Term 4 Welcome back to Term 4 and I trust that your holiday break was a good one. We are all gearing up for a successful completion of 2024.
Farewell to Year 12 International Students On Tuesday October 15, I had the pleasure of attending a Farewell Celebration for our Year 12 International Students. The event was held in the International Student courtyard and Senior School precinct. It was fantastic to witness these students appreciating and celebrating their time at Wellington. Thank you to the International team for putting on this event.
Visual Arts Exhibition On Wednesday October 16, I had the pleasure of attending and celebrating the Annual VCE Graduate Art Exhibition, where we were able to showcase the fine work of our senior Visual Arts students. The event was held in the Senior School precinct. Congratulations to the students and their teachers on a fantastic exhibition. Congratulations to the Award winners. In particular, I congratulate Mr Nishioka, Ms Szabo, Mr Sakaris and Ms Fry for their leadership and dedication shown towards our Arts students.
Year 12 Valedictory Celebrations Last week we had the pleasure of celebrating the class of 2024 with a range a events concluding with Valedictory Assembly and Dinner. There are lots of photos in other parts of the journal. Our students have behaved in an exemplary way. I was so proud that they were able to maintain the Wellington tradition of respect and ordered farewells to their last classes at secondary school. I am confident that they have been well prepared and that they will continue to conduct themselves in the ‘Wellington Way’ over the next few weeks. We wish the Year 12 students undertaking exams all the best in their upcoming exams. We want to celebrate all students and hope they take what they have learned at Wellington to continue to apply themselves and make the most of their opportunities. Good luck for the future.
Mulgrave Country Club – John Milledge Scholarship Program On Thursday October 24, I attended the presentation of the John Milledge Scholarship award at the Mulgrave Country Club. The scholarship is open to all schools, government and private who reside within the jurisdiction of the Mulgrave Country Club and is awarded to a Year 11 student, entering Year 12. Our nomination was Kate Le of Year 11. It was fantastic to see her receive her award in the presence of her family. Congratulations Kate, you are a worthy winner. Thank you to the Mulgrave Country Club for their continued support of our students and community.
Save The Date – Awards Night (November 19) and Late Start (November 20) This is a reminder to the Wellington Community that our Awards Night is not far away. This year’s Awards Night will be held on Tuesday November 19 at Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University. The evening of celebrating student achievement and performance begins at 6.45pm for a 7.00pm start. Award recipients will be notified individually. I encourage all members of our community to attend this great night.
As this is a whole of school event and in line with previous years, there will be a late start on Wednesday November 20. The Charter Buses will operate 2 hours later than normal. The school gates will open at 10.30am, with recess scheduled at 10.45am. Period 3 classes will commence at 11.10am with Periods 4 and 5 following as usual. Dismissal will be at 3.00pm.
Year 12 Exams Year 12 VCAA exams will commence next week. We have many year 12’s and some Year 11’s undertaking the exams. I wish all our Senior students all the best over the next few weeks. We are very proud about how you have approached the challenges of study throughout your time at Wellington. I thank all teachers and tutors for their support of our students.
Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Survey As mentioned in previous Journal articles Department of Education Staff as well as Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Surveys were conducted. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Survey results are available, and it is fair to say they continue to paint a very positive picture regarding community satisfaction with our great school. Once again, I thank the 93 Parent/Caregiver/Guardians who completed this important survey, which was a little bit higher on last year’s response. We will analysis the data and look for ways to continue to improve our school.
2024 (93 Respondents)
Monday November 4 – Pre-Cup Day As published on Compass earlier this week, I would like to remind families of the plans for Monday November 4 – ‘Pre-Cup Day’. Traditionally, our families at Wellington have taken the opportunity to take a ‘long weekend’ concluding with the Tuesday Melbourne Cup public holiday.
For those students who do attend on the Pre-Cup day, Monday November 4, classes will operate, however we will decide on the day how they will be configured. This will be based on the number of students, if any, and the year levels in attendance.
Senior School Exams will be running as scheduled, however please note:
the College Canteen will NOT BE OPEN
the College Charter Bus service WILL NOT OPERATE
Public buses will run according to their published schedules.
On Monday November 14, students from the Year 9 Drama and Music classes were lucky enough to attend ‘Eucalyptus’ presented by Opera Victoria at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda. Students were excited by the beauty of the Palais Theatre and thrilled by the incredible artistic and technical performance by Opera Victoria.
Mr Aben Alexander Learning Area Leader (Performing Arts)
Spring Concert – September 19
Battle of the Bands
At lunchtime on Thursday October 17, the students faced off against their teachers in the final Staff vs Students competition for the year – Battle of the Bands! Two student bands and two staff bands went head to head while the audience filled the theater watched on and cheered for their favourite band to win.
First student band: Jordan Masip (guitar), Alex Tong (bass), Ryan Zafar (drums), Amelia Streager (vocals) First staff band: Mr Ben Blaikie (vocals), Mr Sam Wilsmore (guitar), Mr Simon Coles (guitar), Mr Jackson Keat (drums), Mr Jan Jirasek (bass) Second staff band: Mr Sam Wilsmore (guitar), Mr Peter Jarvis (bass), Mr John Oien (drums), Ms Katherine Wright (guitar), Mr Tray Driscoll-Plavins (keyboard), Ms Courtney Ambrose, Ms Megan McKinnon & Mr Christos Liousas (vocals). Second student band, ‘The Band’: Dan Tran (keyboard), Jamie Schmidt (drums), Marcus Ma (guitar), Laurel Widodo (vocals), Nick Lao (clarinet), Henry Hua (bass)
The talent on display was truly wonderful, and all performers did amazingly. However there can only be one winner, and this round went to the students. Congratulations to the musicians in the winning band – ‘The Band’!
On Wednesday October 16, we celebrated the achievements of the Graduating class of 2024 with the annual VCE Art exhibition, showcasing art and design works from the Art Making and Exhibiting and Visual Communication Design classes. The evening was well attended with many students, parents, teachers and members of the community attending to support our students.
We recognised the achievements of a number of students on the evening:
Nahla El Azzouzi – for Excellence in Art Making and Exhibiting
Ryan Phung – for Excellence in Visual Communication Design
Pirah Devani – Acquisitive Prize for Visual Communication
Minh Thao Tran– Acquisitive prize for her crochet sculptural work.
The College Acquisitive prize is an annual prize that selects an art and a design work for the College collection. On the evening a ‘People’s Choice’ award was also voted for, and the winner was Hannah Sullivan for her painting series.
Thank you to the fantastic and committed Visual arts staff, Seijiro Nishioka, Evangelos Sakaris, and Mel Fry who have contributed to the educational journey of these students whose work was on display. Thanks also to the VM class who did a fantastic job setting up the exhibition spaces prior to the artworks being hung. Finally, congratulations to all the Art Making and Exhibiting and Visual Communication Design students on a wonderful exhibition. We wish you all the best for the future.
Mrs Fiona Szabo Art Making and Exhibiting Teacher | Head of Visual Arts
Congratulations to the following students who have been awarded French and Mandarin Students of Term 3. Certificates are for their diligence, positive approach and grit to the study of French and Mandarin. We recognise their efforts in their application to work, perseverance, initiative, participation and co-operation. They also earn 5 points each for their respective houses.
Acacia
Dianella
Eucalyptus
Waratah
Jamie Tan, 7C
George Gambas, 7F
Jeevan Singh Gill, 7D
Ivan Radulovic, 7A
Eric Tran, 7I
Quan Thai Doan, 8B
Lucas Foo, 7H
Aarya Shah, 7B
Ara Radhakrishnan, 8D
Timo Nguyen, 8C
Srethan Lingham, 7J
Cadee Eap, 7E
Mariam Ismail-Zada, 8F
Leah Cheung, 8I
Jack Nguyen, 8A
Dorothy Ho, 7G
Athan Doulgeridis, 8H
Jeremy You, 8J
Leanna Hoang, 8E
Maria Sagiadellis, 8G
Valid Chiew, 9C
Jeffrey Wong Mew Wah, 9C
Mr Bushan Sookhareea Curriculum Area Leader (Languages)
Year 8 French Cooking
Last term, our French class took a delicious turn as we moved into the Food Technology room to learn how to make crepes. This was an enriching experience that not only improved our language skills but also allowed us to immerse ourselves in French culture through one of its most iconic culinary specialties.
From the very beginning, we discussed the necessary ingredients: flour, eggs, milk, and a butter. The most enjoyable moment was undoubtedly when it came time for hands-on practice. Forming teams allowed us to dive into preparing the crepe batter. This not only helped us collaborate and communicate in French, but also taught us specific expressions related to cooking, such as “mix,” “cook,” and “flip” the crepe. It was fun to see how some team members had more experience, leading to wonderful discussions and exchanges of techniques.
Finally, the much-anticipated moment arrived: cooking the crepes. The aroma wafting from the pan was intoxicating and filled us with anticipation. As we garnished our crepes with sugar, shredded chocolate, and fresh fruit.
Every year, over 300,000 tonnes of clothing is either sent to landfill or exported to other countries from Australia. The vast majority of these textiles will be incinerated, landfilled or end up polluting the environment. This current resource-extractive, linear practice is unsustainable.
The Sustainability Champions want to support a Circular Economy, and we need your help. We ask that you reuse and repair your items or pass them on to those who may appreciate it. On the 18th November, we shall be running another Sustainable Fashion Sale.
Reuse – The repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification.
Repair – Material things are not considered as expendable, they hold value that makes them worth repairing.
Ms Bruna Amaral Science Teacher / Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainable Fashion Sale
On Thursday September 19, we ran the Sustainable Fashion retail shop in the Makerspace using second hand clothes donated to raise funds for our sustainability projects. It was a fun event, where we got to socialise with curious people from all year levels that came to support us. We tried to provide good ambience with contemporary music.
People tried on the clothes and they were surprised at how cheap we were selling some of the items, either $1 or $5. The other objective for today was to reuse unwanted good quality clothes and extend the lifecycle of those materials, moving away from ‘fast fashion’. We will organise this event again this term, and we really count on your support!
Cece Medina 9D
Spring Bake Sale
Last term on Friday October 11, the students who are part of the Sustainability Team led by Ms Amaral held another Bake Sale at school. We baked a variety of goods including cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cheese sticks and mango smoothies. I’m pleased to say that this was yet another successful event as the majority of the items were sold out. From this, we were able to make an impressive $490 profit.
The main goal of this Bake Sale was to raise funds for sustainability projects at our school. The Bake Sale gave us a fun chance to put our teamwork and leadership to the test by managing the whole process by ourselves and making sure everything ran smoothly. It also provided us with valuable opportunities to improve our communication and organisational skills.
Divyanjali Vinai 10M
Our Community Garden
Several Year 8 students have been busy helping Ms Amaral during lunchtimes in maintaining the Community Garden. The students assisted with the weeding of various garden beds, filling up the composting bins with green waste. They also spread composted soil onto the freshly cleaned garden beds, reading them for planting some new crops.
Students are welcome to join in and help with this fantastic sustainability program. The Gardening Club runs every Thursday at lunchtime. For further information about joining the environment and sustainability team please contact Ms Amaral.
Supporting your child through exams: Tips for parents
School exam periods can be a very stressful time for teenagers. Stress around exam time can affect all areas of a young person’s health including their general wellbeing, physical health and mental health.
Supporting your teenager during exam time can benefit their study and overall health and enable a calm home environment. Here are some tips which you may find helpful to support your teen to manage exam stress:
Maintain a positive attitude and talk to your child: Create a supportive and encouraging environment at home and give them a chance to talk about how they might be feeling. Express confidence in your child’s abilities and remind them that they have prepared well. Avoid adding unnecessary pressure or stressing about the outcome.
Ensure a balanced diet: Help your child maintain a nutritious diet throughout the week. Provide them with energy-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein, which can enhance cognitive function and sustain their energy levels.
Encourage relaxation techniques and good sleep hygiene: Encourage your child to use various relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or mindfulness practices – there are various apps that can provide them guidance on how to do this. Ensure that your child is having adequate sleep and maintaining a sleep routine of regular bedtimes. Sleep and relaxation techniques can help them manage stress, improve focus and memory, and enhance overall well-being.
Assist with organisation: Help your child organize their study materials, such as textbooks, notes, and stationery. Ensure they have a clear understanding of the exam timetable and any specific requirements for each subject.
Be flexible and adaptable: Understand that your child’s needs may vary during this crucial week. As there is lots of pressure at exam time, removing the additional tasks at home can be helpful to a young person. Giving them less of their regular chores at home will free up more time for them to study. Allow your child to have flexibility with their schedules by encouraging them to balance their time for study but also make time for activities that they enjoy.
If you would like to read more information about supporting your child/ren through exam periods, including some additional resources your child can access for support, please visit: Managing exam stress – parents
Ms Shelley Beasley Wellbeing – Adolescent Health Nurse
