiting primary schools throughout the remainder of this term and into early next term to support students and families as they prepare for the transition to high school. The formal transition visits are scheduled for 5 and 6 December, during which our incoming Year 7 students will be introduced to the Woodville High School community and begin their induction process. To support this transition, we will also be hosting a Parent Information Evening on Thursday, 5 December 2024.
International students
We farewelled our international Students, Principal, and Staff from Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior High School last week as they embark on their journey home. We thanked them for the beautiful memories that have been created together in such a short time.
During their time with us, the students and staff immersed themselves into Our Woodville community, learning about Aboriginal Culture, participating in a Dance experience, cooking traditional food and engaging in STEM, Sport, English and other Performing Arts activities. Our visitors also went hiking up to Cleland Wildlife Park so they could see the local flora and fauna and have photographs with the Koalas and Kangaroos at the Wildlife Park.
It was an enriching time, not just for the visiting students but also for Our Woodville students who had the valuable opportunity to learn more about Japanese culture, language, history and traditions deepening our understanding of diversity and the different perspectives that it brings. Please make them feel welcome!
It quickly became obvious that we are one global community that has a shared identity with the same values despite being thousands of kilometres away. Geographical distance and borders are no longer relevant as students are developing the knowledge and skills to live and eventually work across cultural and national borders as global citizens.
A heart felt thank you to Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior High School for honouring us with their visit and we hope their experience was memorable. They shared their heart, home and way of life with our students. They will remain in our hearts and minds as we wish them a safe journey back home to Japan. The school, student buddies and their host families will treasure the memories they created and we wish them all the success in their future academic endeavours.
Student Leadership
Our vision of leadership is aligned with our school motto Reach for the Stars where each student is valued as unique individuals who are strong and capable and competent. We believe students have an extraordinary wealth of abilities, strengths, inherent gifts and creativity to reach their aspirations. There are many opportunities in Woodville High School for Student to have a voice where their values, opinions, beliefs, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups of students in a school are valued, heard and nurtured.
The student leadership structure empowers young people to shape community by engaging in school-level decision-making to increase students’ sense of agency, feelings of belonging, and civic efficacy. This will move the schools toward a more equitable dialogue that explicitly incorporates, acknowledges, and values a diverse array of perspectives. This is especially important when most of the students in our school come from different cultural backgrounds. The leadership structures need not include students alone. In fact, empowering teachers, families, and community members is also an important strategy for building and maintaining a positive school climate and advancing equity within schools. Such a collective leadership model works best when participants recognise the unique value and expertise that every other participant brings to the exercise of power and responsibility, including students with first-hand knowledge of school operations.
While there are many informal expressions of leadership, there are also formal positions of leadership that attract greater obligation and accountability. For some of our students, leadership means taking on the responsibility of representation; of being a public and visible manifestation of a cohort, a student body, a community; the Senior Class of 2025, every other student enrolled at Woodville High School.
Through our leadership program, we aim to build upon every student’s understanding and skills of leadership and assist them to become a respected leader who acts responsibly with integrity and models ethical behaviour. It is in this way that our students develop the personal attributes and capacity to lead at any level, both wisely and with compassion. Please refer to the Student Leadership Handbook to review our charter and the opportunities available to students. Our Woodville has a dynamic and unique student leadership structure, enabling students to have influence and improve all aspects of the school in many different teams and portfolios. These leadership positions include:
- Head/Deputy Head Prefect for the Senior Years
- Head/Deputy Head Prefect for the Middle Years
- Student House Captains
- Year 12 Music Captain
- Year 11 Music Captain
- Year 12 International Captain
- Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Portfolio Members
- Co-Curricular Portfolio Members
- Community Engagement Portfolio Members
- Environmental Portfolio Members
- Global Citizenship Portfolio Members
- Learning Portfolio Members
- Wellbeing Portfolio Members
The process of nomination and discernment for relevant positions incorporates:
- addressing selection criteria in application
- attending interview/s
- addressing their House and/or the year level cohort
The application process for the 2025 Student Leadership Team begins on Monday 12 August (Week 4), where students will be able to apply for a variety of positions via a Google Form. Students will be shortlisted for an interview before being nominated for a position, based on their performance in the interview. The timeline for the application process is as follows:
- Week 4 & 5: applications open via a Google Form, accessible in SEQTA notices
- Week 6: students notified regarding successful/unsuccessful application for interview
- Week 7 & 8: successful applicants will be invited by the Principal to interview for the position(s)
- Week 9: successful applicants notified by the Principal of the outcome of the interview process
- Week 10: Principal announces the 2025 Student Leadership Team to the school community.
Over the last 4 years, I’m impressed with the calibre of young people who have chosen to apply for the mantle of student leadership. At Woodville High School, our common belief is that leadership goes beyond a badge or title, everyone leads, everyone serves, and everyone contributes in their own way to the good of our close and extended community. I wish our prospective leadership nominees all the best as they navigate the discernment process. They have put themselves forward for leadership and whether or not they are successful, this is acknowledged in itself as an act of courage and service.
We believe in the importance of nurturing diversity, integrity and resilience. These values are the cornerstone of a healthy learning environment and society. We encourage our students to engage with important issues that affect them as young people, to use their voice to advocate for change and for awareness of issues, and to take on leadership roles which will help them to set goals, and to action these goals to make a difference in their world.
Woodville High School’s Clontarf Foundation
Woodville High School has been fortunate to welcome the foundation to our school and we We warmly welcome to our community Martin Edmund who will appoint new staff to his team over the coming weeks.
The Clontarf Foundation aims to enhance the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem, and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, thereby enabling them to contribute more effectively to society. Clontarf Foundation commenced in 2000 with a single academy located at the Clontarf Aboriginal College in Waterford, WA. More than 20 years on, the Foundation operates 158 academies in WA, NT, QLD, NSW, VIC and SA, supports more than 11,400 participants and employs over 580 dedicated staff members. To read more about the academy follow this link.
Science Week
We are excited to announce that Week 4 is Science Week 2024 at Our Woodville. This year’s theme, “Species Survival: More Than Just Sustainability,” will be explored through a variety of engaging and educational activities throughout the week.
Key events include:
- Daily Science Quizzes during Home Group
- Clean Up Australia Day (Thursday 15 August) – An all-day event with a friendly house competition
- Nature Documentaries and VR Nature Immersions during lunch breaks
- Art Competition and bake sale – submissions open all week enter. Prizes are vouchers for the bake sale.
- Interactive activities like Badge Making, Bioplastics Workshops and a scavenger hunt.
- Escape Room experience.
Staff and students are participating in these activities to help make Science Week a memorable and impactful experience.
